‘AEW: Battle of the Belts 12’ Review (Oct 19th 2024)
We’ve got a bonus show from AEW this week, the twelfth(?!) instalment of the quarterly Battle of the Belts, which followed directly from this week’s episode of Collision once again. Let’s get into it…
Match #1: AEW Continental Championship – Kazuchika Okada def. Kyle O’Reilly
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kyle used a drop toehold on Okada. Okada countered with a headlock. Kyle grounded and pounded Okada with palm strikes. Kyle applied an ankle lock, but Okada reached the bottom rope, forcing the ref to break the hold. Kyle O’Reilly swept out Okada’s legs with a kick. Kyle dropped Okada with a hammer lock driver on the shoulder. Kyle followed up with a dragon screw leg whip. Kyle dropped a knee across Okada’s chest. Kyle applied a knee bar and then transitioned to a heel hook. Okada gouged Kyle’s eyes in order to escape. Okada wasted no time and cracked Kyle with a neck breaker. O’Reilly applied a standing guillotine choke. He let go and smashed Okada with a knee strike. Kyle put Okada in an ankle lock, working on the leg again. Okada barely reached the ropes this time. The clock was working against Kyle as fifteen minutes had passed. Okada drilled Kyle with a DDT on the arena floor. Okada dropped an elbow from the top turnbuckle. Okada caught Kyle with a lariat and a dropkick. Kyle battled back with another guillotine on Okada! Okada escaped and planted Kyle. Okada walloped Kyle with the rainmaker clothesline and retained the championship via pinfall.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Brian Cage & Lance Archer def. Jon Cruz & Jack Cartwheel
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cage charged at Cartwheel with a shoulder tackle. Cage rattled Jack with a thrust kick. Cage forced Cruz to tag in, hip tossing Cruz over the top rope. Archer tagged in and decimated Cruz with a lariat. Archer hurled Cruz with a release suplex. Cage and Archer walloped Cartwheel with a choke slam powerbomb combo. They spiked Cruz and pinned him.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Match – Anna Jay def. Mariah May
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mariah stunned Anna with a jaw breaker and then a John Woo dropkick for a near fall. Anna Jay rallied back with a spinning heel kick in the face of the champion. Mariah was infuriated and grounded and pounded Anna Jay, clubbing the challenger with strikes. Mariah planted Anna with the Mariah-Go-Round. They exchanged chops. Anna Jay got the upper hand with a hammer throw and a running elbow strike. Anna Jay wiped out Mariah with a flying forearm. Anna hit a dropkick for a near fall. Anna Jay nailed Mariah with a side suplex. Anna applied the Queen Slayer but Mariah bit Anna Jay’s forearm to escape. Mariah retaliated with a German Suplex. Mariah May DDT’ed Anna Jay through the ropes for a near fall. Mariah May staggered Anna Jay with a headbutt. Anna Jay rolled up Mariah May out of nowhere and pinned the champion!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
As I always say, there’s one HUGE issue with all of AEW’s Battle of the Belts shows… You know absolutely none of the titles being fought for will change hands! It’s become something of a huge flaw in this quarterly show and one that, ultimately, detracts from the in-ring action and makes everything you watch during Battle of the Belts totally irrelevant in terms of impact on the company and its storylines. Plus, to make things worse this time around, only ONE belt was defended! And we got a squash match! No wonder the IWC is saying this is the last Battle of the Belts show.
