On December 18th, 2024 AEW aired the 1st night of Holiday Bash live in Washington DC inside Entertainment & Sports Arena.
Note: This review will be shorter then normal as it be the last few mins of the match.
-Kicking off night 1 of Holiday Bash with we see Death Riders entering the building.
-Renee Paquette is in the back with Jay White & Orange Cassidy and asks them if they are focused on the Death Riders or more on each other. White says his focus is on the AEW World Title but knows he has first to make it to Worlds End and relies on Cassidy & Hangman Page since he doesn’t have the Bang Bang Gang by his side. He said Page always lets people down as Page walks in and says Jon Moxley is his tonight.
-We cut to Darby Allin & he tells Will Ospreay that it’s showtime as Ospreay says he’s grateful for Darby saving his neck last week but tonight it’s time for warfare.
-We also see MJF making his way into the building.
TBS Title Match
Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Anna Jay
Mercedes Mone puts on Statement Maker but Anna Jay keeps escaping before backing Mone into the corner and rolling her up for two.
Mone comes back with a sunset bomb to the corner, a double knee strike and hits Mone’ Maker to get the win.
Winner & Still TBS Champion: Mercedes Mone (10:32) (STILL CHAMPION!!!)
Rate: 7
-After the match Kris Statlander is shown in the back watching Mone after her win.
-We see FTR at one of their homes who said they didn’t have a problem with Death Riders and they stopped them from poisoning a man which gets them taken and left in the cold. Dax Harwood says they build their whole lives on wrestling and said what else is there to do as Dr. Sampson says he hasn’t cleared them for the rest of the year. They tell the Death Riders to not sleep as they will show up at their door and they will be at Fight For The Fallen and will be cleared to fight them and they aren’t coming alone.
-MJF heads to the ring and says he doesn’t care about the opinion of a couple of disgusting from DC and if he did care about them he would have signed up to be a part of their ‘wack ass Washington Wizards’. MJF goes on to talk about Hannukah and says that Santa isn’t real. We start hearing some sad music as MJF goes into a sad speech about helping someone as we see a doctored photo of a very yellow and skinny Adam Cole on the screen. MJF puts up a QR code that he says is to help the foundation put Cole out of his misery.
-We cut to the real Cole on the screen who gives MJF the heads up about having a meeting with Tony Khan and says if MJF wants the Dynamite Diamond Ring he has to earn it, as he brings in Mike Bennett & Matt Taven who he said he will have them by his side at Worlds End. He asks if He’s kicking his ass yet as we see the even more real Adam Cole behind MJF in the ring who attacks MJF but when he goes for the Panama Sunrise, MJF escapes.
-We see Jamie Hayter in the back & says she says Julia Hart for exactly who she is a coward. She says Hart used her tricks to attack her from behind and that’s a sneaky, classless move but the message is sent. Her message to Hart is to serve her a dish best served cold at Fight For The Fallen.
-We see a promo that Kenny Omega is coming back soon to AEW very, very soon.
Tag Team Match
The Patriarchy (Christian Cage & Nick Wayne) vs. Katsuyori Shibata & Hook
Nick Wayne goes for Wayne’s World but gets trapped in a sleeper.
Kip Sabian & Mother Wayne both get on the apron as Christian Cage gauges Katsuyori Shibata’s eyes.
He hits Killswitch before putting Wayne on him for the cover and the win.
Winners: The Patriarchy (11:45)
Rate: 5
-We get a King Of New York video with Chris Jericho going around New York City with his ROH World Title hyping up his Final Battle match with Matt Cardona this Friday.
-We get another Bandido video this one showing off highlights of his matches.
-We go to Women’s Champion Mariah May in the back who wonders why Thunder Rosa wanted to become a wrestler since she was already a social worker. She continues that she spent her entire career looking out for herself and it worked out pretty well and she has eclipsed the entire women’s division just by being her and if was here 4 years ago, Rosa wouldn’t even have been signed. She brings up the Tijuana Street Fight at Worlds End, telling Rosa to bring her father, and asks if being a failure runs in the family.
