What's new, enthusiasts of tournament-based, predetermined tousling?!
Happy Holidays to all! I hope you've been able to enjoy yourself this season and find time to relax and be with friends and family. I've been busier than ever and feeling a bit of a crunch a few days before Christmas but doing my best to just go with the flow and enjoy the time I have.
I also did some brainstorming this week, thinking about what I could review for this weeks review when the idea came to me one night, after I was visited by three spir- wait, wrong story.
Breaking a bit from the norm, I'll be giving AEW's Continental Classic a spotlight this week. I've been catching up on the matches before World's End and felt like there were too many good to great matches that deserved a bit of love.
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| Giving the Continental Classic some love this holiday season. |
Weekly Roundup
Here's what I watched for the week;
Continental Classic 2024
As I said before, I don't like to break from the format all too often, but given the time of year and what's been dominating my viewing time this week, I thought I'd give a special focus to something that's been a real highlight of 2024, even as we round the corner to 2025. I'll try and keep my focus to matches that I've watched this week, as per usual. But I am going to break my rule for a few matches that I really want to talk about, as this is more of a Continental Classic spotlight than anything else.
What the Continental Classic has really done well this year is highlight 2 things, in my eyes;
1: How good tournaments can actually be when done right, and
2: How good wrestlers can be if they are allowed to just wrestle more than once a month.
I'll go over my first point first (what a concept!) as I want to give the tournament participants some love on their own after.
I was thinking about the concept of a round robin tournament the other day as I was getting further into the CC (as I'll be abbreviating the Continental Classic going forward) and decided that it's much more entertaining, from a wrestling perspective, than a single elimination style tournament. While single elimination allows 2 guys (sometimes more, maybe even 1 depending) to get the spotlight and be the main focus of the tournament, having their story weave through each match and into the finals, round robin gives more people that same opportunity. Sure, maybe we can't get the nuance and rich story that a King of the Ring tournament might allow for, but we're seeing character building and stories being weaved and crossed with each match of the tournament, it's really dynamic. Where I feel a round robin match format really excels, is elevating everyone in the tournament at the same time. While you'll of course end up with your semi-finalists and eventual winner of the tournament, with everyone having a chance to fight everyone else in their block, they get more time to shine each week and more of an opportunity to showcase their skills against different opponents. With this year's CC, I feel like even guys at the bottom of the bracket came out looking so much better than they did going in, simply by being involved and having such fantastic matches. Also, before we get into talking about matches, I want to make sure we're clear about this. The matches have a 20 minute time limit, no hour broadways here. They also strictly ban anyone from ringside or even interfering. Just the guys in the ring, brother.
"But Morgan!" I hear you ask, "who's in this year's Continental Classic anyways?" Well, sit back dear reader, as I'll break down each block and give you my thoughts on each guy's performance in the CC this year.
Blue League
Kyle Fletcher
Fletcher has been on an insane run since going out on his own the past few months, I've been absolutely loving watching Fletcher's matches lately. I thought his match against Ospreay was just due to their connection as friends and Ospreay's insane ability to have fantastic, high energy matches, but Fletcher has proven he's the real deal. Every match he's had has been great to utterly fantastic. He gives every match everything he's got and is making the most of this opportunity. Fletcher will hold singles gold in 2025, and it might just be the Continental Crown.
Kazuchika Okada
Now, we get to the current CC Champion, Okada. While he's been having great matches, I can't help but feel like he's sleeping his way through this tournament. His match with Garcia started slow but he built to a quicker, more energetic pace near the end. I haven't seen him put a lot of effort into any of the matches since that one. Commentary continues to put over how he's one of the greatest tournament wrestlers ever and his New Japan resume makes that impossible to dispute, and maybe he's just so damn good that he can sleep his way through a tournament and still have great matches. Either way, Okada hasn't been a stand out guy in this year's CC for me.
Mark Briscoe
Briscoe has become a sentimental figure in AEW over the past few years following the passing of Jay, but he's done a lot to prove that he's more than just one half of a top 5, dead or alive, tag team. His Ring of Honor singles run proved he was more than just a tag guy and the CC is doing wonders to keep Briscoe a relevant and top contender in AEW. He's able to weave a story through every one of his CC matches that finally pays off in the end and he keeps the crowd rooting for him every stop of the way.
