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AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING PPV REPORT
MAY 25, 2025
GLENDALE, ARIZ. AT DESERT DIAMOND ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON PPV (Including PPV.com)
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Attendance: WrestleTix reports as of today 6,052 tickets were distributed so far. The arena has a capacity of 9,500 spectators when configured for concerts.
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[PRE-SHOW]
Hosts: Renee Paquette, R.J. City, Jeff Jarrett
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcers: Arkady Aura, Justin Roberts
Interviewer: Alex Marvez
(A) ANNA JAY & HARLEY CAMERON vs. MEGAN BAYNE & PENELOPE FORD
WINNERS: Anna & Harley when Harley pinned Ford in 13:00
(B) BANDIDO & A.R. FOX & HOLOGRAM & KOMANDER (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. LIO RUSH & ACTION ANDRETTI & TRENT BERETTA & ROCKY ROMERO
They finished with all four babyfaces leaping off the top turnbuckles on all four heels who were on their backs in the ring leading to a pinfall with one of the pairs (whoever was legal!). Andretti took a hard elbow to the face and was bleeding late in the match, which the announcers talked about.
WINNERS: Bandido & Fox & Hologram & Komander
[MAIN PPV]
(1) MERCEDES MONE vs. JAMIE HAYTER – Owen Hart Tournament Final
After some early back and forth action, they went to some mat holds. The announcers wished Jim Ross the best in his battle with colon cancer. Mercedes yanked Hayter off the corner turnbuckle by her feet and the back of Hayter’s head hit the turnbuckle. Hayter avoided a charge in the corner of double-knees by Mercedes and then slammed her to the mat. She went back to the corner and stood on the second rope and then landed a leaping dropkick. She then landed double-knees against Mercedes in the corner. Mercedes came right back with an elbow to Hayter’s kidney area. She then landed three consecutive suplexes. Fans both booed and chanted “Eddie.” Taz said Eddie Guerrero was a dear friend and he misses him.
They took each other down with a a series of kicks and a lariat. Both were down and slow to get up. A “CEO! / Jamie Hayter!” dueling chant broke out. Mercedes applied a crossface. Hayter fought out of it. Mercedes set up a butterfly move out of the corner, but Hayter battled out of it. Mercedes leaped off the top rope and landed on Hayter with a sit-splash onto her chest for a two count. Hayter came back with a sleeper on the mat. Fans popped and cheered. Mercedes flailed and eventually escaped. Mercedes quickly applied the Statement Maker. Hayter crawled to the bottom rope, but Mercedes stopped her short. Hayter lifted Mercedes onto her shoulders, but Mercedes leveraged her to the mat. Hayter then came back with a slam and a lariat for a dramatic near fall. Taz said, “This is our first match! We’re just getting started.”
Hayter reversed Mercedes and delivered a tombstone pildriver for a near fall that also popped the crowd. The fans were solidly and enthusiastically behind Hayter. Excalibur touted the “remarkable toughness” of Mercedes. Mercedes then scored a quick three count with a small package counter move that included a seemingly inadvertent DDT in the process. She then ran to the stage like she was escaping a serial killer’s house who had her imprisoned for weeks in a horror movie. She recovered enough to gloat about her win and dance while holding the Owen Hart Cup.
WINNER: Mercedes in 21:00 to win the Owen Hart Tournament.
(Keller’s Analysis: Really good match. They paced it well where it didn’t burn out the crowd with a selfish high-density highspot flurry just to get “This is awesome” chants. Instead, the crowd interest built over time.)
-They went to the announcers at ringside. Excalibur said Ross was a huge part of tutoring him as an announcer dating back six years to the day when AEW ran its first live event. Schiavone and Taz also talked about Ross and said he taught them a lot and wished him luck with his upcoming surgery.
(2) DANNY GARCIA & NIGEL MCGUINNESS (w/”Daddy Magic” Matt Menard) vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler w/Stokely Hathaway)
Garcia opened against Cash. Nigel tagged in against Dax next. FTR got sustained offense against Nigel, delighting Hathaway at ringside. Nigel eventually fought back and nailed Nigel with a running lariat. Both were down and slow to get up. Nigel hit a Tower of London and then Garcia scored a near fall on Dax. All four battled in the ring next. Dax mistakenly kneed Cash. Nigel and Garcia each applied submission holds in the ring. Matt Menard stopped Stokely from interfering.
