What's the story, marks of mimicking mauling?!
An exciting week of wrestling is behind us as your favourite wrestling blogger presses on into an exciting few weeks! Well, exciting is a relative term, it's more busy than exciting, but exciting nontheless! Let's dig into the match we're reviewing for the week, shall we?
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| AEW |
📖 - 14 minutes
Here's what I watched for the week;
AEW WrestleDream 2026
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| AEW |
I ended up missing the live broadcast of this show to attend a wedding reception, so this was a Sunday afternoon watch for me. I avoided all spoilers for this show so I went into it as if it were live, so no damage was done, overall. I was very excited for a few bits of this show, most notably Ciampa's chances of winning the National Title, what Clockwork Carnage would look like, and where the debuting Ilja Dragunov would show up. All told, my expectations were well met.
The Motor City Machine Guns vs. FTR 🟢
A match that technically started in the Tailgate Brawl, it bled over into the main show with the bulk of it happening during the proper broadcast, so I'll include it in the main show review. Match 1 of their best of 5 series, this set the groundwork for what the rest of the matches will look like. I can't help but feel they went a touch overboard here, blowing their wad in the first match without leaving much in the tank for the next 4, but I have full confidence in these teams continually ratcheting up the momentum with each passing match. A great way to start the show.
Mercedes Mone vs. Thekla 🟢
I really didn't expect the Women's World Title to be the second (or technically, first) match on the show, but they started things off hot. Mercedes and Thekla were fantastic in this match, which should come as a surprise to nobody at all. Thekla was a more than competent challenger to Mone, having her number on a number of occasions here. Mercedes looked comfortable and confident as the defending champion, but found herself getting put down more and more often by her challenger. In the end, the assist from the face guard gave Mone the match winning advantage she needed.
Jericho vs. Nick Wayne 🟡
I've made it no secret that I can't stand Chris Jericho. There was a period of time where I enjoyed his work, his time in New Japan was fun and interesting, but when I look back at it, I realize it was more the novelty of seeing a "WWE lifer" in a New Japan ring than the actual quality of the wrestling. Nick Wayne, to his credit, is fine. I don't like the kid, I don't hate hi, I'm largely indifferent. The "Nick Wayne beat Chris Jericho" *insert pyro here* gimmick is fun, but that's about it. As far as this match? It was fine. It's Chris Jericho wrestling in the big '26 and a totally competent Nick Wayne wrestling someone who should have retired 5 years ago. I'm happy Jericho gave the rub to Wayne two matches in a row, but I remember the last time he endorsed a young wrestler as "the future." Where's Action Andretti now? Not doing a whole lot. I hope Wayne is the exception here, but I'm not holding out much hope.
The Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family 🟢
Good lord, this match was fucking nuts. The match of the night for good reason and a bona-fide 5 star classic for many. I will admit, this match was the best thing on the card, but I don't quite know if it hit the 5 star territory for me. But what does my opinion mean against yours, right? Either way, it should come as no surprise that the Bucks, Fletcher and Knight put on a match of this quality. Fletcher is on an insane run and Knight has been doing pretty well for himself since joining the DCF. The Bucks seem to be on some sort of pseuo, secretive retirement run here, if I can read between the lines, but are still managing to put on some of the best matches of their career. Not once a step slow, Matt and Nick continue to prove why they are considered one of the best tag teams in history. Knight and Fletcher worked well here with very little "how will they coexist" beats in this match, which had me worried that that would be the prevailing story in this one. Fantastic stuff from all involved.
Persephone vs. Dani Luna vs. Hyan vs. Queen Aminata 🟡
A match that could be best described as "The DPW Roster vs. Persephone," this match wasn't particularly exceptional. I don't want to attribute it to any one woman in this match, as I've seen them all work and know that they are all great-to-exceptional, so maybe it was a case of four-way clutter and struggling to get in position or make sure everyone got their moments in the sun. Regardless, this match was fun, and I was very hopeful we'd see either Aminata or Luna crowned in this one. I'm not unhappy that Perse retained, as I've been quite happy with her reign, I was just hopeful we'd see the gold change hhands here.
Andrade El Idolo vs. Tommaso Ciampa 🟢
The match I was looking forward to the most, we got another exceptional match from two exceptional wrestlers. I know it may sound like a discredit to the match, but the story of this one really was the pants! I think everybody knew that these two would have a hard-hitting, well worked match, Andrade and Ciampa can have great matches in their sleep, and Ciampa got dangerously close to winning the National title in this one, with Ciampa even coming into this match with an answer to Andrade's signature "how you know?" question, removing his "CIAMPA" trunks to reveal a pair that said "I just know." We got Ciampa apeing Andrade's selfie moment by taking a photo with his daughter Willow (that turned out insanely blown out), and even continuing his feud with inanimate objects by landing Project Ciampa and a 2 count on Andrade's pants! I really enjoyed this one. The more Ciampa on my TV, the better.
