It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz greets the audiences at home as we head to the ring for our first match of the night.
MATCH #1: One-On-One Match:
Darby Allin vs. Swerve Strickland
From there, we shoot inside the venue for tonight’s show and the theme for Darby Allin. He makes his way out and settles in the ring and his music dies down.
The theme for his opponent hits and out comes Swerve Strickland accompanied by “The Machine” Brian Cage. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
We see Darby jump into the offensive lead straight out of the gate, hitting a big step-over cutter and a dive to the floor before coming off the top with a crazy splash on The Mogul Affiliate.
Once on the floor, Darby loses the offensive lead and Swerve takes over, ramming the popular star into the ring barricade. It was looking bad for the face-painted performer, but he ends up shifting things back in his favor, ramming Swerve into the steel steps.
Allin goes to pick up Swerve while standing on the steps, but Swerve sweeps his legs and Allin crashes and burns. Swerve runs and lands a big leaping kick to Allin and then rolls him back into the ring.
Strickland takes Allin back in the ring, but it isn’t long before he knocks him back out to the floor, where he builds up some momentum and hits a crazy diving splash at ringside. From there, we shift gears and head to a mid-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see Swerve hit a leaping flat-liner on Allin in the ring. Taz informs us he has been in the offensive driver’s seat throughout the break. Strickland heads to the top backwards but Allin stops him and ties him in the tree of woe.
Allin notices a wrap on the ankle of Swerve, and he yanks his boot off and tries a heel hook, before biting his foot. The fans chant “You sick fuck” and he continues working on the limb as the two hit the mat and start rolling.
Earlier in the bout we saw Sammy Guevara watching on a monitor backstage, now we see Jungle Boy doing the same. I wonder how many outfits they had to wear to shoot shots of themselves so they can appear every week to continue this four pillars studying each other crapola? It’s interesting to see where it’s headed!
The two end up on the ring apron and we see Allin hit a reverse hurricanrana to the floor. Yikes! The fans explode with a loud “Holy shit!” chant. Allin brings Swerve back in the ring and hits his top-rope Coffin Drop.
Prince Nana runs down and puts Swerve’s foot on the ropes just as Allin was going for the cover to finish this one off. Allin notices Nana and exits the ring to chase him up the ramp. When he makes it to the top of the ramp, Brian Cage comes out.
Allin stops and turns back to the task at hand, but the task was waiting and ready, catching Allin with a switch kick upon returning to the ring. Swerve comes off the top with a double foot stomp and hurts his injured ankle in the process. He hesitates and goes for the cover, but Allin kicks out.
Brian Cage breaks up another pin attempt from Allin, so the referee ejects he and Prince Nana. Allin hits Code Red and Last Supper on Swerve and beats him for the second time in a row.
Winner: Darby Allin
After the match: MJF’s music hits and out comes the AEW World Champion as Excalibur mentions how Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin are each two-for-two since their big in-ring verbal jousting match.
We head to a commercial break as MJF settles at the top of the ramp with a microphone in-hand. When we return from the break, MJF is in the ring with Allin, who is seated in the corner. MJF tells them to cut his music.
MJF talks about Darby deserving credit for his match just now and also gives him credit for their past match at Full Gear. He calls him a shitty little emo schmuck but admits that he’s one of the best he’s ever shared the ring with.
He’s quick to make sure it’s clear he’s better than him. He yells at the fans for doing his catchphrase along with him. Friedman tells Darby, “You’re not on the level of The Devil.” Allin asks MJF if he’s happy.
Allin tells MJF he remembers working the Indies with him and Friedman saying when he makes it to national television it’s a wrap, he’s going to be a star. He says he’s here now and he’s champion, but nothing has changed. He tells MJF he went to therapy and tells him it’s beautiful and he should check it out some time.
Darby is killing it, as he gets up and gets more passionate as he talks about the things he’s done thanks to therapy, such as putting his father into a beautiful home and helping him retire. He tells MJF to his face if he has something to say, say it.