They continued to battle back and forth for a while. Eventually Nigel took a fall at ringside and sold an injury. As FTR gloated, Schiavone stood up to check on his colleague. Fax and Stokely yelled at him as Cash held up Nigel’s head. Back in the ring Garcia had to fend off both Cash and Dax. Meanwhile, Schiavone checked on Nigel. Dax gave Garcia a piledriver and then applied a sharpshooter. Garcia passed out and the ref called for the bell.
WINNER: FTR in 23:00.
(Keller’s Anaylsis: Certainly Nigel, as the retired wrestler, ideally would have done the job here, but having him suffer an injury, which left Garcia alone two-on-one to fall to FTR made total sense storyline wise, too, and protected both Garcia and Nigel in a way. A good match. FTR were good at getting heel heat from the fans. The angle for this match primarily took place on Collision, which a good percentage of fans in the arena probably didn’t see much of, and that was somewhat reflective of the crowd response.)
(3) RICOCHET vs. MARK BRISCOE – Stretcher match
An ambulance was blaring its sirens next to the stage as the stretcher was set up at ringside. They brawled at ringside at the start. In a comedy spot, Briscoe sprayed Ricochet’s head to “shine it up” like Mr. Clean. After some action in the ring, they took the fight to ringside where Ricochet rammed Briscoe into the stretcher. Briscoe began gushing blood from his forehead. Ricochet put Briscoe on the stretcher and rolled it alongside the ramp toward the ambulance next to the stage. He got the stretcher up to the doors. Excalibur and Taz agreed Ricochet was about to win. He put Briscoe in the ambulance and closed one door, but stopped to give the crowd the middle finger. Then when he tried to close the second door to officially win, Briscoe stuck out a crotch to block it. He then sprayed Ricochet with a fire extinguisher.
In the ring, Briscoe gave Ricochet a Jay Driller. His white t-shirt was drenched in blood and his face and whole skull was just covered with blood. It was a lot, even for an AEW hardcore style match. Ricochet stabbed Briscoe with the scissors. He took a second swing, but Briscoe blocked it. Briscoe took the scissors, did a throat slice gesture, and then went after Ricochet. The announcers found time to chuckle. Ricochet grabbed a second pair of scissors from the ambulance and hit Briscoe with a Spirit Gun. He threw Briscoe into the ambulance again and this time closed both doors to win. They cut to a puddle of blood next to a pair of scissors as Ricochet struck a pose in celebration and the sirens blared.
WINNER: Ricochet in 16:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: For this type of match, it served the hardcore sickos what they desired. For me, too much blood – which is difficult for wrestlers to precisely regulate when blading – and the scissors as a weapon just feels too deadly to be realistic as something AEW would sanction the use of.)
(3) BOBBY LASHLEY & SHELTON BENJAMIN (w/MVP, MJF) vs. DUSTIN RHODES & SAMMY GUEVARA – AEW Tag Team Titles
MVP joined in on commentary as MJF paced at ringside. Dustin opened up the match. Lashley and Shelton took over against Guevara next. Guevara made a brief comeback against Shelton. Hurt Syndicate took over for a sustained beatdown including a beating at ringside. MJF attacked Guevara as Shelton distracted the ref.
Dustin eventually got the hot-tag and went to work on Shelton. Meanwhile, Guevara landed a shooting star press onto Lashley at ringside. Dustin landed his neckbreaker and scored a near fall. Shelton made a comeback. MJF offered the Dynamite Diamond Ring to Shelton from the ring apron. He told Shelton, “You’re taking too long.” When it appeared Shelton was thinking about it, Lashley stepped between them. MJF said, “I was trying to help!”
Guevara tagged in and went after Lashley. Lashley countered and landed a spear. Dustin pulled Shelton off of Guevara. MVP shrieked, “That’s cheating!” MJF took a swing at Dustin, but Dustin blocked it. MJF raked Dustin’s eyes. Lashley went up to MJF and told him to back off, but then broke into a smile and shook his hand. Lashley then speared Dustin through the ringside barricade. He and MJF gloated at ringside. Guevara went for a spear, but Shelton leaped onto the ring apron to intercept him. Guevara got stuck between the ropes so it didn’t really look good. Shelton the finished Guevara in the ring and scored a three count.
WINNERS: Lashley & Benjamin in 13:00 to retain the AEW Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: So Lashley warmed up to MJF interfering mid-match or for no apparent reason decided a few minutes earlier that he was against MJF’s interference? This does seem to solidify that Hurt Syndicate are all heels now. But who know, right? The way they have been booked has been all over the place.)
