January 7th, 2026, live from Tulsa, Oklahoma, the return of Hall of Fame announcer, Jim Ross. Boomer Sooner and all that.
Jim Ross shuffles down the ramp, the pain from each step vibrating through my apartment.
Jungle Jack Perry was set to team up with JetSpeed against Riochet and the Ricochettes.
BUT WAIT….
We cut to Renee Pacquette announcing JetSpeed are out, they were attacked before the show.
Ricochet and the Ricochettes arrive at the scene, along with Don Callis.
Renee implies someone cashed in Richoet’s bounty on JetSpeed.
Don Callis alludes to his new tag team of Mark Davis and Jake Doyle, attacking JetSpeed.
First, love when bad guys from different factions interact with each other.
Never understood why the Sinister Six isn’t always attacking Manhattan together.
There are six of you. Sometimes even up to 8 or 9 at a time. Always do this.
Tony Khan had plans for the Hell Hounds in 2025. Buddy Matthews wrestled Will Ospreay on the January 6th episode of Dynamite. But injuries and Brody King hating ICE, fairly, and now Khan gets to restart that project with Mark Davis and Jake Something.
I love that the Don Callis family can mutate into any form necessary. You need world champion challengers? Callis has Okada, Fletcher and Takeshita. You need a tag team? Here’s Mark Davis and Jake Doyle or Lance Archer and Brian Cage.
They are the most malleable plot device in the sport.
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin: Continental Championship Eliminator Match
Mox and Marina make their quick entrance through the crowd.
No red lights or silhouettes. No walks around the arena. Zero aura farming. Mox is clocking in and clocking out.
WE HURT PEOPLE WE HURT PEOPLE
Shelton Benjamin, accompanied by MVP, looking like he genuinely deserves a solo championship run.
Guys like Shelton Benjamin are why guys like MJF need hairplugs and HGH.
MVP joins the commentary team to hang with Jim Ross. Last time these two were this close was in a WWE locker room, Jim Ross peeking over the urinal and thumbs-upping MVP before he walked into McMahon’s office and said “I don’t think Montavious has what it takes to be champ”.
Crowd loves Moxley.
He officially joins Steve Austin and Kurt Angle on bald GOAT mountain.
Wrestling is a sport of the haired.
It’s almost impossible to come off as cool and intimidating, without being, ya know, American History X-ish, and Moxley is hiking that path.
Shelton Benjamin and Moxley are brawling in the bleachers. The story of this match crystallized; Moxley clotheslined Benjamin over the rope, to fight out of the ring, into the crowd, to remove Shelton’s wrestling advantage. It’s just a regular street fight now. Moxley’s eliminated Shelton’s superpowers.
Shelton gets him back in the ring as the ref finally begins the countout.
Mox immediately rolls back to the floor, Irish whipping Shelton into the steps and rolling back in as the ref starts speeding through the countout. Ref genuinely might be a Death Riders fan. Mox is so over.
Shelton returns for a comeback, double clothesline, double down, commercial break. Textbook.
Mox goes to the top rope to hit his world-famous diving splash he always does. Shelton rushes up for his quick superplex. Bron Breakker would be in a coma.
SHELTON FUCKING BENJAMIN YEAR 26 #AEW #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/xx3RAT1oK5
— Self Made AO 💫 (@KXNGAO) January 8, 2026
Jim Ross struggles to say “Jon Moxley is getting better at wrestling.”, I hope Bryan Danielson is enjoying his vacation.
Shelton Benjamin starts tossing German suplexes, dumping Mox on his head 5 times in a row. WE HURT PEOPLE.
Only a 2 count.
Mox and Benjamin go head-to-head, Mox slap and middle finger, Mox hits a cutter. 2 count.
I don’t hate that little baby cutter Mox snuck into his moveset.
Shelton gets Mox in like a standing crossface thing, sick as hell, Mox gets to the ropes.
Mox takes it outside again to muddy it up, Shelton catches Mox in a Tope Suicida. 2 count.
Shelton reverses a Mox top rope bullshit again, kicks out Mox’s legs. 2 count.
Paradigm Shift. 2 count.
Mox goes for the choke out as we learn there’s 1-minute left in the match.
Benjamin stands to his feet, gets out of the hold and hits him with an insane running knee strike.
2 count.
Benjamin gets a triangle choke in, Mox rolls him up. 3 count.
Less than 5 seconds left, Mox sneaks out with the victory.
Deeath Riders music playing, Mox grabs the belt, rolls into the ring to shake Shelton Benjamin’s hand.