Friedman calls Darby an arrogant little boy and tells him he’s nothing special. He says he hasn’t gone through anything others haven’t. He says morals kill careers in this sport and that’s a fact.
MJF continues as he gets in Darby’s face and says he’s made peace with the fact that he is fine knowing he’s going to his death bed alone and he might go to the afterlife and not get into heaven.
He tells Darby to listen good and tells him he’ll do whatever it takes to leave a legacy that proves he’s the greatest of all time. He tells Darby his legacy is going to be being Sting’s bitch. He tells him to keep his morals.
With that said, Sting’s theme hits and Tony Schiavone does a beautiful rendition of his “It’s Sting!” routine. Sting confronts MJF for the Daddy Day-Care comments about he and Darby. He says he’s offended by that.
He says he doesn’t see himself like that but as a cheerleader. He pulls out a pom-pom and smacks Friedman in the face with it. He does the Christopher Walkin cowbell routine, “I’ve got a fever and the only cure is more pom-poms.” The fans chant “pom-poms!”
Sting tells MJF he’ll stop if he does with his “Cody day-care…” he then cuts himself off and does the wide-mouth look. He says, “I said Cody, didn’t I?” He then talks about how MJF had Cody as his support system, Sting himself had Ric Flair – which he points to the camera and thanks “Naitch.” Sting then thanks Kevin Nash and Scott Hall for his “Wolfpac” Sting days.
Sting admits it’s almost time for “It’s Showtime” to be over but says Darby’s show is just beginning. He promises MJF that Darby will be a champion one day. We head to another commercial break after this.
MATCH #2: AEW TNT Championship Match:
Powerhouse Hobbs © vs. Silas Young
When we return from the break, we hear Powerhouse Hobbs’ theme play and out he comes with the QTV crew for the latest open challenge defense of his TNT Championship.
Already in the ring is his opponent for tonight, Silas Young. As he comes to the ring, we see Hobbs arriving in the car gifted to him by QT Marshall. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
Hobbs gets the jump on Young, blasting into him with full force as soon as this one gets started. He hoists him up and connects with a backbreaker and then hits his finisher for a quick squash match victory.
Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs
After the match: We see Hobbs celebrating in the ring when the big screen cuts in to show Wardlow outside with the car gifted to the TNT Champion by QTV host QT Marshall. Wardlow absolutely trashes the car, including the use of a forklift to flip it over.
We return back and see Hobbs going to put Young through a table off the entrance ramp. Wardlow’s theme hits and Hobbs lets go of Silas and waits for Wardlow. Wardlow comes out and the two start duking it out.
A bunch of wrestlers from the back emerge to try and keep these two apart. Wardlow slams some of the guys from QTV. The fans chant his name as the guys get Hobbs to the back. He picks up Aaron Solo and power bombs him through the table off the ramp.
We shoot to a vignette featuring Jay White and Juice Robinson. White calls themselves world class ass-kickers. Robinson taunts Ricky Starks for getting beat down and asks him how The Blade-runner felt. White tells Starks this is only the beginning. He promises this will be the greatest era in Bullet Club history.
MATCH #3: AEW International Championship Match:
Orange Cassidy © vs. Buddy Matthews
When we return inside the venue, the lights in the building go out and out comes The House of Black’s Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart. As they head to the ring, we see footage of The House of Black taking it to Orange Cassidy.
The champ himself comes out next and it’s time for the latest defense of his AEW International Championship. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
Matthews attacks him coming out of the gate as Cassidy was trying his hands in the pocket routine. Cassidy ends up firing up and beating Buddy down with his hands in his pockets moments later.
Matthews fights back and smashes the already taped up hand of Cassidy that The House of Black focused on in the past with his solid head, as Cassidy lands an Orange Punch and screams in pain. The referee checks on it but Matthews comes over and stomps on it. We then head to a mid-match commercial break.
When we return from the break and see Matthews still focusing his attack on the injured hand of Cassidy. Cassidy ends up hitting a Beach Break outside the ring ropes on the hard part of the apron to buy himself some much-needed time to recover.