Daniel Garcia
Coming off a huge singles win at Full Gear, the new TNT Champion is proving his worth in the CC this year. I've been a Daniel Garcia guy pretty well since his debut, I always saw something more in him and was waiting for more people to see what I saw too. The TNT title win was huge, and now a strong, layered push in the CC is giving DC something to really sink his teeth into and run with. He comes off as a bit of an underdog in most matches but more than holds his own. Let's keep this momentum going.
Shelton Benjamin
Debuting in AEW earlier this year, Shelton has been in need of a really strong push for a long time now. WWE didn't give him much of anything after the Hurt Business folded, so he became a "what could have been" case with people remembering the Shelton Benjamin of the early 2000's. A strong debut in AEW with a run of good to great matches in the CC proves that Shelton defies age and time and helps elevate his position in the Hurt Syndicate. I don't see Shelton being a world champion in AEW, sorry to say, but he can be a credible name whenever they need one.
The Beast Mortos
Mortos has really gained a cult following this year, wrestling previously as Black Taurus and having a career that has spanned almost 20 years, all he needed to do was go "rawr" and people started losing their shit! Who knew. Honestly, even if (spoiler alert) Mortos came out of the CC with 0 points to his name (even Kommander, the guy with the lowest points that aren't none at all managed to eek out 3 points) his run in the CC hasn't hurt his standing and popularity in the slightest. Mortos is a perfect example of how much value a well done tournament can add, even if a guy loses every match, if he gives every match he has everything he has, he'll keep the people in his corner and make them want to see more of him. Mortos didn't get a single win, but has come out of the CC looking better than he did going into it. I love Mortos (and it's not just because my DnD Character is a Half Orc Wrestler named "The Iron Bull")
Gold League
Ricochet
A shock-ish debut at All In was a great start for Ricochet, but the constant enemy of mic time and endless criticism that he's "just another flippy guy" has been tough for old Rico. The CC has been a tournament of change for Ricochet, slowly leaning more and more into the dirty side of his playbook to help him with matches and get ahead. His match with Brody King (which got bumped from my review this week so I'll say it here, watch that match. It's great) really solidified Ricochet as a heel and his alliance with the Hurt Syndicate was all that was needed to seal the deal. Some aerial flash with a dash of treacherous tactics coming more and more to the surface with each match, Rico went into the CC as a troubled babyface and came out a fully formed, confident heel. Great stuff.
Will Ospreay
Ospreay is one of those wrestlers that's just perfect to have in a tournament setting. His style is so innovative and quick, and he's able to adapt and change on the fly so easily, it should be no surprise to anyone that Ospreay is having awesome matches with just about everyone he gets in the ring with. He can bump for the big men like nobodies business and move around with the smaller guys in ways that shouldn't be possible. Ospreay has been an incredible get for AEW and keeping him at the front of our minds by having him on TV more often is nothing but a good thing.
Claudio Castagnoli
I'm really glad Claudio got the pick again this year. He shared the CC in 2023 with Blackpool Combat Club member Jon Moxley last year, but getting the sole pick again this year feels like the right choice. The Death Riders presence is felt throughout all of AEW, a low murmur that rumbles just below the surface of everything everyone does, waiting to breach and swallow something whole. Claudio going on a real tear in the CC further establishes him as a real threat and keeps the looming presence of the Death Riders real with each tournament match. I always want the best for Claudio, having the kinds of matches he had in the CC is exactly what I want more of for Claudio.
Darby Allin
It's clear to see that they're positioning Darby to be the next in line for AEWs top spot. The talk in each match about how "Darby seems like he's insane, but he's very calculated" is a clear effort to put the bug in peoples brain that Darby is more than just a crash test dummy wrestler. His attempt on, let's be honest here, the life of Jon Moxley and crew following All Out was enough to show us where their focus was, but his efforts in the CC and the way they talk about Darby in it is proving that he's someone we really need to keep our eyes on. He's always able to blend insane stunts and bumps with excellent wrestling and well timed moments, and he's an expert at getting the crowd on his side. Once Darby decides to join OC and crew on the front lines, the Death Riders don't stand a chance.
