We are live from Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX, as fireworks/pyro erupts and the fans make a ton of noise to start the second annual “Winter Is Coming” themed show!
AEW World Championship
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson
Now we hear the bell sound and both guys back up to opposing corners of the ring. Page takes a few steps forward towards the middle of the ring and stares down Danielson, who looks back before moving forward as well. The fans break out into loud split chants, with the majority of the crowd getting another “Cowboy sh*t!” chant going, while another segment of the audience chants for Danielson.
We’re off-and-running as these two lock-up. Page backs Danielson into a corner and goes for a big chop, but “The American Dragon” moves out of the way and Page swings at nothing but air. Danielson gets a bit arrogant after that, backing up and taunting Page by over-celebrating the fact that he got out of the way of his chop attempt.
Danielson and Page close in on each other again and once again the two lock up. Page uses a fireman’s carry to take Danielson down to the mat. He isolates the arm of Danielson, who works his way back to his feet. He secures an underhook and scoops Page up and takes him down to the mat, taking him off his feet for the first time in the bout.
Again we see Danielson back up and over-celebrate his early offensive success against the champ. Page and Danielson circle each other and the heel Danielson backs-off and sticks his head through the ropes, which forces Page to back off. The two lock-up again and Danielson goes behind Page and tries taking him down, however Page reverses and whips Danielson into the ropes. Danielson comes off the ropes and Page blasts him with a shoulder block that puts him on the mat with authority.
“The American Dragon” is back up and he gets in a move on Page and once again over-celebrates. He backs up into the corner of the ring and does some celebratory jumping-jacks in mocking / taunting fashion. The two re-engage again and now it is Danielson who takes Page down to the mat and controls his arm. Page gets back to his feet and reverses things, controlling the arm of Danielson. Danielson backs him into the ropes and it looked as though he was going to give him a clean break, but instead he shoves him hard in cheap-shot fashion.
Page heads back after Danielson and shoves him as well. When he goes to re-engage further, again we see Danielson stick his head through the ropes, prompting the referee to force Page to back up. The two lock up again and each man scores a takedown. Page kicks Danielson with a big shot to the chest and as the commentators point out on the broadcast, it resulted in a change in demeanor for Danielson for the first time since the match began.
Danielson ends up going back to his cocky style after that, as he wears a big ear-to-ear smirk on his face and heads to the middle of the ring for a faux handshake offer, which Page of course rejects. The two stare each other down as the fans break out into a couple of pro-Page chants. The action continues with Danielson securing a double wrist-lock on Page. Page counters into a side head lock. He hits the ropes and Danielson tries to leap-frog him, but leaps right into a big body-slam from the champ.
From there, we see Danielson get Page down to the mat and he looks to control him with a submission attempt. He transitions from one submission to a surfboard-style move, which the commentators mention was popularized by Jushin Thunder Liger during his prime years in the business. Page eventually escapes and gets back to his feet. Danielson is up as well and the two trade chops. Page’s lands harder and he follows up with another big shot as Danielson backs into the corner and covers up. Page swings away at him and then climbs up the ropes for the ten-punch spot in the corner as the crowd counts along as each shot lands.
Page backs up and soaks in the atmosphere inside the Curtis Culwell Center. This one slight loss of focus results in the momentum shifting, as Danielson ankle-picks Page down to the mat and locks him in a leg submission. He rolls over and takes top position, where he blasts Page with some vicious ground-and-pound. Danielson pummels Page with some ferocious punches and then taunts him by raising his hands in celebratory fashion as Page remains out of it on his back on the mat.
After that, Page gets back to his feet and tries firing up on offense, however when he goes for the slingshot from the outside of the ring ropes on the ring apron back into the squared circle, he is met with a big elbow from Danielson. Page ends up taking over on offense again, this time stringing together a couple of moves, culminating with Danielson being sent to the floor. He rolls Page back into the ring and heads to the top-rope, but comes flying off into a big shot from Danielson. Danielson smirks and then goes back to work on Page.
Danielson drops his knee into the mid-section of Page over-and-over again. He picks Page up and sends him into the ropes, catching him with a big knee to the bread-basket as he was coming off. He gets Page on the mat and slides his head / neck under the bottom rope before launching him upwards with a catapult. He connects with some European uppercuts to Page after the champ returns to a vertical position. He mixes in some middle kicks and chops before blasting Page with a pair of knees to the gut and then climbing to the top-rope as Page is hanging over the middle rope. He comes off with a diving knee to the back of Page’s head for a near fall.