After some more great back-and-forth action that the crowd has been fully into from the opening bell, we see Cassidy hit an absolutely insane tornado DDT off the tip-top rope on Matthews and then a tope suicida into a tornado DDT on the floor. Back in the ring he hits a diving DDT and goes for the cover. Matthews kicks out.
Moments later he hits another Orange Punch with his badly hurt hand and Matthews still kicks out. Matthews dares him to do it again, Orange tries but Matthews grabs his hand and squeezes and then blasts him with his finisher.
Cassidy does the same thing and tries hitting his Orange Punch, but Matthews avoids it and decks him for the cover. Again, Cassidy kicks out. Seconds later Cassidy goes for the Mouse Trap and gets the pin fall victory to retain in an excellent match.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
We see a Luchasaurus vignette with Christian Cage included. It looks like some evil super hero villain stuff. Christian Cage says some things have changed. After that, we head to another commercial break.
BACKSTAGE: We see Renee Paquette is with Orange Cassidy and The Best Friends. They say Orange is on the roll of his life and then they challenge Aussie Open to defend their IWGP World Tag Team Championships on Friday’s AEW Rampage.
Now we return to the ring where we’re told it was supposed to be the Blackpool Combat Club but instead “All Ego” Ethan Page is out there. He talks about Matt Hardy hitting him in the head with the title and costing him his match and HOOK beating and injuring Stokely Hathaway.
Page demands to know why Hardy did what he did. Out comes Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy who talk about how Page is the biggest asshole he’s ever met in his life. He talks about talking Page into signing a contract that says is HOOK beats him, Hardy and Private Party are no longer stuck in The Firm.
It also chooses Hardy can choose their next match. Hardy says when they win the match, they are completely legally free from Page and Stokely. Page tells them there’s more than just he and Stokely in The Firm.
Big Bill, Lee Moriarty and Ethan Page proceed to beat down Hardy and Kassidy. As this is going on, finally the sounds of Action Bronson fill the house speakers and The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil makes his way down to the ring to clean house.
HOOK starts tossing bodies all over the place, but the numbers game ends up making a difference. As they are all getting beat down, Jeff Hardy’s theme hits and out comes “The Charismatic Enigma” with a chair cleaning house as the crowd goes absolutely bonkers.
We see footage of Kenny Omega from earlier today after footage of Don Callis and other attacks, such as The Young Bucks, from the Blackpool Combat Club. Omega tells the BCC that the problems they have with The Elite needs to be handled in the ring.
MATCH #4: Tag Team Match:
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brandon Cutler and Michael Nakazawa
From there, we return inside the arena where “Wild Thing” plays, and the Blackpool Combat Club make their custom entrance through the crowd and to the ring for our next match of the evening.
Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli settle inside the squared circle as we head to another commercial break. When we return from the break, Brandon Cutler and Michael Nakazawa begin making their way out.
As The Elite duo settle in at the ringside area, before entering the ring, Moxley and Castagnoli jump right on them and begin a savage beatdown at ringside. Nakazawa is split open badly. With the two badly beaten down, Moxley yells into the camera “don’t change the channel” at, presumably Kenny Omega.
Back in the ring, the match finally gets started. Nakazawa tries showing heart as Castagnoli beats on him while he’s a bloody mess. Nakazawa finally gets some success, landing some chops and popping the crowd, but Castagnoli beats him down and does the giant swing moments later.
Cutler tries coming in, also covered in blood, but he gets gobbled up. Castagnoli tags in Moxley and Cutler tags in officially. Moxley eats some shots from Cutler without blinking and then forearm and punches the hell out of his already badly busted open dome.
Moxley hits a King Kong lariat to slow Cutler down as he tries firing up on adrenaline. He hits a Paradigm Shift and a Bulldog and then he and Castagnoli elbow and stomp the piss out of The Elite duo. Finally, the referee calls for the bell.
