All Elite Wrestling comes our way from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Last week, Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Spears to pass the first of his five labors. The Good Brothers ganged up on Frankie Kazarian to defeated him in what was supposed to be a one-on-one competition but were ultimately thwarted by Hangman Page and The Dark Order. Brian Cage invited himself to Team Taz’s party. Darby Allin defeated Wheeler Yuta while Orange Cassidy got The Blade’s brass knucks to the face. Britt Baker retained her championship in a bone breaking match with The Beast, Nyla Rose. El Idolo and his new companion Chavo Guerro unsuccessfully tried to convince Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo to leave PAC’s side. QT Marshall is still, shockingly, around. Orange Cassidy pinned The Blade and got some brass knuckle payback and Lance Archer defeated Jon Moxley in a Texas Deathmatch for the IWGP U.S. Title.
This Week’s Headliner:
Tonight Hangman Page & The Dark Order team up to take on The World Champion, the Tag Team Champions, and the rest of The Elite in a ten-man elimination match. If Hangman and The Dark Order win, they earn World, and Tag title shot opportunities. If the Elite win, their opponents lose that opportunity forever (or as long as the Elite holds the belts).
It’s the first stop on the road to Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Adam Page for the World Championship! It’s even more exciting because while they have been teasing it for some time, Page is finally letting The Dark Order help him. Officially. They’ve been friendly, and he’s not going to join their cult necessarily, but after being burned by The Elite, he’s learning to trust again! That’s character growth! And while The Dark Order have been tons of fun, them potentially earning a tag title shot is exciting. Some gold in the group would go a long way to earning them the respect they deserve.
It’s going to be a heckin’ good time y’all! Unless The Elite ruin all the fun.
The Title Scene:
The Women’s Champion Britt Baker defeated Nyla Rose last week to retain her championship. Unfortunately, she was injured during the match. But this is Britt effin Baker we’re talking about! A little injury isn’t going to keep her down. She’s a beast in the ring, but she commands a whole room with a single promo. They’ll most likely continue to use her in a talking capacity while she heals up. After all, she’s a bad bitch. She doesn’t need to wrestle to stay champion.
Everyone is scared of god’s favorite TNT Champion, Miro. Who will be brave enough to take on this Bulgarian Behemoth? I wonder what Jon Moxley thinks about Miro...
Other things to keep an eye on:
-The God of War and wrestler who fully doesn’t understand Greek Mythology, Chris Jericho faces his second labor in his quest to chop the head off of the hydra wrestle MJF again - a no DQ match with Nick F’n Gage! Nick Gage is certifiable. The man loves two things: pain and blood. It’ll be interesting to see how far AEW is willing to let him go on live TV. Chris Jericho has to not only win this match but stay alive.
-The bad blood between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle continues as FTR gets set to take on Santana & Ortiz. Last week the teams exchanged heated words in a press conference. Tonight, they take all that animosity into the ring. Also, Tully Blanchard will, presumably, wear a fun jacket.
-Christian Cage is joining forces with Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus to take on HFO’s Angelico & Private Party. It’s like that old saying - if you can’t fight your own nemesis, than fighting his lackeys and hang out with a dinosaur. It’s a good consolation choice.
-IWGP U.S. Champion Lance Archer is already set to put his title on the line as he takes on Hikuleo. With a championship belt around his waist, Archer is looking to prove that he really is the MurderHawk Monster and not just a pitstop for others to defeat on their way to gold.
-Ricky Starks is now the FTW champion, and Team Taz is throwing a party to celebrate. I wonder if Brian Cage is invited?? He certainly seems to think so.
-Tony Khan is set to make a big announcement tonight. Maybe he just wants to brag about all the music he now owns the rights to.
Tune into AEW on TNT at 8pm ET to see how all this plays out.