Brody King
Brody (if I spell it Brodie at any point in this review, I'm sure you'll forgive me, I just did a Brodie Lee review last week after all) has been getting a really nice singles push this year, surprising a lot of doubters and only further pleasing those in the crowd that always knew that there was a lot more bite than bark in the big man. Who's have thought that out of the House of Black trio, Malakai and Buddy would be on the bench and Brody would be the guy having incredible matches out on his own. You'll hear no complaints from me, not now, not ever. I think Brody is absolutely unreal and gets me hyped like a motherfucker when he decides to do some big boy shit... which is just about all he does, so you can do the math there. I hope he keeps getting some time on his own and maybe event tastes some singles gold in 2025.
Komander (Sub. Juice Robinson)
With only one match under his belt, Juice Robinson broke his fibula and was taken out of the CC and replaced with Kommander. A horrible way to be removed from action, and my best wishes go to Robinson, but I can't help but feel like Kommander is a much better choice for the CC, sorry to say. His style and capabilities as a luchador allow him to work almost seamlessly with everyone in the tournament. He missed out on a match with Ospreay as that was Robinson's first and only match in the CC, but Kommander has shone against everyone else in the CC. He fills a similar role to Mortos for his league, where Mortos is a perfect blend of brute strength and agility, Kommander has his stats maxed out in athletics and agility.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Daniel Garcia - AEW Collision - 11/30/2024
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| Kazuchika Okada vs. Daniel Garcia - AEW Collision |
This was the first match of Okada's from this year's CC. With how much they big up Okada as "one of the greatest tournament wrestlers of all time, I was excited to see how he was going to perform here. As I mentioned in my little blurb about everyone's individual performance in the CC this year, I really felt like Okada was sleeping his way through some of this match, and its really weird to say that when I watch it back, but I still stand by that statement.
Right from the bell, Garcia is going for Okada and trying to wear him down, putting everything into a side headlock right from jump street and cracking him with solid forearm shots. Garcia is close to getting a couple pins on Okada, but the veteran slips out of Garcia's attempts and catches himself on the ropes, collecting his thoughts before going back in. It really is impressive how much Garcia is able to get in on Okada right from the bell, fending off Okada's attempts to slow the tide quite handily and keeping the pressure on.
When Okada manages to get back control, there's not much urgency to his moves. He's confident and collected, measuring his pace after taking Garcia down with a neckbreaker, slowly going for the pin and taking his time to get up and elbow Garcia in the back of the neck. Even after landing a big running elbow to Garcia in the corner, he takes his time to stand on the ropes and catch his breath, toying with Garcia on the mat with kick that only anger the TNT champion.
When Garcia starts to come back more and more, taking everything Okada throws at him and not backing down, he starts to turn things up a bit more. The pace quickens, the energy gets more dire, and the hits get harder. Garcia, for his part, never lets up. He's running through Okada with kicks, planting him with a solid neckbreaker and locking in a sharpshooter (didn't he call it the Dragontamer for a while?) that forces Okada to escape to the outside, even taking a running dropkick to the corner of the barricade!
A chair to the gut and a DDT on the floor gives Okada some of his mojo back, but the encouragement of a young fan at ringside drives Garcia to charge back inside the ring, only to eat a DDT as soon as he crosses the threshold. It's starting to become clear to Okada now that Garcia is the real deal, and he can't underestimate him anymore. Okada flips off the camera to set up for the rainmaker, but Garcia gets an ankle lock off the ground. Okada hits the ropes for his signature dropkick, but Garcia stops just in time to try for the sharpshooter again.
With Okada trapped in the sharpshooter, Garcia sits in deep in the sharpshooter, trapping Okada in the centre after he tries for the ropes. Okada is screaming and trying to hold on, and Garcia is leaned back like he's got him in a calf crushes as the clock ticks down more and more, until the bell finally sounds. Okada did not submit, he just survived.