Shelton Benjamin is the definition of the standard of excellence tonight
Hope everything is ok with him because he got emotional at the start #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/5bWfL97Wqw— Ace Humphreys 🏴🦢 (@Ace109610) January 8, 2026
I hate that AEW didn’t exist when Shelton Benjamin wore a younger man’s clothes.
I don’t know how much longer Shelton wants to do this but he is still one of the best in the world.
This match prioritized reiterating that point, Shelton’s exotic submission holds nearly beating the champ twice. Mox needing to slapbox outside and use the ring steps and sneak a roll up to beat the superior wrestler.
Perfect TV match.
Winner: Jon Moxley
TIME: 19:55
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cut to Darby Allin skateboarding backstage, we get it already, you have hobbies.
Darby looking for…the announcers say Pac(?), but whatever.
And now an Omega vs. MJF reel.
It’s always good to do a full, dramatic video package of your champion and a future challenger a week before that champion defends the title against someone completely different.
Really gives me faith Bandido has a chance to win.
Can’t wait now.
The Demand vs. Jack Perry and The Young Bucks
“They’re dangerous, they’re very dangerous, they’re harmful” Jim Ross describing Ricochet and Ricochettes. “It’s leadership,” he adds. Thank you, Jim.
Jack Perry comes out alone, we don’t know who will join him to replace JetSpeed.
It’s the Young Bucks, good guys again, Superkick Party, no one books themselves better.
Starting with a brawl in the ring, and now outside. Jack Perry spears Ricochet in the ring and pummels him.
Jack Perry not in love with Ricochet attacking Luchasauras and JetSpeed. I get it.
Jungle Boy and The Buck Boy(s) do a bunch of cool moves.
Gates of Agony come back, beating the dogshit out of everyone, ending all that highflying circus shit.
Decent match.
Winner: Jack Perry and The Young Bucks
Time: 13:10
Rating: ⭐
Jake Doyle goes insane, strangling the Young Bucks, the Don Callis family slowly trickle in, followed by the injured Jetspeed with hockey sticks. Lights out. Lights on. The re-re-debut of Andrade.
ANDRADE EL IDOLO IS BACK IN AEW!
THE FIRST MAN EVER TO HAVE THREE DIFFRENT AEW DEBUTS
DEMON HOMEEEEEE #AEW #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/qoHVrV4l7R
— Self Made AO 💫 (@KXNGAO) January 8, 2026
Oh, and then FTR comes to the top of the ramp, Stokely Carmichael in a wheelchair.
Can I just quickly run through all the people on the television right now?
- Jack Perry
- Nick Jackson
- Matt Jackson
- Don Callis
- Andrade
- Mark Davis
- Jake Doyle
- Lance Archer
- El Clon
- Ricochet
- Bishop Kaun
- Toa Liona
- Mike Bailey
- Kevin Knight
- Cash Wheeler
- Dax Hardwood
- Stokely Carmichael
17 fucking people.
I love Collision.
Willow Nightingale TBS Championship Celebration
Willow comes out, double belted up, with her tag team parter, Harley Cameron, and World Champion Kris Statlander.
Willow sells her friends as champ and claims she’ll be a fighting champion.
Breaks the 4th wall, telling us she knows it’s professional wrestlin,g so she knows it’ll be interrupted. Willow invites interruption.
There’s nothing Willow can say to get me on her side, I’m already here.
This isn’t about her.
Mercedes Mone comes to the ring dressed as a Japanese widow
Willow puts her over.
Mercedes screams and flips the table.
Thankfully, Kris saves the cake so Mercedes can accidentally trip face-first into it. Then Willow powebombs her onto the cake. Sky shot of Mercedes dead atop a local Tulsa Stop N Shop cake.
Mercedes Moné went through ANOTHER cake further embarrassing herself.
God, what a freaking character. 😭
pic.twitter.com/BW5Qk3OQAh— Drainmaker (@TheDrainmaker) January 8, 2026
Art.
Nothing but respect to Merdeces commitment to the bit.
Cut to Mark Briscoe, live from his house, PTO direct deposits hitting.
Mark calls himself the “workhorse” champion, from the comfort of his own yard.
He can’t wait to wrestle Hechiero on Collesion, from what I can gather.
Slightly better segment than Darby checking empty rooms for like, 6 seconds.
Cut to Triangle of Madness, Thekla calls out Statlander, Julia Hart looking like Big Diesel over her left shoulder, Skye Blue Razon Ramoning on the other.
Thekla challenges Kris, Willow and Harley to a match, claiming those women are fake friends while they are sisters, “we are bonded by blood,” Skye Blue murmurs.
I don’t usually watch Dynamite, but how much of the show is selling the next show?