After that, Excalibur talks us into a mid-match, picture-in-picture commercial break as the action continues in the ring. When we return from the break, we see Page and Danielson in the middle of a test-of-strength spot, with Page starting to shift the momentum in his favor. He ends up taking over control of the action, sending Danielson to the floor and following up with a crazy top-rope moonsault that connects and sends the fans into a frenzy.
Back in the ring, Page continues to add to his momentum, beating Danielson down in his first prolonged offensive run thus far in this match. He looks for the Buckshot Lariat at one point, but Danielson flees under the bottom rope and heads out to the floor as the crowd heavily boos him. Page climbs to the top-rope, presumably looking for another high-risk moonsault to the floor, however this time Danielson springs up to the ring apron and launches Page forward, where he flips and lands awkwardly on the hard part of the ring apron outside the ring ropes. He then crashes onto the floor at ringside as Danielson taunts him and the fans by over-celebrating. He ends up smashing Page into the steel ring post.
As the camera pans back over to Page, we see him finally moving around, and when he does, it’s clear-as-day that his face has become a crimson mask. Blood is pouring down the forehead of the champion and on that note, the commentators talk us into another mid-match commercial break as AEW officials and ringside doctors check on Page and the status of the laceration on his head.
We settle back in from the break, and we hear the fans in the middle of giving Danielson a ton of heel heat. Meanwhile, the commentators inform us that the medical team was working on Page’s cut throughout the break, and it was decided by the champion himself that he can continue the match. On that note, Danielson rushes over to add additional punishment to the champ. He lands a diving knee to the bloody dome of “Hangman” and then hops on the ring apron, builds up a head of steam and lands another flying knee to the head of Page.
From there, the action resumes back inside the ring where Danielson continues to focus his offensive attack on the bloody head and face of Page. He slams him into the corner and then climbs up on top of him for the ten-punch-spot in the corner. As each punch lands, we see more and more blood pouring from the head of Page. Page slumps down into the corner. Danielson then puts the boots to him, stomping away at him. The camera shows a close-up shot of the blood free-flowing down the head of Page.
Now we see Page finally start to show signs of life, as he resists an offensive attack from Danielson and then starts to try and fight back. The two trade shots, however it is Danielson who takes over. This doesn’t last for long, however, as he gets too comfortable with repeated kicks to Page in the corner. Page ends up moving and Danielson kicks the steel post and hurts himself in the process. He rolls out to the floor to allow himself some time to recover, however Page is having none of this, as he heads over to the challenger and puts the boots to him.
Hangman now picks Danielson up and puts his leg over the steel guard rail. He then smashes it repeatedly, as he is focusing his offensive attack on the weakened knee / leg of Danielson. He brings Danielson back into the ring and gets him down to the mat where he applies a figure-four leg lock in the middle of the ring, adding more punishment to the already hurt knee of Danielson. Danielson suffers in the hold for a bit and then eventually rolls to the ropes, forcing the ref to break things up. After that, Excalibur talks us into yet another mid-match commercial break, promising the conclusion of this championship contest when we return.
When we return from the break, we see the two in the middle of a vicious back-and-forth exchange. Page is once again a bloody mess, however he is very much in this fight now. Danielson is selling his knee every time he does anything offensive and anything requiring leg strength/stability, including having to use his other leg for his trademark “Yes!” kicks. Page ends up firing up in the middle of taking repeated kicks from Danielson, popping up to his feet and scooping Danielson up out of nowhere for a big tombstone piledriver that connects. He then goes for the cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. The fans react with a loud “This is awesome!” chant.
The commentators do a good job of setting the stage for the match, explaining to the viewing audience on the broadcast that the match strategy from Danielson was to hurt Page’s ability to hit his Buckshot Lariat finisher, as well as Page’s similar gameplan of taking out the leg of “The American Dragon” in an attempt to nullify his most dangerous offensive tools. Danielson begins taking over on offense again. He takes Page up to the top-rope and climbs up with him backwards. He lifts Page and connects with an enormous back-suplex off the top-rope. He can’t immediately follow-up with a pin attempt, as Danielson’s leg took some punishment on the landing, with him clutching it as soon as he hit the mat.
He finally does go for the pin fall attempt, however Page manages to kick out at two. Danielson stomps and kicks at the skull of Page as he rolls under the bottom rope. Danielson then grabs Page on the hard part of the ring apron outside of the ring ropes. He goes for the same move he hit to finish off his Dark Order opposition on last week’s show, however Page avoids it and counters with a crazy move of his own. Danielson bounces off the hard part of the ring apron and then crashes down to the floor at ringside. Page goes out after him and then heads back into the ring. He climbs to the top-rope and leaps off with violent intentions, however Danielson moves out of the way and Page crashes through the timekeepers table.
