‘AEW: Battle of the Belts 2’ Review
We’ve got a bonus show from AEW this week, Battle of the Belts 2, which emanated from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Let’s get to it!
Match #1: TNT Championship Match – Sammy Guevara def. Scorpio Sky
The following is courtesy of allwlitewrestling.com:
Sammy rushed Sky into the corner and battered Sky with elbow strikes and stomps. Scorpio Sky fired back, battering Sammy with a ground and pound attack. Sky bit down on Sammy’s forehead, punishing him in the corner. Sammy rallied back with elbows of his own, and then he bit down on Sky’s forehead. Sammy tried to leapfrog Sky but Sky caught him and attempted the TKO. Sammy escaped and they traded chops! Sammy backflipped over Sky and then blasted him with a quick dropkick. On the outside of the ring, Scorpio Sky dropped Sammy throat-first on the steel ring barricade. Sky body slammed Sammy on the arena floor. Sammy moonsaulted off the arena steps and onto Sky. On the ring apron, Sky planted Sammy with a TKO! Scorpio Sky worked over Sammy in the corner with vicious body shots, like Sammy was a heavy bag. Sky connected with a tortuous backbreaker on Sammy. Sky had bad intentions and dropped Sammy with a second backbreaker! Sky delivered a third backbreaker and then applied pressure to Sammy’s spine! Sky was poised to hit Sammy with a fourth backbreaker but Sammy escaped and then kicked Sky in the back of the head. Sammy got up to his feet and used a Spanish fly for a near fall on Scorpio Sky! Sammy followed up with a leaping mule kick! Sammy climbed to the top turnbuckle but Ethan Page pulled Scorpio Sky out of the ring. Tay confronted Ethan Page and then Sammy rocketed out of the air with a shooting star press onto Page and Sky! Sky German suplexed Sammy into the turnbuckles! Sammy rallied back with a springboard cutter onto Sky for a near fall! Dan Lambert inserted himself into this match and distracted the ref. Tay neutralized Lambert’s interference! Page signalled to the back. Paige VanZant sprinted to the ring and she and Tay hammered one another outside the ring! Sky poked Sammy in the eyes right in front of the ref, but then the ref was distracted by the commotion outside the ring. As the ref had his eyes on Tay and Paige’s brawling, Sammy hit a low blow shot on Sky. Sammy hit the GTH on Scorpio Sky and then pinned him!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: ROH World Championship Match – Jonathan Gresham def. Dalton Castle
The following is courtesy of allwlitewrestling.com:
The Code of Honor was observed before the bell, with the competitors shaking hands as a sign of mutual respect. Castle used a low single on Gresham. Castle connected with a gut wrench suplex. Castle clotheslined Gresham and then stopped Gresham in his tracks with a high boot. Gresham cartwheeled and came off the middle rope with a hurracanrana on Castle. Gresham used a deep arm drag on Dalton Castle. Gresham applied the Octopus hold onto Castle but Castle grabbed the ring ropes and then went outside the ring. The boys fanned him off. Back in the ring, Gresham connected with an elbow but Dalton Castle hurled Gresham overhead with two consecutive suplexes! Castle followed up with a deadlift overhead throw and covered Gresham for a near fall. Castle took Gresham for a ride with the Bang-a-Rang but Gresham countered and cradled Castle for a near fall. Castle fired back with a fierce lariat. Gresham locked in the Octopus hold in the center of the ring. Gresham cranked back and scored the win via tap out submission!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: AEW Women’s Championship Match – Thunder Rosa def. Nyla Rose
The following is courtesy of allwlitewrestling.com:
Nyla Rose whipped Thunder Rosa into the steel ring barricade. Thunder Rosa launched off the ring post with a huge bulldog on Nyla Rose onto the arena floor! Thunder Rosa sent Nyla Rose crashing into the steel ring barricade. Thunder Rosa jumped off the top rope with a dropkick to Nyla Rose! “The Native Beast” fired back with a headbutt. She stomped down on Thunder Rosa in the corner. Thunder Rosa jumped off the ring apron, looking for a hurracanrana, but Nyla Rose countered with a powerbomb onto the edge of the ring! Back in the ring, Thunder Rosa and Nyla Rose were battling with big shots. Thunder Rosa finally took Nyla off her feet with a big-time stunner! Thunder Rosa dropped a double knee strike on Nyla and followed up with a dropkick in the corner! Thunder Rosa dropkicked Nyla Rose to the outside of the ring! Thunder Rosa connected with a tornillo to Nyla outside the ring! Thunder Rosa jumped off the top turnbuckle with a crossbody but Nyla Rose rolled through. Nyla Rose draped Thunder Rosa on the top strand for the top rope guillotine but Thunder Rosa moved! Nyla Rose attempted the Beast Bomb but Thunder Rosa countered with a Code Red for a near fall! Nyla Rose drove Thunder Rosa down to the mat with a jackhammer type manoeuvre. Nyla attempted a diving senton but Thunder Rosa moved! Thunder Rosa connected with a hurracanrana and then rolled up Nyla Rose to score the win over Nyla Rose.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
Well that was… something. The matches were all good but, for me, the entire show felt like a miss for AEW. There’s clearly a Sammy/Tai heel turn happening now so to give him back the belt and be heel champ could lead to something interesting, especially if they pick the right babyface to work their way up to champ match status. But on the other hand, Scorpio Sky should’ve had the belt for longer and HE should’ve been the heel champ IMHO. The ROH match was good and I’m a fan of the flamboyancy of Dalton Castle’s performance but the whole thing was ruined by the stupid run-in at the end. Tony Khan has said he listened to someone with 30 years of experience about Satnam Singh’s lights out debut and he probably listened to that same person about this. He needs to stop listening to that person, otherwise AEW is going to become more WWE like than ever! As for the main event, I think AEW have a problem. I think Thunder Rosa works better as someone chasing the title, not with the title and that was evident in this match. But then AEW are starting to have a problem with their women’s division as a whole – we got big names, we’ve got indie darlings but no one seems to be sparking the same kind of “star power” as Britt Baker; and right now they’re keeping her off TV! But other than my rambling complaints this was a decent bonus show for AEW this week.