Winners due to Referee Stoppage: Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli
After the match: Wheeler Yuta hits the ring and helps Moxley and Claudio beat them down some more. Moxley gets on the mic and taunts The Elite and others and gets ready to add more punishment.
Kenny Omega’s theme hits and out he comes despite claiming he wasn’t here tonight in his earlier today vignette before this match. Out comes The Young Bucks as well and we have a full-blown brawl between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club. The fans go wild as The Elite beat down the BCC guys.
The Young Bucks pull out a case to beat up the BCC with, but they stop. They pull out a screwdriver and have intentions of giving the same brutal form of punishment to the BCC guys that they gave to The Elite guys recently. The BCC guys run off before they can.
BACKSTAGE: We see Swerve Strickland with Brian Cage and Prince Nana. They taunt Darby Allin and mention how The Embassy in full hasn’t even arrived yet. Swerve brags about growing his beefs in AEW.
MATCH #5: Women’s Tag Team Match:
Skye Blue and Riho vs. Ruby Soho and Toni Storm
Now we head back inside the arena where it’s time for women’s tag team action. We see Skye Blue and Riho in the ring and then they await the arrival of their opponents for tonight’s match.
With that said, the theme hits to bring out The Outcasts and we see Ruby Soho, Toni Storm and Saraya making their way out. Storm and Soho enter the ring and the bell sounds to get this one off-and-running.
We see some good back and forth action with the duo from The Outcasts handling their opposition well, until Riho fires up and starts flying all over the place. She hits a big dive from the ring to the floor and then we head to a mid-match commercial break.
When we return from the break, we see the baby faces still in control until finally Storm hits a hip-attack and her Storm Zero finisher for the pinfall victory.
Winners: Ruby Soho and Toni Storm
After the match: Soho and Storm are joined by Saraya for a three-on-two and three-on-one beat down. We see Jamie Hayter run down to try and make the save but they guzzle her up as well.
Britt Baker comes down to help out and ends up making a difference. She nearly stomps Saraya, but Soho and Storm pull her out before she can.
MAIN EVENT: One-On-One Match:
“The Ocho” Chris Jericho vs. “Limitless” Keith Lee
When the post-match scene wraps up, we head to another commercial break. When we return, the theme for Chris Jericho hits and out comes “The Ocho” with the pyro and fireworks treatment, as we get ready for our main event of the evening.
The fans sing along with his theme song as he settles in the ring with Floyd the bat and Daniel Garcia of the J.A.S. The music wraps up and Jericho awaits the arrival of his opponent for tonight.
“Limitless” Keith Lee’s theme hits and out he comes with his gray/white hair and beard for our final match of the evening as the fans show him a ton of love. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one.
We see Jericho try and stand up to the much larger Lee. This doesn’t work out well for him. Lee starts to take over and he brutalizes his smaller opposition as the fans rally behind him.
Jericho finally turns the tables and hits a springboard drop kick that knocks Lee out to the floor. From there, we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
As we settle back in from the break, we see Jericho still dominating the action. He hits a big spot on the floor and then a Lionsault in the ring for a near fall attempt. Lee throws him half-way across the ring with his kick out.
The fans start rallying behind Lee with their “beep beep whoop whoop” chants and it works as he starts to take over control of the offense. Jericho fights back into the lead and locks Lee in his Liontamer submission. Lee gets to the ropes to survive.
Lee hoists Jericho up but Daniel Garcia hits him from behind from the ring apron. Lee back-elbows Garcia and then turns around and flattens “The Wizard.” Lee misses a splash in the corner. Jericho tries a Codebreaker, but Lee catches him and hoists him up for a huge, seated powerbomb.
Once again as Lee nearly finishes things off, we see Garcia hit the ring. As Aubrey Edwards is dealing with that, Swerve comes out in a mask and blasts Lee with a foreign object. Jericho makes the cover and scores the win.
Winner: “The Ocho” Chris Jericho
After the match: Adam Cole’s theme hits and out he comes to a huge pop. He checks on Lee and then stares down Jericho in the ring as the show goes off the air.