Swerve Strickland & The New Level vs. Adam Page & Brodido - Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match 🟢
Honestly, everything I said about the match these 6 men had at All Out can almost entirely be copy-pasted here. Maybe not the match of the night, but certainly a contender. It should come as no surprise that these 6 men had a highly dramatic, story rich and highly competitive 6-man match, with everyone playing their parts to perfection. Bandido was a great babyface in peril, Brody was the monstorous heavy that had to keep the firey Hangman in check when he started losing it on Swerve, who was steely in his focus on dismantling the opposing team. Kofi and Creed were exceptional as well, continuing to show how well they have been able to adapt to the AEW style in just a few matches. I really, really enjoyed this match and I just know they're gonna run this back at least one more time.
Jon Moxley vs. Mark Davis 🟢
This match can be summed up with one simple phrase, "the only way forward is through." Mark Davis became the physical embodiment of Moxley's grief after the passing of PAC in this match, with the firece leader of the Death Riders showing that behind the cold stares and sharp words is a man in a great deal of pain, the kind of pain that massages and stretching can't heal. Davis, one of the heaviest hitters in the company right now, wore Moxley down to a bloody mess in this match, with Marina and Garcia showing up in the crowd to get Moxley's head in the game. From a "wrestling" perspective, this match was fantastic, with neither man giving an inch and Moxley looking to get colour hardway from Davis. From a storytelling perspective, Davis was the physical manifestation of grief, with Moxley continuing to show that the only way forward is through, pushing beyond his own limits to put Davis away. A fantastic match, I loved this.
Will Ospreay vs. Samoa Joe vs. Adam Copeland vs. Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Mike Bailey vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Darby Allin - Clockwork Carnage Match 🟢
A match concept born from Will Ospreay's imagination, a blend between a Casino Gauntlet, an Elimination match, and an Iron Man match, Clockwork Carnage was a confusing concept when I first heard it but made total sense once I gave it 2 minutes of thought. The people that were confused by the match concept confuse me honestly, it's pretty easy to understand, but maybe that's just me. I initially had this match lined up for this week's review, but decided to change my mind after Dynamite this week. Ospreay being man number one made perfect sense to me, with this match being his baby, so it seems only right that he'd want to see this through from start to finish. I was a bit upset that Bailey and Takeshita ended up getting eliminated, but Bailey was a logical fall guy and Takeshita getting eliminated due to Okada made sense in their story, so it was fine I suppose. The Iron Man portion of the match was fun and felt well paced, with Ospreay not coming back until the very end of the match. Honestly, I really enjoyed this match and hope we get to see it again, maybe as a yearly thing for WrestleDream. Maybe a women's one next year! Maybe one with all 8 in the final phase, or one with only 2 left! The possibilities are truly endless.
Wrestling Vault Update
Last week, I alluded to some changes coming behind the scenes that may effect the Wrestling Vault. Now that I have official confirmation, I'd like to share these updates with all of you.
First off, my wife and I are moving! Only a couple minutes down the road, but we're moving out of our basement apartment to a main floor apartment. We're very excited about the upgrade and are slowly starting to pack our life into boxes. We have both units for the month of November so we will be procedurally moving the entire month.
The next update, is that I've got a job! It's a part time position at my old job but I am excited to return. Their management is better and promises to dole out hours and raises to people who prove their worth, so I know I'll be up to full time hours with decent pay in no time at all.
With all this said, the next month and a half, at minimum, will be a busy time for me and my wife. As a result, I'll more than likely only be doing Weekly Watchlist reviews of Dynamite/Collision/AEW PPV's as I won't have the time to watch multiple shows from around the world in a week right now. I'll try to keep my scope wide, but I'm keeping my expectations to a minimum so I don't disappoint myself.