(4) KAZUCHIKA OKADA vs. “SPEEDBALL” MIKE BAILEY – AEW Continental Title match
As Okada came out, they showed fans holding up two signs next to each other: “BIT” and “CH!” The announcers touted Okada as the greatest tournament wrestler in the business. They fought at ringside a minute in. Speedball set up a crane kick. Okada charged right into it. Speedball then landed a leaping moonsault from the ropes onto Okada at ringside.
Okada took over the ring and went on sustained offense for several minutes. Bailey made a surprise comeback with a springboard moonsault dive onto Okada at ringside. Fans chanted, “Speedball!” He landed a missile dropkick in the ring next. He followed a series of three karate kicks followed by a running shooting star press. Okada came back with a shoulder breaker. He followed with a leaping elbowdrop. Okada took a second to give middle finger gestures to the hard camera, so Speedball took advantage and made a comeback including a quick leverage two count, then a falcon arrow and top rope shooting star press. Okada lifted his knees on the shooting star press, though. Okada clutched his knee or shin after that.
They fought back and forth rapid-fire for a couple minutes. Speedball landed a backflip double knee drop to Okada’s chest. He followed with a spin kick attempt, but Okada blocked it. Speedball blocked Okada’s attempt at Rainmaker and then landed his spinning hook kick for a near fall. Okada grabbed the bottom rope as the ref hit the mat a third time. The ref told Speedball the third count didn’t count. The fans were in shock for a second there.
They continued to battle with Speedball scoring another super close fall. He followed with kicks and a top rope flip, but Okada dropkicked him out of mid-air and then hit the Rainmaker for the three count.
WINNER: Okada in 16:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Strong match, paced really well. Speedball got a boost among AEW fans by hanging with Okada like that, but of course it was the right thing to have Okada win clean.)
(5) TONI STORM (w/Luther) vs. MINA SHIRAKAWA – AEW Women’s Title match
Early in the match, Shirakawa had Storm on her back and danced above her. Storm looked bewildered. Shirakawa dropped down on her for a two count. Storm came back with a Thesz Press and then a barrage of punches. Storm controlled the action for a while including chops in the corner.
Shirkawa and Storm battled at ringside. Luther stepped in front of Shirakawa. Shirakawa attacked Luther. Storm threw Luther in front of a diving Shirakawa. Shirakawa used Luther to launch off of and land a flip dive onto Storm.
Back in the ring, Storm was going for a charge into the corner, but her knee gave out. Shirakawa seized the opening and took over briefly. Storm landed a sudden Sky High sitout powerbomb for a near fall. Shirakawa applied a leglock next. She scored a two count after a leap off the ropes a minute later. She landed a rolling back elbow next. She landed a Glamorous Driver next for a near fall.
Shirakawa counted Storm’s comeback attempt into a figure-four mid-ring. Luther pounded the mat to encourage Storm who was crying out agony. Shirakawa bridged a bit and Storm teased tapping but then scooted to the bottom rope to force a break. Storm and Shirakawa traded two counts in a small package. Storm landed a quick headbutt and Storm Zero for the win.
Storm consoled Shirakawa afterward and helped her to her feet. They locked eyes and then kissed for about two seconds. “I guess sometimes athletes kiss,” said Taz.
WINNER: Storm in 16:00 to retain the AEW Women’s Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: A very good match between two pros. They told a good story of two athletes fighting hard with big stakes.)
(6) THE DEATH RIDERS (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta & Marina Shafir) & THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. THE OPPS (Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs & Katsuyori Shibata) & WILLOW NIGHTENGALE & SWERVE STRICKLAND & KENNY OMEGA – Anarchy in the Arena match
The Opps and Swerve Strickland came out first. When Kenny made his entrance last for his team, he received a “Kenny!” chant from the crowd. The Opps arrived outside the arena in the parking garage entrance in a pick-up truck and got out of the back of it. They made their way down the arena steps from different parts of the concourse. Justin was “forced” to read a propaganda statement on the “Founding Fathers,” the Young Bucks, before they came out to traditional patriotic marching music.
