The show opened with a brawl between Gabe Kidd and Darby Allin that devolved into pandemonium. The Death Riders intervened, prompting Hook, The Opps and Willow Nightingale to join the fray.
Allin and Kidd’s skirmish led them outside, where Allin used chloroform to incapacitate Kidd.
Afterwards, Allin dragged the self-styled “mercenary” through the streets of Philadelphia in a body bag, chained to the back of a pickup truck.
Two championships were defended on last night’s episode. The first was Mercedes Moné’s TBS Championship, which she successfully defended against Alex Windsor. Afterwards, Moné ruthlessly attacked the challenger, prompting the return of the inaugural AEW Women’s World Champion, Riho. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Moné will defend her championship against Riho at “All Out” in Toronto.
Brodido successfully defended its AEW World Tag Team Championship against Claudio Castagnoli. Brody King and Bandido may have the Midas Touch, because the odd couple delivered another impressive performance.
Elsewhere, Hook finally confronted Samoa Joe for conscripting Powerhouse Hobbs in his absence; Ricochet and The Gates of Agony challenged The Hurt Syndicate to a trios match at “All Out;” FTR attacked Adam Copeland and Christian Cage; and “Timeless” Toni Storm issued an open challenge to the women’s division.
The bulk of this week’s episode was attributed to the Don Callis Family, whose shadow looms over All Elite Wrestling.
Mark Briscoe is hell bent on challenging Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship. Callis is reluctant to grant him the opportunity, though. So first, Briscoe must defeat Konosuke Takeshita, on this weekend’s edition of Saturday Night “Collision.”
Kazuchika Okada was backstage with Renee Paquette to discuss his interpersonal turmoil with Takeshita. Okada’s answer was simple. The “Rainmaker” is the “top dog” of the Don Callis Family now. It’s time for everyone to fall in line and that includes Takeshita.
And, last, Kyle Fletcher and Josh Alexander represented the Don Callis Family in the main event—joining forces with the Young Bucks in an all-star eight man tag match against “Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and JetSpeed. In the end, the villains were victorious, and the “Protostar” leveled Omega with a devastating neck injury. Now, all signs point to Fletcher challenging Page for the world championship at “All Out.”
On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that “All Out” will be the first pay-per-view that’s available for purchase on HBO Max and it will begin at 3 p.m. ET – to counterprogram against WWE’s “Wrestlepalooza.”
It was only natural that this week’s episode dove headfirst into the build for “All Out.” Two more matches were announced, while Page’s newest challenger has seemingly emerged in Fletcher.
Rating: ***¼
Matches
Mercedes Moné [c] vs. Alex Windsor
Outside of her match with Athena, this may have been Mercedes Moné’s best televised match in AEW. Much of that can be attributed to Alex Windsor, who has proven herself as a real player in the women’s division. Both women were trying to end the match via submission, so the decision to call for time midway through the match, teasing a time limit draw, only heightened my enjoyment. In the end, the CEO retained her championship, narrowly escaping with a rollup.
Rating: ***¾
Mark Briscoe vs. Lance Archer
This Saturday, Mark Briscoe will face Konosuke Takeshita — in hopes of earning a shot at Kyle Fletcher. Briscoe came to Philadelphia to fight, though, so he implored Don Callis to produce an opponent for him. Enter the “Murderhawk Monster,” Lance Archer, who accepts Briscoe’s challenge. This was a fun television match. Archer is a great heavy for any heel faction, wrestling a style that is often underrepresented in AEW. As always, Briscoe was a delight, fighting like hell to overcome Archer’s obvious physical advantages.
Rating: ***
Brodido [c] vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta
Brodido may have the midas touch, because the odd-couple delivered yet another impressive performance. This time, it was against the Death Riders’ own Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta — staging their first title defense. Castagnoli was spectacular in this match, matching King’s brawn and countering Bandido’s aerial offense. In the end, Brodido were just too dynamic for the Death Riders — despite Marina Shafir and Jon Moxley’s interference.
Rating: ***½
“Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny Omega, & JetSpeed vs. Kyle Fletcher, Josh Alexander, & The Young Bucks
While the structure of this all-star eight man tag match may have been loose at times, there was a lot to love about this match. It’s always a treat to watch “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight work together. Josh Alexander was exemplary, delivering some of his best work in AEW thus far. However, it was the clashes between “Hangman” Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks that stole the show — for better or worse. While it was nice for longtime fans of AEW and The Elite, it may have ultimately detracted from the issue at hand — the Don Callis Family’s desire to capture the AEW Men’s World Championship. In the end, the heels were victorious and Kyle Fletcher put Kenny Omega on the shelf. Page’s allies are dwindling, while the Don Callis Family is growing more powerful by the week.
Rating: ***¾
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