Bear with me, dear reader, as we'll be back to business as usual once life settles down again.
| Match | Show | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Bailey vs. Ilja Dragunov | AEW Dynamite | 10/21/2026 |
• • • • •
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| The standoff. AEW |
Basic Breakdown
I'll be honest, this match is such a "for the sickos" pairing, it's not even funny. There's a lot of talk about how insane Dragunov is, but Bailey isn't exactly sane either. I've talked about Dragunov twice on the blog already, in Watchlist's number 011 and 057, but I won't pass up the chance to give him his flowers. I firmly believe that Dragunov is one of the very best wrestlers in the world, he's the complete package. His selling is absolutely insane, his intensity is second to none, his physicality verges on assault, and his mind for wrestling is absolutely brilliant. There's not much about Ilja I don't love, so getting to se ehim flourish in the rings of AEW is going to be an absolute treat.
Bell To Bell
Soaking up the love from the crowd after the opening bell, Dragunov immediately takes control over Bailey, driving him down to the mat and then driving him into the corner when Bailey starts to squirm his way out. Allowing a clean break, Dragunov takes a step back, but uses it to wind up a vicious chop, nearly connecting until Bailey slips out of the corner. Back in the middle, a knuckle lock takes Bailey down to the canvas and back to the middle again when he's able to get back to his feet. Again, there's a clean break and again, Dragunov swings, but Bailey avoids. This time, he fires off a kick when Dragunov comes out of the corner, but Ilja catches the limb at takes Bailey down tot he canavs.
Stepping over the legs of Bailey to pass his guard, Dragunov covers Bailey but doesn't keep him down long, with Bailey floating around into a chinlock. Dragunov twists out and goes for another chop, with Bailey avoiding before landing a kick to the thigh of Dragunov. Another chop is fired off, with Bailey avoiding before landing a series of kicks to the thigh, wearing down the foundation of Ilja. A headscissors sends Dragunov into the corner, with Bailey firing off a kick to the chest of his foe, sending him staggering across the ropes to the neighbouring corner. Stopping Bailey cold with a boot to the face, Dragunov leaps out of the corner with a boot to the face of Bailey, a combination of a big boot and a stomp drills Bailey into the canvas,
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| Into the dirt. AEW |
Picking Bailey off the canvas into a powerbomb position, he tries to crush him even further into the canvas but Bailey slips out, landing a kick to the chest only to get a forearm to the face, sending him staggering back. Bailey tries for another kick, but Ilja catches the shot, throws the leg down, and chops the thigh. Wasting no time, Ilja snatches Bailey in a waistlock and fucking rips him off the canvas with a gorgeous German suplex. My lord, this was beautiful.
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| Spine shattering. AEW |
Maintaining his grip, Bailey pulls Ilja around the ring, able to toss Dragunov through the ropes to break his hold. A triangle moonsault to the floor takes Dragunov off his feet, sending Dragunov crawling to the stairs to catch his breath. Making a fatal mistake, Bailey lines up Dragunov and fires off a kick but Dragunov moves at the last minute, leaving Bailey to land a kick against the steel steps. Good lord. A release German suplex on the floor sends Bailey head over heels, with Dragunov letting out a huge bellow as he collects himself on the floor.
Both men back inside the ring, Dragunov lands a havy senton in the middle before going for a pair of covers, with Bailey escaping from both. An elbow shot to the back of Bailey's head leads to a grounded cobra clutch from Dragunov, trying to sap the life out of Bailey. Reaching for the ropes once he is vertical, Dragunov opts to ripcord Bailey out of the cobra clutch, landing a lariat off the rebound before going for another cover, but again, it's only good enough for two.
With Bailey on the canvas, Dragunov lands some nasty jumping stomps on Bailey, kicking him like he owes him money. Trapping the leg of the grounded Bailey, Dragunov ties it up and looks to go for an STF, instead grabbing the head and arm of Bailey in another cobra clutch. Fighting to his feet, Bailey halts the ripcord lariat by catching the arm of Dragunov, lighting his chest up with chops until Dragunov comes back with headbutts, vicious as the day is long. Bailey creates space with a kick before coming back in with a lariat attempt, with Dragunov swatting the limb away before laying into Bailey with a punch combination, lighting him up like a heavy bag. Bailey survives the shots and comes back with a spinning kick to the side of Dragunov's head, dropping his foe like a tree.
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| Crashing back to earth. AEW |
With Bailey in the corner, Dragunov charges him, catching a kick to the jaw not once, but twice, the second sending him crumbling back to the canvas. Lighting Dragunov up with stiff kicks, Bailey lines him up for a standing shooting star press, scoring a close two count. When Dragunov gets free, Bailey transitions into a cross armbreaker, with Dragunov rolling around to relieve the pressure. He turns around into a triangle choke, but lights Bailey up with chops to the chest to weaken his grip, allowing Dragunov to grab a single leg crab!