After that, Excalibur says we have to step away again as we head into yet another mid-match commercial break.
As we settle back in from the break, we see Danielson has torn up the padding and mats covering the concrete floor outside of the ring. Some highlights are shown of Page going through the timekeepers table from right before the break are shown and then we see highlights of Danielson hitting a DDT on the exposed concrete floor. Back in the ring, Page hits a big spot of his own to slow down Danielson’s momentum. Danielson and Page are both down as the crowd makes a ton of noise and tries rallying behind the champ. Instead, Danielson gets up first and starts blasting Page with kicks. He stops after a couple of them lands to sell the punishment his knee has endured in this hard-hitting title contest.
Danielson then kicks him a few more times for good measure before taking him to the corner of the ring. He brings Page up to the top-rope and climbs up after him backwards as the commentators point out that we are approaching the one-hour mark of this match. Danielson goes for a big back-suplex throw off the top-rope on Page, however Page flips over and lands on his feet. He then charges across the ring and blasts Danielson with a big shot, nearly turning him inside-out. Page and Danielson are both slow to get up after that, but it is Page who ends up on his feet first. Danielson is up a second later and the two stagger to the middle of the ring, where they begin trading shots, allowing the crowd to react as each one connects.
Page looks to get the better of the exchange, however Danielson ends up blasting him with a headbutt that slows him down. Danielson tries to capitalize after that, however Page avoids his attempts and then the two begin another striking exchange. Page gets the better of it and goes for a spinning strike, but spins right into a big kick from Danielson that floors him. After that, Danielson follows up with some more shots that decks the champ. Page stays down this time and Danielson heads over to his lifeless body as the commentators remind us again about the one-hour mark fast-approaching. Danielson does his trademark spot where he grabs the hands of Page and stomps the hell out of him.
The commentators again bring up how we’ve only got five minutes remaining in the allotted one-hour time limit. They are critical of Danielson not changing up his strategy, stressing that this is essentially a five-minute match at this point. Page counters a move attempted by Danielson and connects with his Dead Eye semi-finisher for a close near fall. Page stands over a laid out Danielson with blood pouring down his own head still, and he lets out a big yell before doing Danielson’s own spot to him by grabbing his hands and stomping the hell out of the unprotected face, body and injured leg of the challenger. He takes off his elbow pad and throws it into the crowd before taking his spot on the ring apron outside the ring ropes, with his Buckshot Lariat finisher in mind.
Hangman slingshots himself into the ring and goes for the big lariat, but Danielson catches the arm in motion and uses it to take Page down right into his LeBelle Lock submission finisher. As Danielson cranks back on the hold, we hear Justin Roberts on the house mic give us an update on the time, noting there are only two minutes remaining in the match. The fans chant “Cowboy sh*t!” in an attempt to rally Page back into the fight. It works as Page escapes the submission from Danielson and blasts him with a big clothesline. He heads to the ring apron and this time he connects with his Buckshot Lariat finisher. Before he can go for the pin fall attempt, however, the bell sounds and we hear from “The Dapper Yapper” that the time limit has expired. As a result, this match ends in a draw and “Hangman” Adam Page retains his AEW Championship.
“Hangman” Adam Page retains AEW Championship due to Time-Limit Draw
– The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, and Bobby Fish are shown backstage. Cole questions when the Best Friends will learn to leave them alone after they left them laying last week on Rampage. Fish says every time they see them they end up dividing and conquering. The Young Bucks suggest an eight-man tag team match for Rampage and claim they will also end Sue’s career. Cole then teases a surprise for next week.
Wardlow w/Shawn Spears vs. Matt Sydal
Wardlow instantly showcases his power by pushing Matt Sydal across the ring. However, he responds with some sharp kicks as his speed avoids several of Wardlow’s moves. The bigger man then catches Sydal in mid-air and just plants him to the mat.
Wardlow then nails a big Powerbomb. Shawn Spears gets on the microphone and tells him to just pin Sydal. However, he opts to hit another, and this time he goes for the victory.
Winner: Wardlow
After the match, Spears then attacks Sydal with a chair. MJF then calls Spears and he tells Wardlow that MJF wants him to get some champagne for after his match tonight.
Tay Conti & Penelope Ford Hype Upcoming Match
Now we shoot to a vignette featuring new comments from Tay Conti and Penelope Ford. Conti ends up issuing a challenge to Ford for a match where there won’t be any brass-knuckles involved.