The bell rang and everyone, of course, split off to fight in various parts of the arena. They went to a quad picture set-up. The patriotic music continued to play, which was tiresome after 10 seconds and really tiresome after 60 seconds. Claudio and Joe fought into the street. Shafir and Willow fought at ringside and into the front row. Mox and Hobbs battled into the crowd. The rest were fighting inside the ring. Omega asked for a music change. Suddenly, “I’m So Excited” by the Pointer Sisters played. Fans stood and ironically clapped along as Omega, Swerve, and Shibata punched away at the Bucks and Yuta. (The Pointer Sisters gag was kinda fun, actually. A good way to revisit that derided missteps by AEW for their Dynamite entrance theme a few months back.) Omega said that didn’t quite fit the mood. He suggested “some 2000s alternative rock music.” He asked fans, if they knew the words, to sing along. “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” then played. Omega held up a mic and fans sang along.
Mox was carving into Hobbs’s forehead with a fork and bloodying him. He then set up a throat slice and the director cut away. When they went back to him, he set up a forehead slice and the director cut away again. They brawled at the top of a concourse entrance and took turns leaping off of it onto a crowd of wrestlers and security below. The song played through entirely and then started again.
Hobbs entered an empty ring. Mox attacked him with the fork. “What the hell is wrong with Moxley,” asked Schiavone. Taz said, “That’s what makes him World Champion.” Hobbs speared Mox through a table leaning in the corner. Omega, Swerve, and the Bucks entered the ring. Omega scored a near fall on Matt. The song played through and then restarted for a third time.
They cut to the parking lot where Shafir and Willow were brawling. Willow slammed Shafir onto a table set up outside. Shibata put Yuta in a trash bin and rolled it into a garage door and then tipped it over. Shibata wrapped barbed wire around his ankle and then roundkicked Yuta as he sat in a chair. The Bucks went for stereo superkicks, but stopped short and then DDT’d Swerve. Then they did a song and dance to celebrate. Swerve joined in the fight on the stage as “Let the Bodies Hit the Floor” played for a fourth time. Swerve hit a House Call. When he leaped off the stage at Claudio, Claudio caught him with a forearm out of mid-air. Claudio then gave Swerve a giant swing into a speaker. The music stopped suddenly because apparently the whole sound system was linked to that speaker or something.
Shafir and Willow brawled down the aisle. Shafir had a frying pan and hit Willow with it. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Omega ran the ropes and went for a running dive, but Nicholas intercepted him. Shafir chained Willow’s ear to the ringpost. Matt leaped onto Omega as he dangled on the top rope and then Omega flipped and landed on a table below, with Nicholas slamming him through it. Shafir kicked Shibata in the chest as Mox held him. Mox threw knees to his chest. Fans chanted, “Please help Willow!” Taz said someone needs to find bolt cutters.
Nicholas stood on the entrance big screen and flipped onto Hobbs below. The ref checked on him. Everyone else was brawling. Swerve leaped off a forklift with a Swerve Stomp onto the Bucks on the stage. “The only place you can see stuff like this is A-E-W!” said Excalibur. Hobbs threw Matthew back into the ring. Prince Nana used a key to unlock the padlock that had Willow’s ear chained to the ringpost.
Willow gave Shafir a slam in the ring as Hobbs did the same to Yuta. Moxley then attacked Hobbs from behind and held him. Joe put Matthew in a Coquina Clutch. Shibata put Yuta in a sleeper. Swerve leaped off the top rope onto the back of Mox as Matthew leaped o to Joe on the other side of the ring.
Matthew used a staple gun on Hobbs. Hobbs winced and smiled and then stood and stared down Matthew. Hobbs then put the staple gun up to his own forehead and forced Matthew to staple him. Hobbs then beat up Matthew and stopled his neck. He did the same to Mox, who brabbed his throat. He did the same to Yuta’s chest next. Claudio tried a lift-and-drop uppercut, but Hobbs staple gunned him. NExt, he did it to Matthew’s crotch. Shafir held Swerve’s tongue (which was clearly slippery, as tongues can be) and stapled his tongue. Mox cut off a Willow flurry with a cutter. Omega then gave Mox a Snap Dragon. He gave one to Nicholas a second later and finally Matthew. Omega caught a Shafir kick and she spit at him and said, “Do it!” Omega obliged and gave her a Snap Dragon. “The place erupts!” said Schiavone.
The Bucks gave Omega stereo superkicks. They did the same to Joe and then Prince Nana on the ring apron. That got the most boos. Then they superkicked the ref. Willow came next. They set her up fora top rope double-team move, but Swerve shoved Nicholas through a table below. Willow then lifted Matthew for a tombstone and Swerve leaped off the top rope for a stuff piledriver. The pin was broken up by his partners. “This is awesome!” chanted the fans.
