Orlando
LEYLA HIRSCH vs. KRIS STATLANDER (9:50): First off, this show was phenomenal. This was perhaps AEW's best PPV ever. While there weren't any shocking debuts or moments or anything, nor did any of the 4 titles change hands, the show was just stacked from wall to wall with great matches. The only negatives were that none of the women's matches were any good and the show, at 4 hours and 45 minutes long, was an hour too long. This first match was the first of three matches on the "Buy In" pre-show that was free on Youtube, among other sites. Leyla Hirsch won after hitting Statlander with a turnbuckle wrench when the ref wasn't looking. Not much too this. 1/2*
HOOK vs. QT MARSHALL (5:00): Hook is a sensation with the live AEW crowds. I'm not really sure why. Because his hair is goofy looking? He looks like a young punk. Crowds are into that aesthetic? At 5 minutes, this was lightyears longer than any of Hook's previous matches. It was forgettable. 1/2*
MALAKAI BLACK, BRODY KING & BUDDY MATTHEWS vs. PAC, PENTA & ERICK REDBEARD (17:20): This was fantastic. Of course it was. This was Buddy Matthews' first match in AEW. He used to be on 205Live a few years ago as Buddy Murphy. He was the Cruiserweight champ back then and was incredible. It really shocked me that the WWE didn't do anything with him. Buddy looked a little sloppy tonight and not as good as any of the others in this match. This was also Erick Redbeard's first match in AEW since the Brodie Lee tribute show. Not sure if he's back for good if this was a one-off. The crowd was super into him for no apparent reason. His only claim to fame is he was in the Wyatt Family in the WWE a few years ago. This match was pretty much all action and big moves and it was great. ***
EDDIE KINGSTON vs. CHRIS JERICHO (13:40): I think the AEW live crowds might like Eddie Kingston more than anyone else on the roster. Which is kind of weird. This match was great, though, and that's mostly thanks to this match going on early and thus the crowd still as hot as magma. The match started with Kingston dropping Jericho on his head. Kingston finally got Jericho to tap out to an arm stretch submission. Jericho had said he would shake Kingston's hand if Kingston won but of course Jericho didn't. Is that a mistake to turn Jericho heel? It seems like they're turning a lot of their crowd favorite, big stars heel (Moxley, Danielson). Is that a bad idea? ***
JURASSIC EXPRESS vs. THE YOUNG BUCKS vs. reDRAGON (18:55): You will never see a more exciting and action packed match in your entire life. I'm serious. This was wrestling ecstasy. Considering The Young Bucks and reDragon wrestled each other in great matches a bunch of times in Japan over the years plus The Young Bucks and Jurassic Express have exceptional matches against each other every single time...this match being the best match so far of 2022 isn't really that shocking. I can't even begin to explain anything about this match except it was back and forth, non stop action, reversals, saves, dives, flips, kicks, and a crowd that gasped and cheered numerous times in a seesaw of emotional, orgiastic bliss. The story, of course, was that eventually reDragon and The Bucks would turn on each other which should create matches in the future between then. It's kind of crazy considering the card for this show was excellent...and the show still exceeded expectations. This match will go down in history as being a pinnacle of what tag team wrestling can be. ****
WARDLOW vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. RICKY STARKS vs. POWERHOUSE HOBBS vs. ORANGE CASSIDY vs. KEITH LEE "LADDER MATCH" (17:20): This was another highly entertaining match. They did everything and more. Orange Cassidy put his head in a ladder and swung it around, knocking everyone over. Ricky Starks got power bombed by Wardlow from the top of a ladder onto a ladder bridge. Wardlow pushed Powerhouse Hobbs and Keith Lee off the stage and down onto tables. Wardlow eventually won. The weird thing is that the winner gets a title shot at the TNT title. Who the fuck even wants that? Everyone looked good in this match. Keith Lee needs to lose 100 lbs. but the crowd still loves him. This was a hell of a lot of fun. ***
JADE CARGILL vs. TAY CONTI (6:50): This was not good. Jade Cargill definitely looks and carries herself like a bigtime superstar. Unfortunately, even with Bryan Danielson training her, she can't wrestle. Conti's wrestling ability is also a bit suspect. It's weird that the entire AEW women's division is a boring, baffling mess in the ring. Riho was probably the last great in-ring women's wrestler and she's been missing since that Battle of the Belts show in early January. 1/2*