This did an amazing job of putting Garcia over. It would be one thing for him to have beaten Okada clean in the middle, but its another to survive Okada and force him to go the distance with you. Sure, you couldn't get the job done in 20 minutes Danny, but neither could the greatest tournament wrestler ever, that means something. I know I said that Okada sleeping his way through matches wasn't a great thing, and I mean it, but if he's leaning into this heel attitude and knows he's going to perform better than anyone in this tournament, maybe he knows he only needs to give 40% effort. Garcia forced him to give a bit more near the end just to survive. Nice little story told, a real gem of a match.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie King - AEW Dynamite - 12/04/2024
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| Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brodie King - AEW Dynamite |
Last year, Brody and Claudio faced off in the CC in a match that, sorry to say, I didn't watch! I know it's hard to believe when I love both of these guys but for one reason or another, I just never got around to watching these two hosses go at it. This year though, I was very excited to see these two go to war. With Brody getting a nice singles run and Claudio representing the dark cloud that is the Death Riders, this was sure to be nothing short of a brutal fight.
They lock up like bulls from the start, fighting for position with a shoulder tackle after a irish whip rebound from Claudio barely budges Brody. A pair of clotheslines in the centre stuns both men, but a chop from Brody is the first thing that takes either man off their feet. Prior to the chop, Claudio blocked an incoming strike with a double axehandle and an armbreaker, weakening a signature weapon of Brody.
Getting out of the corner just in time, Claudio dropkicks Brody in the knee to send him tumbling face first into the middle turnbuckle. With King stunned in the corner, the king of "making shit up that just works" runs along the ropes and lands a double stomp on the shoulders of Brody. He hops over the top rope, using Brody as a step stool and continues to punish his right hand, wrapping it around the ring post and smashing it into the apron. Even with the damage being done to his hand, Brody's chops still hit Claudio like hammers, but Brody pays for it every time.
Claudio continues his methodical assault on Brody, eating chops and trying to literally break his arm over his shoulder time and time again. Soon, Brody has had enough, catching Claudio and getting him up on his shoulders, drilling Claudio down with a death valley driver for a two count. Brody hits the ropes for a lariat but Claudio ducks the line, waiting for the rebound to hit Swiss Death for a close two count and a DVD of his own!
Claudio tries to take a page out of Danielson's handbook, trapping Brody and crushing him with hammer and anvil elbow strikes, but Brody comes alive! He gets to his feet and decapitates Claudio with a lariat, but still only a two count! Brody is getting his momentum back, crushing Claudio with a corner cannonball and giving him some free dental work with a forearm to the jaw off a springboard attempt. They even decide to see how well the ring crew did tonight, going to the top rope for a ring shaking superplex!
A piledriver has Claudio crawling and swinging at ghosts, rolling to the outside from pure instinct alone to avoid another Brody sized lariat (it's a standard unit of measure, close in scale to "massive" or "fucking huge"). With Claudio in a chair against the barricade, Brody misses a charging crossbody and gets dumped into the crowd from an uppercut, but still manages to roll in the ring before the 10 count. Claudio tries to lariat he's been using to success already in this tournament, but Brodie connects instead.
Brody gets Claudio up on his shoulders as he attempts a powerbomb, but Claudio slips over the other side and lands behind Kind, getting in the face of referee Bryce Remsburg as he shoots his leg back and catches King in his family jewels. With Brody clutching at pearls, he sets him up and lands the neutralizer for the three count.
Great hoss fight, these two have some really good chemistry together and had a great match that build in action and intensity to a really fun final few minutes. Shame Claudio resorted to cheap tactics to win, but the Death Riders kinda live by a "by any means necessary" mantra nowadays, don't they?
Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher - AEW Collision - Winter Is Coming 2024 - Day 3 - 12/14/2024
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| Mark Briscoe vs. Kyle Fletcher - AEW Collision |
At this point in the CC, Fletcher leads the Blue League with 9 points in 3 matches and Briscoe sits at the bottom with Shelton Benjamin at 3 points and our boy Mortos with 0. Briscoe was able to get an "upset" victory over Garcia to get his points, but hasn't had a great run of it in the CC. He's been able to hold his own, but he just can't seal the deal at the end for one reason or another. He certainly has his work cut out for him tonight, taking on "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher.
Fletcher has all the confidence in the world, even if the crowd is very firmly against him with "Osprey's better!" chants. Briscoe, despite being near the bottom, isn't letting his recent losses hold him down at all. He's been around long enough to know that victory can be snatched from the jaws of defeat at the last possible second.