Joe took it to Mox in the ring once the dust settled. Claudio stood on the ring apron with a chair in hand. Hook showed up and hit Claudio with his golf club. When he took his hood down, fans popped. Joe looked surprised and even a bit irked. Joe then gave Claudio a Musclebuster mid-ring and then applied his Coquina Clutch. Omega prevented Matthew from interfering. Gabe Kidd then bashed Joe with a briefcase. He hit Omega, also. Kidd gave Omega a piledriver.
Yuta put thumb tacks in Omega’s mouth and then the Bucks gave him an EVP Trigger. Claudio then gave Omega his giant swing. Yuta dropkicked Omega. Mox then applied the Bulldog Choke. Joe broke it up. Yuta and Claudio dragged Joe up the aisle. Kidd went to the ambulance. Briscoe leaped off the stage onto Claudio. Kidd went after Briscoe and bit his forehead. The Opps put the Death Riders into the ambulance. That left the Bucks alone in the ring with Omega and Swerve. Omega and Swerve landed a V-Trigger and House Call. Nana presented Swerve with new sneakers.
Omega put Matthew on his shoulders on the stage and delivered a One-Winged Angel onto the table below and onto cables which sparked. Swerve put on the sneakers which were accessorized with thumb tacks or spikes. He landed a Swerve Stomp on Nicholas for the three count. “I don’t think we’ll ever forget this night, gentlemen,” said Schiavone. Taz called it “next-level insanity, next-level anarchy.”
WINNERS: The Opps & Swerve & Omega in 35:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m not saying I liked or loved every moment in that spectacle, but I got caught up in the ridiculousness of it. It was serious while also not taking itself too seriously at other times. I could have totally imagined myself hating this if it was described ahead of time, but something about it kinda worked really well. It’s sort of like cinematic matches where you have to turn off a certain part of your brain for what you expect from a pro wrestling experience, but stipulating to that, it was wild fun/violence. You also cannot watch that and deny that the fans loved it for what it was. It went very long, but I didn’t feel it overstayed its welcome.)
(7) ADAM COLE & RODERICK STRONG & KYLE O’REILLY vs. JOSH ALEXANDER & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & KYLE FLETCHER
Early in the match, Don Callis said, “Taz, you know I don’t see height.” Context isn’t important. It’s just a really funny line. Callis said Taz what kind of power he’d have if he expanded his Callis Family t0 20 year members and win every title in AEW. (I’m not doing that math right now.) Takeshita powerbombed Cole out of the corner after he was lifted by Alexander and Fletcher. Strong and O’Reilly made the save. The actio nspilled to ringside with a series of spots. Strong slammed Alexander back-first onto the ringside barricade. Cole gave Fletcher a Panama Sunrise. Back in the ring, Fletcher gave Cole a nasty suplex and then a big boot in the corner. O’Reilly interbened and went after Fletcher. They kicked and kneed each other. O’Reilly applied a front guillotine. Fletcher gave O’Reilly a brainbuster suplex for the three count.
WINNERS: Fletcher & Takeshita & Alexander in 13:00.
-After the match, Lance Archer, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero attacked The Paragon. Brody King and Tomohiro Ishii marched out to confront them. Hiroshi Tanahashi joined them and walked to the ring to clear the ring of the heels. Fans chanted, “Holy shit!” Tanahashi gave a slingblade to Fletcher. Cole gave Fletcher his Boom knee to the back of his head. Cole’s music played.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good six-man tag. Although this match could easily be considered needless and just adding length to an already long show, I liked that they didn’t go right from Anarchy in the Arena to the main event. I suppose the Garcia & Nigel vs. FTR match could have been put here as “padding” instead and this match cut and moved to Collision instead. I was half-expected Tony Khan to announce a second, impromptu Anarchy in the Arena match after the additions to the post-match brawl!)
-They went to the announcers at ringside. They announced the AEW Fyter Fest which will be a four-hour event on June 4 including the AEW International Title Tournament. Omega gets a bye and will face the winner of Claudio vs. Komander. Also, Mascara Dorada vs. Hechicero and Brody King vs. Alexander battle in the other bracket.
(8) WILL OSPREAY vs. “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE – Owen Hart Tournament Final
Hangman made his entrance first. Schiavone said Hangman has been through a lot, “some of it self-inflicted.” A “Cowboy Shit!” chant started and then Ospreay’s theme played with Ospreay doing a voiceover about the winner having the responsibility to bring back the “beautiful gold belt.” He closed with, “This isn’t about your redemption; it’s about my ascension.” Ospreay then made his entrance 3 hours, 45 minute into the PPV (not counting the pre-show).