CM PUNK vs. MJF "DOG COLLAR MATCH" (26:45): This was pretty boring for the most part. The last five minutes were good, though, when MJF introduced thumbtacks into the match and Wardlow turned on MJF by giving CM Punk the Diamond ring. CM Punk's face was the definition of a crimson mask. MJF also bled. A lot of this was dull, though, considering you can't really showcase a lot of fast paced action or big moves while tethered to a chain. I watched the precedent for this match on Peacock the other day; 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper vs. Greg 'The Heart' Valentine in a Dog Collar match from Starrcade 1983. That match is supposedly famous? It was a fucking bore! The end of this match was good but for long stretches it put me to sleep. **
BRITT BAKER vs. THUNDER ROSA (17:25): This wasn't very good. Baker eventually retained thanks to interference from her posse. No titles changed hands tonight, which is kind of weird considering AEW only does 4 PPV's a year and you probably should do some title changes on these big shows, right? The problem with this match was that when you watch, say, the tag team match or the Cole/Page main event...the wrestlers work fluidly and flawlessly in a cohesive current of action. These two were herky-jerky, sputter stop, sloppy. There was no fluidity in anything they did. The same goes for Tay Conti and Jade Cargill. Baker and Rosa of course had one of AEW's best matches of 2020...but that was a bloody "Lights Out" match with tables and thumbtacks. In just a basic wrestling match they unfortunately couldn't produce much of anything. A tired crowd after the big CM Punk emotional rollercoaster of a match didn't give this match any favors, either. *
JON MOXLEY vs. BRYAN DANIELSON (21:05): The post-match was better than the match. That's probably saying something. After the match, both men started beating each other up again. William Regal came out to a roar from the crowd (he was the night's big surprise...the other new signing was Shane Strickland, a wrestler I've never heard of). Regal slapped both Moxley and Danielson then made them shake hands. I'm guessing Regal will be the manager of a Moxley/Danielson tag team? That'd be interesting, although I think I'd rather see them as solo wrestlers. Both wrestlers were bleeding in this match. It was kind of a Ishii or Shingo Takagi G1 style of a match...in that it was just two men beating the hell out of each other. Hence, it was more a fight than a wrestling match. It was good but not great or anything. **1/2
DARBY ALIN, STING & SAMMY GUEVARA vs. ANDRADE EL IDOLO, MATT HARDY & ISIAH KASSIDY (13:20): Fuck...this match was insane. I'm not sure which spot was more insane; the 61 year old Sting jumping off a balcony onto Andrade who was laid on top of four stacked tables...or Sammy Guevara doing a Spanish Fly on Isiah Kassidy atop the ring entrance stage roof down onto two tables that didn't break. One table flipped over and the other one just fell flat down. Jesus Christ. They were both incredible spots. This match was kind of one of those old ECW clusterfuck matches with guys all over the building doing crazy shit. I will say that lately, Andrade has looked fucking incredible in all of his matches. Tonight he looked like he didn't know wrestling was fake. His brutality was insane in some of his kicks and moves. Andrade was in a 3 way on Rampage two days before this show against Sammy and Darby and it was a great match and Andrade looked awesome. I really hope the next PPV has Andrade vs. Adam Page for the title in the main event. This match was a hell of a lot of fun and super entertaining. ***
'HANGMAN' ADAM PAGE vs. ADAM COLE (25:45): I've been harping on AEW for two years for not having stellar main event title matches on their PPV's...but finally they've listened to my cries as the last two PPV's had really good main event title matches. No more boring Jericho or boring Moxley matches! Page has really set the high bar these last few months. His two matches against Danielson were incredible (one was a 60 minute draw, the other a bloodbath) and his "Texas Deathmatch" vs. Lance Archer was great. And this match was great. Adam Cole had been having some exceptional NXT matches in the last few years so I knew he would finally showcase his talents in AEW and he did. This was action packed and back and forth and dramatic and exciting and everything you want out of a main event. reDragon showed up late to set up a table at ringside and Dark Order ran out to chase them away. Page did a Deadeye to Cole through the table. They both did all of their big moves. Page gave Cole a Buckshot Lariot but Cole put his hand on the ropes to save him at one point. Even this late, even with a tired crowd, they were alive for this match. Fantastic last match to an all around show for the ages. ***1/2