It's a slower start, with Fletcher and Briscoe feeling each other out, the younger of the two keeping the early moments of the match in his favour, but he gets caught and pays for it. A corner boot gets sidestepped as Briscoe jumps over to the apron. He snatches Fletcher to suplex him outside but he fights out, only to get a bite on the forehead and a snapmare through the ropes and out to the floor. Briscoe climbs back inside and rebounds off the ropes, hitting Fletcher with a really slick dropkick through the ropes. I love how Briscoe catches himself on the ropes so he doesn't just eat the floor, it looks so good.
Briscoe tries to take Fletcher back inside but he comes back out after him, with both men opting to just brawl on the outside for the time being, Briscoe making sure to roll in the ring long enough to break referee Remsburg's count. From one side to the other they travel, Fletcher's path determined by the heavy hand of Briscoe's chops. In front of the commentary desk, Briscoe hooks one arm of Fletcher as he tries for his late brother's signature move, the Jay Driller. He's been trying to land this move in every match so far in the CC and has never been able to get it off, and this match is no different, with Fletcher dumping him with a back body drop.
With Briscoe catching his breath against the steps, Fletcher pulls him to the apron and hooks him up, holding him upside down with his head hovering above the barricade. Suddenly, he drops Briscoe with a nasty brain buster on the top of the barricade, letting him fall limply to the sea of people beyond. They fight in the crowd for a moment, until Briscoe decides to bring Fletcher back to ringside with a "superplex" off the top of the barricade!
Once they're back inside, there's no holding back from either man. Fletcher drills Briscoe with knees and kicks, while Briscoe tees off on Fletcher like a heavy bag with chops and shots to the gut. A pelee kick stuns Fletcher long enough for Briscoe to hook him for a, well, I'll let Briscoe say it in his own words, "FISHERMEN BUSTAA!" Fletcher tries to drop Briscoe on his head this time with a half and half suplex, but Briscoe cleaves Fletcher's head off at the shoulders with a lariat when he gets back to his feet.
Briscoe climbs to the top to drop the signature Froggy-bow but Fletcher gets the knees up, climbing to the top to try one of his own but Briscoe avoids it. Again, he hooks Fletcher for the Jay Driller and is able to get both arms this time! But he gets dumped out of it again, closer than he's been in a minute. Chops stagger Fletcher but not for long, as Fletcher superkicks Briscoe under the jaw that really should have knocked the rest of Briscoe's teeth out on impact. A cutthroat driver is attempted from Briscoe but a thumb to the eyes forces Briscoe to half his momentum.
Briscoe can feel the momentum shifting now. A cutthroat driver is landed and the froggy-bow gets him a close two count. He gets Fletcher hooked for the Jay driller again but he gets out of it. He catches a boot to the loins after Remsburg avoided being crushed in the corner and tries for it again, and he gets him up! The crowd comes alive as Briscoe spike's Fletcher into the canvas with the Jay driller, covering him for the three.
I really enjoyed this match. Fletcher has been exceptional in the CC and Briscoe is the perfect babyface workhorse. he knows exactly what he needs to do to tell a story between the ropes in 20 minutes or less, and the thread of the Jay driller always being countered in each match until it gets him the win tonight was a really beautiful touch. I'll admit, I popped huge when he landed it here. made me smile really big. God, I miss Jay.
Ricochet vs. Komander - AEW Rampage - 12/06/2024
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| They didn't give this match a graphic. What else do you want me to do. AEW |
Since starting in the CC, Ricochet has been undergoing a change, a metamorphosis if we want to start using big words. There's been an air of disgust about Ricochet in recent weeks, like he''s getting fed up with his performance and the attitude of everyone else around him. Like he's ready to do whatever he needs to to start winning. At this point, he's got one loss under his belt after eating a lariat from Claudio. We're only 4 matches in, with this being the fifth (if I did my math right) so it's not like he can't come back from the one loss (he does, going on to being the point leader in the Gold League in the end) but he's certainly unhappy with his performance so far.
The start of this match is exactly what you expect, high speed, reversals with a flourish and no shortage of handsprings, headscissors, springboards and crowd popping moves. Kommander has been impressing people a lot lately, especially with his inclusion in the CC, and Ricochet always shows out when he's got someone he can flip and roll with like this.