Fighting free with stiff kicks, Bailey breaks the hold as Ilja stumbles around the ring. A kick from Bailey staggers Dragunov, but a single chop drops Bailey like a shot, the sound of the impact echoing throughout the arena. Back on his feet, Bailey's kick staggers, but Ilja's chop crumples Bailey back down to the canvas. Back in the middle, Dragunov absorbs Bailey's kicks and falls to his knees, bellowing "LET'S GO!!" as he rises to his feet. In an alternate timeline, Ilja Dragunov would have had a run DPW and the world of wrestling would have never, ever been the same. You know exactly what I mean. Absorbing kicks as he rises, he allows the impact of one to drop him almost fully, using that momentum to pop back up with an enziguiri to the back of Bailey's head!
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| Up from the depths! AEW |
Snatching the waistlock on a groggy Bailey, Dragunov lands a series of gorgeous German suplex's on Bailey, maintaining his grip after each one. Bailey tries to fight out and reach for the ropes, with Dragunov using that to change his grip before ripping Bailey off the canvas for a Tiger suplex. Holding him down for a pin, Bailey is able to slip free at two. Wasting no time, Dragunov climbs to the top rope and soars, crushing, and I mean crushing Bailey with a massive senton. A pin is made, but Bailey survives!
With Bailey on the apron, using the ropes to pull himself up, Dragunov meets him out there, cracking him across the shoulder blades with a pair of chops before going for another German suplex. Bailey holds on to the ropes to avoid going over, snatching the leg of Dragunov to drop him back on the apron. Maintaining hold of the limb, Bailey flips back and drills his knees into the chest of Dragunov. Just disgusting.
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| Catch your breath. AEW |
With both men worse for wear after the impact, with Dragunov holding his chest and Bailey limping as he attempts to climb to the top rope. Dragunov meets him with a heavy handed chop before ascending to the top with his foe, cracking him with elbow shots and stiff headbutts to keep him from fighting back. Ripping Bailey off the top, they soar with a superplex, with Dragunov rolling through the impact and back into the corner. He tries to go for the D Bomb, previously known as the H Bomb, but Bailey shoots his feet up and connects with Dragunov's face. Pulling him in, he tries for a inside cradle, but Dragunov gets free to survive at two.
Blocking the German attempt from Ilja, Bailey twists the limbs of his foe and floats over with a sunset flip before holding him down for a pinfall attmpt, with Dragunov surviving. Snatching one of Bailey's legs, he tries to neutralize the kicking of his foe, but Bailey comes back with forearm shots, breaking the grip of Dragunov. He fires back in for the legs of Bailey, but he shoots his knee up and connects with Dragunov, stopping him hard. Fighting from his knees, Dragunov lands a 180 chop to the leg of Bailey, who stands on one leg, nursing his wounded limb. Dragunov crawls away to collect himself, sensing what is happening behind him. In a nod to the Karate Kid, Bailey finds himself in the crane kick stance, waiting for Dragunov to make his next move. Never one to back down from a good challenge, Dragunov fires up to his feet, steeles himself, and turns around, getting caught under the jaw with the crane kick!
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| Finish him! AEW |
With Dragunov across the ring in the opposing corner, Bailey lines him up and lands a tornado kick, clearing the entire ring! Ascending the ropes, he tries for the Omega Weapon, but Dragunov sweeps the legs out from under Bailey, sending him falling back inside the ring. Pulling him back from the corner, Dragunov pulls Bailey up for a release powerbomb, crushing his leg with the D Bomb!
Move Of The Match
Calling for the end, Dragunov cocks, locks, loads, and fires, crushing Bailey with the D Bomb before covering for three.
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| Bombed from the heavens. AEW |
Match Time: 16:05
You guys knew this match was going to be great just from the announced names, I mean, how could you not?! Dragunov and Bailey are world class wrestlers and put on a world class match in the main event of Dynamite. A great showing for both, but an exceptional night at the office for the debuting Ilja Dragunov. I'd seen some discourse saying he "took too much" and it made him look like "just another wrestler" but honestly, Ilja's selling is half the magic. He's not some world-beater final boss, he's a nigh-unstoppable (unbesiegbar, perhaps?) glutton for punishment that will hit you as hard as you hit him and beg for more. He's the conductor of a beautiful symphony of violence and showed that perfectly in this match with Bailey. I firmly believe Dragunov's time as AEW Men's World Champion will come in the next year or two, and I can't wait to see that reign happen.
• • • • •
Until next week. Be well, stay safe, and love one another.
cliffmorganwstl@gmail.com
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