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AEW Champion MJF vs. Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match.
Mike: The stipulation makes one thing that Page has to win, but I'm going the other way. I suspect MJF will shock everyone and retain.
Cory: The stipulation that Page will never challenge for the world title again if he loses makes it seem like a lock for Page. Cody Rhodes lost a similar stipulation and it cut off his character at the knees when he did it, and doing the same would similarly harm his career. I also remember that Swerve Strickland said he would do anything to make sure Page never held the title again, and Swerve just turned heel. Is this a setup for MJF to retain without Page losing? The reason floating around is that Page lost the title because they hadn’t built up any opponents for him, but now he would have Swerve and MJF chasing him, as well as Samoa Joe when Joe returns. I think that Page will win the title.
Richard: Since they are doing the Cody stip for this match, I kind of want MJF to win for that reason. After that press conference, I want the feed to give out when the match starts. I think whoever wins this match will face Swerve next. Since this is the main event, I see the potential for overbooking and shenanigans. MJF retains.
AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita - No Time Limit.
Mike: The time is right for Moxley to lose and to take a break.
Cory: Since losing the world title, Mox has been putting other people over. They are also slowly turning Takeshita against the Don Callis Family so, his getting a title for them to try to take from him could be a great storyline. I look for Takeshita to win.
Richard: This booking reminds me of the Punk/Joe feud from ROH when they had their third match with no time limit. People expected a marathon match and it went a little more than a half hour. I think they will get time and I hope the Hallway Heroes and Thumb Disciples don't get involved so we can get the best match possible. I think Takeshita wins and maybe there is some tension with Okada since he won the title Okada used to hold.
AEW Tag Team Champions FTR vs. The Young Bucks
Mike: It's California. I suspect the Bucks win.
Cory: The Bucks have been all over the shows lately, and while I don’t much care for babyface Bucks (they are MUCH better as heels), they are working a faster paced style than usual to get the crowd on their side. FTR has had the titles for a long time, and the tag team division has cooled off in the last few months. I think it’s time to switch the titles, and the Bucks winning the title in their home territory always gives their fans a good moment. Yet another title change.
Richard: This will probably be the longest match of the show and will probably have the crowd into it the most. These two teams have great chemistry and it will show in this match. I hope Stokely's interference in the match will be minimized. This will probably be five minutes too long but the crowd won't care. Is it time to give the titles back to the Bucks? Why not? New champions.
AEW Women's Champion Thekla vs. Kris Statlander - Best of Three Falls.
Mike: I expect this to go three falls and I expect Thekla, who has really been nailing it as a sleazy heel, to retain.
Cory: This is one where the champion needs to retain. Thekla hasn’t had the title for long, and is getting over as a heel. She’s also great on her promos in this feud, has been awesome in the ring, and has been a fantastic addition to the women's roster.
Richard: I would love for this match to go two falls since we rarely see them. They can still go close to 20 minutes and showcase these two women. The two out of three falls stipulation can allow for interference by Hart and Blue and it won't cost Thekla the match, but put her behind the eight ball if they get caught and put her down a fall, but if it is the third fall, can the title change on a DQ? Thekla retains.
AEW Trios Champions The Don Callis Family vs. Mistico & Jetspeed.
Mike: I don't see Mistico coming in to lose.
Cory: To me, at least, it feels like Jetspeed with Adam Page only won the titles to get them off of The Opps. Then, they moved them to the Don Callis Family to get the title off of Page. Normally, AEW doesn’t do quick title changes, but I can’t see the trio in the Don Callis Family needing the title, and they are wanting to push Speedball as a legit threat to anyone in the ring given his match with Kyle Fletcher. I see Mistico and Jetspeed winning the title so they can defend it at CMLL shows, and give Jetspeed the prestige of a title. I am predicting a LOT of title changes.
Richard: AEW isn't a company to yo-yo a title so I don't see a title change here. I will be interested to see how Mistico works with Knight and Bailey as a team. Fletcher and Mistico will be fun to see interact during the match.
ROH Champion Bandido vs. Andrade el Idolo.
Mike: I can see Andrade winning here.
Cory: I have no doubt that this will be a top match on the show. Bandido has retained in matches I thought he would have lost and has been ROH champion for a long time. ROH also is showing they have no problem with long title reigns as seen by Athena. I think Bandido will retain, partly because this is not a ROH show, and partly because Andrade is someone they will want working more on AEW.
Richard: This should be a solid match and has the potential to steal the show. Since this is not for the ROH title, I can see Andrade winning to set up a title match in the future.
