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Second night of C and D blocks coming in hot.
D Block: Claudio Castagnoli vs. "The Spanish God" Sammy Guevara
Blackpool Combat Club vs. Jericho Appreciation Society action to kick us off as the crowd is red hot for Claudio. They have themselves a fine opener to start off the evening, I'm laughing imagining Sammy's facial expressions when the time comes to sell the giant swing.
Sammy eventually starts to take control and attempts to springboard off the ropes but it results in a stiff uppercut. Neutralizer finishes it off, Claudio continues his early AEW winning streak as the JAS falls to 0-6 in the tournament.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli
Time: 10:51
Rating: 83%
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C Block: Frankie Kazarian vs. "The Redeemer" Miro
Perhaps he was up until the wee hours of the morning having riotous sex with Lana, but Miro just looked completely off his game here and never got out of the box against an opponent he would've been viewed as a considerable favorite over.
Kazarian controls the pace throughout as Miro struggles to really do anything, winning with a Northern Lights Suplex in the worst match of the tournament thus far. Miro will need to live up to his nickname and redeem himself soon.
Winner: Frankie Kazarian
Time: 7:56
Rating: 58%
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D Block: Adam Cole vs. "Limitless" Keith Lee
OK, these two have chemistry together from their time in NXT so it should serve as a nice palate cleanser after that stinker of a match that preceded it. Tough draw for Cole having to face the two largest competitors in the block back-to-back, but he had a better strategy in this one as he attempted to use a ground game to work on one of Lee's knees.
Later in the match, Lee picks Cole up for the Spirit Bomb but his knee gives out! Down to one knee in pain, Lee has no way to see Cole bounce off the ropes behind him and lay down The Boom! The knee to the back of the head puts Lee down for the count and gets Cole on the board.
Winner: Adam Cole
Time: 12:17
Rating: 84%
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C Block: Hook vs. Luchasaurus
Hook was taking a hell of a risk entering this tournament after only 10 matches of professional experience, but the value of facing top-tier competition can't be understated. Many would've thought this match had squash potential and instead Hook proved to be a tough son of a bitch just like his dad taught him.
Hook's sole focus on this match was to choke Luchasaurus out as he went for the Redrum constantly but could never quite cinch it in. Luchasaurus eventually slides out of it, picks Hook up and connects with a Burning Hammer to win it.
Winner: Luchasaurus
Time: 10:47
Rating: 87%
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For the second C/D Block show in a row, Jungle Boy is booked right after Luchasaurus and he makes a bee-line for him on the way out the ramp. These two have a lot of bad blood and will have to settle their differences in the ring someday.
D Block: Jungle Boy vs. Wardlow
Jungle Boy might have business with Luchasaurus looming in the future, but for now he has to deal with the TNT Champion Wardlow who we last saw running through Adam Cole like a hot knife through butter. Jungle Boy was all fired up in this one, taking the big man off guard on more than one occasion.
The crowd rose to their feet at numerous times in this one with Jungle Boy throwing everything at the champion, including a tope suicida. Several near falls to build drama. Wardlow stunts momentum with a huge lariat. Goes to pick up Jungle Boy for a Powerbomb and it's reversed into a Hurricanrana! 1-2-3! Jungle Boy has pinned the TNT Champion!!!
Winner: Jungle Boy
Time: 14:41
Rating: 95%
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C Block: Brody King vs. "Absolute" Ricky Starks
What a tough act to follow that match was, thankfully in Fire Pro we don't have to worry about matches being downgraded solely because they came after a banger! King and Starks were up to the task though, continuing the night's theme of large man vs. smaller opponent.
Starks wrangles his way out of a gorilla press, impressively gets the big Brody up for a flash Fisherman's Suplex to grab 2 more points. Starks is off to a great start in his tournament.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Time: 12:37
Rating: 87%
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D Block: Buddy Matthews vs. Kenny Omega
Matthews just watched his House of Black teammate get off to an 0-2 start and doesn't want to do the same, meanwhile Omega comes off of a surprise loss in his return match. Plenty of matches in this tournament are ones I'd actually want to see in real life, but this one might be near the very top of the list based on stylistic similarities.
Both men were working at a breakneck pace throughout, sometimes quite literally with the number of suplex variants being handed out. They also both need to be checked for concussions from how often they kneed each other in the face. Omega gets Buddy up in a Fireman's Carry, slams him down and then connects with a Moonsault to win.
Winner: Kenny Omega
Time: 12:20
Rating: 87%
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C Block: Penta Oscuro vs. Jon Moxley
As JR would say, this match was bowling shoe ugly. Both men brought out the hardcore brawler in each other as this match went out to the floor numerous times with a chair being introduced into the mix. It's more of a shock that somebody didn't draw blood.
Penta reverses out of the Paradigm Shift on two separate occasions, forcing Mox to dig further into his bag of tricks to pull out another move. The Hook and Ladder, a move he rarely uses to finish matches anymore, ends up putting Penta down for the count.
Winner: Jon Moxley
Time: 9;14
Rating: 68%
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D Block: Christian Cage vs. "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy
Much like the last contest, the D Block main event featured two men who got off to winning starts in the tournament, and you can't really find two polar opposites in terms of crowd reaction. The crowd hates Christian's guts, and he made sure to soak in every ounce of heat as he tried a ground and pound approach on Cassidy.
Cassidy wouldn't yield though, and Christian's unrepentant dickery eventually caused the normally aloof Cassidy to come alive and start mounting a big comeback. Cassidy goes for the Stun Dog Millionaire, Christian blocks. Christian goes for the Killswitch, Cassidy blocks. Cassidy connects with an Orange Punch and gets the dub to a huge pop.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
Time: 12:58
Rating: 82%
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C Block: "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Eddie Kingston
Two of the most popular competitors in AEW lock up in this one, and they wasted no time in just pelting each other with fists and forearms. Before too long this one resembled a fight more than it resembled a wrestling match, which is par for the course for Eddie Kingston.
Page ducks a Uraken backfist and picks Kingston up for the Dead Eye. He connects with it and then jumps straight to the apron waiting for Kingston to get back to his feet. Buckshot Lariant and Page gets his first 2 points. That's some real cowboy shit right there. Hangman celebrates with a beer after as we go off the air.
Winner: Adam Page
Time: 8:49
Rating: 80%
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