Kommander goes for the corner armdrag the lucha boys like to do, catching the hand of Rico and climbing the corner, walking the top rope and doing that little middle rope to top rope hop that always looks like it shouldn't be possible. Ricochet cuts him off short, however, cracking Kommander with a shot to the gut before springboarding up with a kick to the back of the head to send him crashing to the floor.
The change of attitude is evident almost intermediately, Ricochet uses his speed and agility to his advantage like he known for, but he's leaning into taking advantage of Kommander when he's grounded stomping him out and grinding his knee into the face when he's cornered. It's strange to see Ricochet hard whip someone to the corner and then drag them out only to his a pair of elbow drops. He's slower, more methodical, biting back at the crowd and making sure Kommander can't get to his feet. In a move I though he was going to steal straight from the great one's playbook, Rico bodyslams Kommander and stands above him, his body language showing he's going for The People's Elbow. He hits the ropes and when he looks to drop the boom, he does a perfect standing moonsault.
Kommander is able to fight Ricochet off long enough to springboard off the ropes when his whip attempt is reversed, only for Ricochet to snipe him out of the air with a dropkick. Despite that, Kommander starts to fight back, cathcing Ricochet with a headsissors off a whip reversal that sends him to the outside. Wasting no time, Kommander runs and effortlessly jumps to the top rope, hitting a moonsault to the floor. Back inside, he tries another springboard into a DDT but Ricochet is somehow able to half Kommander's momentum as he spins around, turning the move into a suplex instead! He then deadlifts Kommander into a brainbuster! God damn Ricochet!
In a move that truly needs to be seen to be believed, Kommander climbs to the top rope with Ricochet at the corner due south of him. Kommander effortlessly runs across the top rope, flips when he's halfway and bounces his legs off the top rope to rebound around to the apron in front of Ricochet. A kick sends Ricochet reeling back as he springs from the top from one side to another, taking off with a hurricanrana into a jackknife pin for a lightning close two count! Good god man! With Ricochet avoiding a top rope moonsault from Kommander by rolling to the apron, he hooks Kommander up and drops him with a huge brainbuster!
When a springboard 630 isn't enough, he drills Kommander with a death valley driver before cocking, locking, and loading his spirit gun, firing off with the running elbow shot for the three count.
I had almost no expectations for this match, and these two blew me away as a result. Ricochet has been awesome in the CC and his character evolution has been really, really fun to see develop with the different people he faces off against. This tournament has done more for Ricochet than a dozen random TV matches and messy backstage promos ever could. Kommander has been really impressive too, and a lucky pick for a substitution. I don't think Juice Robinson could have had a match this good with Ricochet and certainly wouldn't have had such a signature style that Ricochet could spend the whole match trying to halt like he did here. Good stuff all around.
Shelton Benjamin vs. The Beast Mortos - AEW Dynamite - Holiday Bash 2024 - Day 1 - 12/18/2024
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| Shelton Benjamin vs. The Beast Mortos - AEW Dynamite |
I think out of everyone in the CC, Shelty B and Beasty boy have the least going on, and it really bugs me to think about it like that. Shelton is hanging around with Lashley and MVP in the Hurt Syndicate so its nice to see him getting a spotlight, and Mortos has got a really solid groundswell behind him that has kept him relevant and popular these past few months. But aside from that, no character development to be had, no angles or story lines to further, these guys are kinda just here as a really solid set of hands to have great exhibition matches. And that's exactly what this is, a great exhibition match.
From the word go, Shelton is on his A game. He gets Mortos off his feet with a big bodyslam, but Mortos shows his unreal agility for a beast of his size, springboarding from the apron over the back of Shelton, rolling through the landing and rebounding off the ropes with a great headscissors to take Shelton off his feet. Mortos tries the same thing Kommander tried in his Ricochet match, catching the hand of Shelton and climbing to the top rope but Shelton adjusts enough to crotch Mortos on the top rope. Shelton brings Mortos to a seated position before reeling back and leaping with a knee to the chin, sending Mortos crashing to the outside.