AEW Women's Tag Team Champion The Babes of Wrath vs. Megan Bayne & Lena Kross.
Mike: I suspect the title was going to change hands before Penelope Ford was injured. I suspect it will change here now.
Cory: I have to admit, I am tired of this match. Megan and a tag team partner have taken on Willow and Harley over and over and their last match wasn’t good at all. Megan is someone who should have a title to add to her presentation, and the Babes have had the title a long time, so I see another title change. I just hope it means we don’t have to see them feuding anymore.
Richard: This will be the second match for Willow and Lena so that could be a factor and affect what happens in this match. They are pushing Bayne, but I think they see more with Willow and Harley as a team. I think Willow and Harley retain, but it could be sooner rather than later that the titles change hands.
Darby Allin, Roderick Strong, & Orange Cassidy vs. The Dogs - David Finlay & Clark Connors, & Gabe Kidd.
Mike: The Dogs just arrived. They should win.
Cory: Roderick Strong coming back after abandoning Cassidy in a tag team match made no sense to me. He teased teaming with The Dogs, they pushed he didn’t want to be in the Conglomeration since it was formed, and gave no reason why he came back to help Cassidy. It just screams he will turn heel in this match. They are also working hard to make The Dogs a strong grouping. I see The Dogs winning and going on to challenge for the Trios titles.
Richard: Roddy pulls a 'Big Show' and returns to the side of Orange Cassidy? I hope it is all a ruse and he turns on Orange and Darby in this match. We saw Cassidy and Allin lose on Dynamite, so we know they don't have to win every match. They want to push Finlay and that means they should win.
Swerve Strickland vs. Brody King.
Mike: This should be a lot of fun. I see Swerve winning.
Cory: In a perfect world, Brody King would win this match. He has a huge upside, his interviews outside wrestling have been fantastic, and he’s a big guy who has been working at a peak for years now. However, Swerve JUST turned heel, and it’s clear he is going to go after Page right after this feud, so Brody loses and Swerve matches on.
Richard: The result of this match depends on what they want to do with Swerve. If they want to put him back into the World Title picture, he wins this match. If they want to let Page, MJF, and others stay on top, I can see King getting the win. This should be a good match, and they should build on what happened on Wednesday night. I assume there will be chants during the match.
Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir - Everyone Banned from Ringside.
Mike: Toni.
Cory: Toni is golden right now, and is at a place where she is a star without the title as this match shows. Marina has worked hard in her role with the Death Riders, and has made improvements in the ring over time. Toni has also shown she can work with anyone, and could really make Shafir’s Strong Style look brutal. I see Shafir winning this match since they need to make her seem dangerous for her new character to work as she moves into more ring work than bodyguard work.
Richard: If you are going to keep Toni out of the title picture, this is the way she should be used, to try to elevate the other talent. A win for Shafir could mean a lot for the Death Riders because of what I think will happen on the show. Give Shafir the win and let Toni react the way that only she can.
Kickoff Show: AEW National Champion Ricochet defends in a Blackjack Battle Royal.
Cory: Ricochet is one of my favorite heels in wrestling right now. His arrogant heel who hides behind two monsters is old school, but it only works in today’s environment because he is just so good on the mic when it’s time to get heat with the crowd. I have to admit that I couldn't care less about the National Championship, and battle royals are AT BEST spot fests that I don't much care for. Ricochet needs a title to pull off his arrogance so I look for him to retain with GOA’s help.
Richard: It makes sense to put this match on the non-PPV broadcast because this is the type of match that can convince people to buy the PPV if they are on the fence about ordering it. There will be a lot of flips and crazy spots in this match. I expect the usual battle royal tropes (people working together, person throws someone over the top rope but turns their back without seeing them eliminated, eliminated or not even in the match wrestler eliminates someone, and person thought to be eliminated isn't eliminated). Ricochet retains because I don't know who else is in the match right now.
Kickoff Show: AEW TBS Champion Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross.
Cory: Willow and Lena are both pulling double duty on this show, and having this on the pre-show means they are either having Willow drop this title or the Tag Team title in my opinion. I will go with Willow retaining, but Lena and Megan beating her down after the match to set up the tag team title loss.
Richard: I liked the match that Willow had with Persephone on Wednesday night. What makes this different from other double title holders defending both titles on the same night is that her opponent is the same in both matches so there is no significant advantage for Lena. They are pushing Lena to give her two matches on the same PPV broadcast. I think Willow retains but has some trouble finishing off Kross.
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