She then questions how Ford will do against a legit black belt. Ford doesn’t seem phased by this and accepts the challenge. Conti calls Ford a b*tch in her thick accent to end the segment. We head to a commercial break after this.
Malakai Black Teases Addition To The House Of Black
We shoot to a vignette featuring Malakai Black. He is shown with his crazy eye and face-paint while talking about the House of Black, teasing a new member for the group. He then reminds us that the house always wins as the segment wraps up.
Serena Deeb vs. Hikaru Shida
Before Hikaru Shida can even et into the ring, Serena Deeb attacks her. She launches her kendo stick at her and once they get in the ring both women immediately attack each other. Shida starts out on top with some strikes in the corner, hammering down blows before hitting a dropkick. Serena Deeb manages to take down her opponent though, working the knee until Shida grabs the ropes.
Deeb then continues to attack that area, locking in a Figure Four with the ring post assisting to add further pressure. Serena stays in control, raking the boot across the face as she then locks in another submission to the knee of Shida, continuing to make this area her focal point.
Shida gets back in control with a delayed vertical suplex, but as she heads to the top rope, Shida takes too much time. Deeb then pushes her down while locking in another knee submission before Hikaru falls to the mat. Deeb then exposes the steel turnbuckle and drops Shida, neck-first onto it before connecting with a powerbomb. This gets a near fall so she begins nailing knee strikes and then she locks in a bridged submission.
Deeb connects with multiple neck breakers, but as she goes for a third, Shida reverses with a Falcon Arrow. She follows that with an ax kick, but the women then both go for roll-ups until Serena locks in another submission to the knee. Shida breaks out after several slaps, but Serena gives as good as she gets with that. Deeb then rips off the top turnbuckle, but it is Deeb who ends up going head-first into it. As she stumbles back, Shida gets the jackknife pinfall for the win.
Winner: Hikaru Shida
– Tony Schiavone is with The Varsity Blondes and they point out that Julia Hart isn’t with them. Griff says he is going to fight Malakai, but Brian Pillman Jr. questions that and tells him to calm down. This leads to them arguing as Griff promises that next week, he will break Black’s jaw.
– Eddie Kingston says he is tired of this situation. He is teaming with Penta, Rey Fenix, Santana & Ortiz and he doesn’t care who Garcia and 2point0 pick as their partners.
MJF vs. Dante Martin (Dynamite Diamond Ring Match)
MJF demands his music gets cut as he says this place is a dump. He says the second CM Punk got nervous last week he just said your local sports team sucks for 10 minutes. He doesn’t realize how having an undefeated streak against underwhelming talent made him a title threat. MJF thought it made CM Punk the new Ryback. MJF tells Dante Martin he doesn’t give a damn about young talent and he will find that out now.
MJF kickstart the match with a side headlock takeover. Dante then slaps MJF several times before he hits a dropkick to build momentum. He then goes for a 450 knee drop, but MJF kicks out. He looks to continue that momentum, but MJF rolls to the outside and when Martin sets up to dive outside, he moves away again.
Back inside the ring, Martin looks to leap on the top rope, but he is pushed to the floor as he slams into the barricade. MJF follows that up by sending him crashing into the guard rail again. Back inside the ring, MJF bites at Martin’s thumb. He then tries to sneak a pinfall with his feet on the ropes, but it gets noticed by the official.
Martin then smartly avoids MJF with a clever leap and he immediately dives to the outside to take him out. Dante continues that aerial attack by launching himself over the top turnbuckle to MJF. He tries to roll to the outside again but this time Martin launches himself backward to hit him. MJF then looks to go outside for the fourth time and Martin hits a Shooting Star Press from the top rope.
Martin looks for the Nose Dive but MF stumbles away, only for the upcoming star to nail several strikes on him in the corner. Dante looks for several roll-up pinfalls, but MJF continues to kick out. MJF finally gets in some offense of his own though with a Liger Bomb, but it doesn’t get him the victory.
Martin finally connects with the Nose Dive, but as he gets things done, Ricky Starks appears and puts MJF’s foot on the rope! After Dante is distracted, MJF locks in the Salt Of The Earth to gain a submission victory.
Winner: MJF
FTR then makes their way down and they celebrate with MJF…but then the lights go out! When they appear, String and Darby Allin are inside of the ring and they begin brawling with FTR. However, MJF hits a low blow on Sting and the heels take over…and then CM Punk appears with the bat. All three men instantly get out of the ring.
Punk gets on the microphone and tells MJF if he doesn’t want to do it one on one, then he can bring his friends because he is going to bring his own and MJF can deal with it.
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