Shelton follows Mortos outside and pings him from the apron to the barricade over and over again, driving him gut first into the sharp corners of both, punctuating the offence by sending him crashing into the ring steps. Mortos struggles to get back inside as Shelton waits for him, picking him up in the corner and clobbering him with forearms. Mortos pulls Shelton out of the corner but Shelton tries to take him up for a back suplex, but Mortos flips out! He shoves Shelton into the ropes and catches him with a beautiful Dustin Rhodes-esque snap powerslam for a two count.
With Shelton taken down with a bulldog out of the corner, Mortos climbs to the top and crushes Shelton with a corkscrew senton but again, it's only a two count. Shelton slips out of a firemans carry position and hooks Mortos as if he's going to drop him with a reverse DDT. With unreal strength, he pulls Mortos up and over onto his shoulder, running around the ring before dropping Mortos with a powerslam! Shelton rolls to his feet, but Mortos sits up! Shelton is stunned, in disbelief that Mortos is getting back to his feet that quickly. The Beast rises from the dead and headbutts Shelton as he charges in, cracking him with a discus forearm. Mortos hits the ropes to finish Shalton off, but gets caught with a huge pump kick that drops him like a shot.
Shelton is back on his feet and is feeling good, bouncing in place as his second wind is found. He waits for Mortos to stand as he snatches him from behind for a huge german suplex! He wastes no time going for the second, but needs to wait for Mortos to pull himself up with the ropes before launching the Beast with a third. Leaning in the corner now, Mortos gets caught with one knee under the chin, and then another, stumbling out as Shelton wraps the arm of Mortos befor picking him and and driving him into the canvas with the Hurt Fall for the three, as MVP is quick to call it on commentary.
This was a fun little match for these two guys. Shelton is getting some wins under his belt as a part of the Hurt Syndicate and Mortos is staying on TV and in our hearts, even if he's coming up short in these matches. As long as he's on TV and having matches like these, Mortos isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin - AEW Dynamite - Holiday Bash 2024 - Day 1 - 12/18/2024
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| Will Ospreay vs. Darby Allin - AEW Dynamite |
Alright, here it is, the match that everyone has been going absolutely gaga for since it aired. I'd love to give this match a full review, but i literally do not have the time this week, I'm sorry. I'm working on a feature for the blog where I give 5 star rated matches (spoiler alert, this one got the full 5 from me) a full on spotlight on the blog. When that happens, this one will have its time to shine. A dream match for many, this will be the first time that Ospreay and Darby face off, and it delivered in an insane way.
Before they even touch, the fans are already chanting "holy shit," well aware what this match could look like, and they show that they're gonna be starting this shit in third gear . A side headlock from Darby starts things off, with Ospreay shoving him off as Darby springboards off the ropes for a huge arm drag, but Ospreay flips out and lands on his feet. Ospreay flips for the Oscutter buyt Darby sidesteps, going behind Ospready and using the ropes to roll through with a pin attempt but Ospreay shoves him off. Darby bounces off the ropes and comes right back with a crossbody to make another pinfall attempt. Ospready slips out and takes out the feet of Darby for a quick pin but Darby shoves him off, rising to his knees as Ospreay fires off a kick that Darby narrowly ducks as both men lock eyes in the middle again. They're about as even as you can get.
Ospreay chops Drby in the corner with heavy hands, walking out to charge in but Darby gets his feet up, dropping Ospreay to a knee as he dives over Ospreay's back and charges back in with a dropkick. Ospreay is standing in the corner now as Darby puts his entire body behind a corner splash. If Darby isn't giving it 110%, is it really a Darby match? I ask that same question again as Darby finds himself on the outside now, sliding in the ring after Ospreay tries a springboard crossbody from the inside out with nobody home. He lands on his feet but Darby is already hitting the ropes at full speed, firing back with a suicide dive that crashes into Ospreay and sends him flying into the barricade.
Ospreay pulls himself up onto the apron and Darby climbs to the top rope, seeing that Ospreay has placed himself perfectly in the drop zone. Darby climbs and turns, taking off with what might just be the single most disgusting Coffin Drop I've even seen him do. Ospreay rolls inside as Darby takes off, landing not flush on the apron, that would be too gentle. No, instead Darby decided to go 50/50, landing spine first on the corner of the apron with a sound that is legitimately impossible to describe. It's horrific. He falls to the outside like a corpse, breathing is all he can do as the crowd screams in horror. I'm writing as I watch this live, knowing full well this is going to be my favourite match of the CC by a good margin.