-Tony Schiavone brings Ricochet to the ring and says there’s been a change in his attitude since we last saw him in the ring. Before Ricochet can say much, he gets interrupted by the music of The Hurt Syndicate as they make their way out. Ricochet says he’s glad they came out there and asks them if they saw how he beat both Komander & Brody King and had 6 points in the Continental Classic. Ricochet brings up Will Ospreay seeing a different side of Ricochet this Saturday. MVP asks for the business card he handed him as Bobby Lashley holds Ricochet back MVP rips up the card and says Nobody likes a kiss ass and kicks him out of the ring as Benjamin has his match next.
Blue League Match Of The 2024 Continental Classic
Shelton Benjamin (3) vs. The Beast Mortos (0)
The Beast Mortos stays on top with strikes but gets stopped with a thrust kick.
Shelton Benjamin follows with 3 German suplexes followed by a knee strike to Mortos in the corner and Hurt Fall to get the pin
Winners: Shelton Benjamin (6) (8:47)
Rate: 7
-After the match Bobby Lashley & MVP enter the ring as Lashley & Benjamin keep attacking Mortos in the corner. Tony Schiavone mentions Rush & Dralistico not being available to help him. MVP tells Daniel Garcia this is what he has to look forward to on Saturday as Garcia makes his way out. Garcia says he’s stupid and knows what will happen if he heads to the ring as it’s 3 on 1 but he doesn’t care and starts heading down anyway before Mark Briscoe’s music hits and he joins him and they start attacking Benjamin & Lashley but MVP helps with his cane as they take them both down.
-Renee Paquette is in the back with Ricochet and asks what happened with The Hurt Syndicate. Ricochet says he’s not going to worry about that but instead the Continental Classic and this Saturday he is stepping in the ring with Will Ospreay. He didn’t come to AEW to shut the world up and beat Ospreay and have his eyes on the next match. As he turns around, he bumps into Swerve Strickland & Prince Nana and Strickland says it is only a matter of time until the real Trevor shows up. He thought Ricochet might have changed but he’s still the same old Trevor, a follower. Ricochet says he knows the real Swerve and he didn’t win the Continental Classic last year and it’s going to eat him up when he wins this year then did his cringy laugh before Strickland say this is why he still bald.
-We go to a sit down with RJ City & Toni Storm and explain where she’s been but Storm talks about grinding up the indies and now she’s here in AEW. City is confused and talks ask about her history in AEW as she says she’s seen every match from the start and say it’s a bit early to be thinking of winning the AEW Women’s World Title. She calls Saraya, Mercedes Mone’ & Mariah May; legends, icons and the best in the business today. City brings up the Timeless name but Storm says it’s Toni Time instead.
Gold League Match Of The 2024 Continental Classic
Darby Allin (3) vs. Will Ospreay (6)
Darby Allin counters Storm Breaker again and hits Scorpion Death Drop.
He goes to the top and hits a Coffin Drop to Will Ospreay’s back.
He goes back again and hits 1 more Coffin Drop to get the win.
Winner: Darby Allin (6) (14:38)
Rate: 8 (Recommend)
Trios Match
Death Raiders (Trios Champions Wheeler Yuta & PAC & AEW World Champion Jon Moxley) vs. Hangman Page, Orange Cassidy & Jay White
Hangman Page goes for Buckshot Lariat and might have been wanting to hit Orange Cassidy with it but gets Wheeler Yuta instead.
Jay White hits PAC with Blade Runner but as he & Page start arguing with each other.
Jon Moxley rolls up Cassidy to get the win.
Winners: Death Raiders (11:59)
Rate: 6
-After the match Cassidy, Page & White keep shoving each other just to get surrounded by Death Riders as Moxley has a chair but they get attacked first before Moxley & Marina Shafir escape through the crowd as the other 6 men start brawling on the outside.
Standings After Night 8
Gold League
1st Place- Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli, Will Ospreay, Darby Allin & Ricochet (6 Points) (2-1)
2nd Place- Brody King (3 Points) (1-2)
Last Place- Komander (0 Points) (0-3)
Blue League
1st Place- Kyle Fletcher (9 Points) (3-1)
2nd Place- Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada (7 Points) (2-1-1)
3rd Place- Mark Briscoe (6 Points) (2-2) & Shelton Benjamin (6 Points) (2-1)
4th Place- TNT Champion Daniel Garica (4 Points) (1-1-1)
Last Place- The Beast Mortos (0 Points) (0-4)
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