The crowd engaged in a “Let’s Go Ospreay! / Cowboy Shit!” chant in the early feeling out process with Ospreay and Hangman. The crowd cheered after a rapid-fire series of moves and counters ending in a stalemate staredown. Excalibur said this is the first-ever one-on-one meeting between these two.
Ospreay slingshot himself over the top rope onto Hangman at ringside. Hangman caught him and slammed him into the ringside barricade. Hangman settled into a chinlock mid-ring.
They worked pretty methodically but with intensity for over ten minutes. Ospreay kicked Hangman in the face and then Hangman fired back with a lariat. Ospreay landed a Spanish fly. They were both down and slow to get up. Some fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Ospreay stood first. He climbed to the top rope, but Hangman knocked him off balance. Ospreay slipped under Hangman and then kicked him in the face from underneath. Ospreay set up a superplex out of the corner. Hangman fired back with a sudden lariat and then a Buckshot attempt. Ospreay kicked him to block it. He then leaped off the top rope with a shooting star press onto Hangman as he balanced on the top rope, leading to a two count.
Ospreay went for an OsCutter. Hangman blocked it and delivered a tombstone piledriver for a near fall around 20:00. Excalibur said the pace of the match slowed after the first two minutes, but a match can end on a moment’s notice. Ospreay and Hangman countered move attempts mid-ring. Hangman won the struggle and delivered an Angel’s Wings. “Was that instinct or homage to Christopher Daniels?” asked Excalibur. Taz said it was a little bit of both.
Hangman went for a top rope moonsault, but Ospreay moved and then hit Hidden Blade. Hangman and Ospreay battled on the ring apron. Ospreay powerbombed Hangman and then delivered a Styles Clash off the ring apron to the floor. The ref instantly checked on Hangman. The bump seemed to go as intended, although his forehead hit the mat first. The announcers speculated. Taz said that’s how you suffer a serious injury. Ospreay grabbed at his knee and then rolled into the ring. The ref counted up to nine before Hangman lunged into the ring, only to be met by an OsCutter followed by a Hidden Blade for a near fall.
Ospreay knocked Hangman off the rign apron and into the announce desk. Ospreay then rammed Hangman into the announce desk. Ospreay set up a an underhook move on the table, but Hangman countered with a Dead Eye. The desk collapsed early and both went down hard. The ref checked on both of them. “That was just nasty,” Taz said. They eventually stood and Hangman went back to the Dead Eye on the collapsed table and executed it. “Roll him into the ring, it’s over,” said Schiavone.
Hangman threw Ospreay into the ring. He set up a Buckshot Lariat, but Ospreay stumbled backward which threw off Hangman’s plans. Ospreay pulled himself to his feet and stared at Hangman, who remained in position for the Buckshot. Ospreay removed his elbow pad and threw it over his head. Ospreay gave Hangman a middle finger and charged. Hangman gave him a Buckshot for a believable, dramatic near fall that popped the fans (who were showing signs of fatigue). When Hangman went for another Buckshot, Ospreay caught him with a Hidden Blade and a Storm Breaker for a near fall. When he went for a Hidden Blade, Hangman ducked. Both were down and slow to get up.
A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. Ospreay stood and delivered a V-Trigger. He set up a One-Winged Angel, but Hangman countered and slammed Ospreay to the mat and had him wrapped up for a near fall. Ospreay grabbed the ropes to stop the count. Fans chanted “Fight Forever” Ospreay and Hangman countered more moves. Hangman then hit another Buckshot for the three count.
WINNER: “Hangman” Page in about 37:00 to win the Owen Hart Cup.
-After the match, they went to a graphic for Moxley vs. Hangman on July 12. Hangman left, but then returned to the ring where Ospreay was sitting, soaking up the loss. Hangman helped Ospreay up and offered a handman. A dejected Ospreay shook his head. Taz said it’s great to see such mutual respect between athletes. Hangman left as Ospreay kneeled and watched, re-calibrating his career expectations this year.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent match. I hadn’t ruled out Hangman winning, but was definitely leaning toward Ospreay. That was an epic battle in the third. It deserved to have a fresher crowd. While some will complain this was spamming finishers, I actually thought this was a really smart version of utilizing a variety of key signature spots, some of which felt like they could be the finish.)
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