After a few minutes, Darby is back in the ring and Ospreay seizes in the back now, dropping Darby with a nasty backbreaker. Darby's size and willingness to do whatever makes him the perfect opponent for so many guys. You wouldn't really think of Ospreay as being a power wrestler, but he gets to show off a bit against the much smaller and more manoeuvrable Darby. Even when Darby gets sent into the ropes, he avoids taking them on his back, instead springboarding off and hitting a standing... Coffin Drop... how'd that work out for ya pal?
Darby opts to hit the ropes on his own accord this time, with Ospreay going for a single leg dropkick and flipping off the chest of Darby as he does do, landing on his feet in front of him. Darby closes in with a guillotine choke but Ospreay quickly hooks Darby and flips him up for a suplex, but Darby slips out! He jumps on the back of Ospreay and flips around, catching him in mid air and sitting out with a stunner!
Darby avoids a top rope corkscrew moonsault by getting into the corner and waiting for Ospreay to land on his feet, leaping over Ospreay for a Code Red but Ospreay catches Darby by the heels and flips him back out of it, with Darby doing a full rotation in the air and landing perfectly on his feet. What the actual fuck is happening here guys, oh my god. Without missing a step, Ospreay charges in and folds Darby with a Hidden Blade! He picks him up with the double underhooks for the Stormbreaker but Darby clips through, hooking his legs around and pulling Ospreay around with a Code Red! Oh my fucking god.
Back on their feet, they trade shots in the centre with a single chop dropping Darby. He holds the left arm of Darby and pulls him up for a second chop, dropping him again. He tries for a third but Darby absorbs the shot. He block a second chop, rolling and twisting his way through to a La Magistral cradle for a close two count. Ospreay tries for an Oscutter but lands on his back after Darby sidesteps, going for a springboard Coffin Drop for a close two count!
Both men are on the apron at the corner now, climbing to the middle turnbuckle as Darby hooks the head of Ospreay and tries to get him up and over. When that proves to be too difficult, he instead shoves Ospreay down but pays for it, with Ospreay kicking Darby's foot out from under him and he lands on the top turnbuckle stomach first. Ospreay moves in and pulls Darby down, holding him upside down and hooking his arms behind his legs. Standing on the apron, he turns to the floor with Darby in the Styles Clash position and the crowd knows what's coming next, as they watch in horror as Darby lands on the floor stomach first.
The referee's count gets higher and higher, the crowd is almost screaming "you've still got it!" as he slides in just before 10! But Ospreay was lying in wait, catching Darby with an Oscutter and wrapping him up for the thr- no! Somehow, someway, Darby survives! But maybe not for long, as Ospreay hooks Darby and pulls him up for the Stormbreaker but Darby barely manages to escape, catching Ospreay from behind and pulling him into position and planting him with a Scorpion Death Drop! Darby climbs to the top and falls onto Ospreay's back with a Coffin Drop as gets to his hands and knees. Once again, Darby ascends to the top and falls back again with another Coffin Drop, this time covering Ospreay for the three.
Jesus, this match is insanity. You need to watch this match. It's easily a match of the year contender, even with everything we've seen this year. This match squeaks in just under 15 minutes and it never lets up for a second. The future of AEW and wrestling is in the hands of these two guys, honest to god. Let them have the ball and run until they can't run any longer in 2025. The best is yet to come.
Man, what a fun week this was. I wasn't expecting to do so much so quickly this week but I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to spotlight something I've been enjoying lately and talk about some matches and wrestlers I think deserve it. The CC has delivered in every way possible this year and I'm excited to see who comes out with the Continental Championship at Worlds End this year.
As always, cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com is where you can send match rec's, feedback for Tapping Out, hate mail, fan mail, or ideas for Deep Dives you want me to do! I won't say much more on that, but if there's something in wrestling either you know a fair bit about or want to know more about, let me know and I'll start digging to find out all that I can.
Until next time, take it easy friends.
Cliff Morgan
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