Sammy Guevara vs. Bandido
Interesting matchup, right?
They’re already selling Omega/MJF II. Bandido isn’t winning next week.
But after the year Bandido had, he can’t disappear back to Ring of Honor.
His 2026 will be fascinating.
Meanwhile, it’s not going unnoticed that AEW is starting 2026 with a not-so-subtle Sammy Guevara relaunch.
If Sammy wants to come back to AEW TV and eat pins for a year, I’m down.
But he has a ton of heavy lifting to do to get me excited about him on my TV screen.
And it’s possible he does the work.
AEW constantly plucks random guys on the roster and gives them opportunities to sink or swim. Swerve Strickland is in tonight’s main event because he willed it into existence. My guy was done tagging with Keith Lee wheezing in the corner.
Sammy, newly bloodied nose, climbs to the top rope to hit Bandido with a standing shooting star press onto the floor. This is why Sammy still has a chance. The man can wrestle. He’d be my favorite cruiserweight champion 15 years ago.
Winner: Bandido
Time: 11:40
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
MJF comes out to interrupt Bandido’s celebration. He and a translator walk to the ring.
MJF runs down his success against Mexican wrestlers, claiming he’s a bigger star in Mexico than Bandido will ever be.
The translator runs back the same promo in Spanish.
This lasts forever.
I can’t stress enough how well-made that Omega/MJF video package was.
MJF and his stooge translator set up Bandido for a punch with the Dynamite ring. Bandido ducks, MJF hits the translator.
Bandido hits his finisher on everyone.
Holds the AEW World Title.
Watch him lose next week in Arizona.
I love Collision.
Back from commercial with a Brody King package, those t-shirts don’t sell themselves.
Timeless Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir
Marina gets a mini red light aura farm, shadow box moment.
Big match for Marina Shafir. Marina hasn’t had many one-on-one singles matches on Dynamite, none as big as this match against the biggest star in the division.
Only a couple minutes in, Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia arrive ringside to intimidate Toni Storm. I probably should’ve assumed there’d be shenanigans. Shit, half of this match takes place during a commercial break. Marina is still playing on easy mode.
These women do a great job selling Marina’s strikes. They really play up her MMA background.
Toni Storm gets ragdolled and mocked most of the match, a newborn in the arms of a grizzly bear.
Toni starts a comeback, cut off by a Marina kick. Storm gets the roll up but Wheeler pulls the ref. DQ. Toni wins.
In the confusion, Marina just straight punches Toni directly in the face. Lights out. Marina runs to save, Marina kicks her onto Toni’s lifeless corpse.
Death Riders swarm on Luther but Roddy Strong rushes in while Orange Cassidy’s music hits and Orange slowly strolls in.
Claudio emerges from the crowd ready to fight. Everyone is making an appearance on this fucking show. Everyone.
Orange picks up Toni and Marina to maybe start some weird love triangle? Some real AEW Rampage shit but whatever, it gives those 3 something to do.
Winner: Timeless Toni Storm
TIME: 7:55
Rating:⭐⭐
Cut to backstage, Renee interviewing Pac about Darby Allin. Darby interrupts, begging for a match, PAC, the only member of the death riders Darby can’t beat. Allin sprays Pac with a fire extinguisher and threatens to break his ankle if he doesn’t give him a match.
Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook vs. Swerve Strickland and Adam Page: Lights Out Unsanctioned Match
“The first time I called a lights-out match was the early ’70s.” I talked shit but Jim Ross still got it.
Powerhouse Hobbs never disappoints in the main event, a place he’s finding himself in a lot recently. I like it here.
Hook is like Tony Khan said, “what if Spike Dudley was just always around all the time for no reason?”
Most of this match is Swerve and Hangman aura farming, both men taking every opportunity to brood in the cameras.
Hook hits a big T-Bone suplex to Swerve on the Ring canvas before a commercial break in what is easily the slowest, least-urgent match on the card.
I trust Hangman and Swerve enough, especially in a hardcore match, to have something interesting up their sleeves but they are slow-rolling the foreplay.
Back from commercial, Hook hits Swerve with a T-Bone suplex through a table.
When Hook helped Joe win the belt, I knew it was sink or swim time for Taz’s little runt and shout out to Swerve and Page trying to put the kid over. Letting him beat the dogshit out of you is a great place to start.
Swerve hands Page the staple gun, stapling Hook a bunch of times before powerbombing him into oblivion.
Hobbs tries to suplex Swerve as Swerve staples his chest. Hobbs no-sells it. Page staples Hobbs’s dick.
Swerve and Page drag out a cinderblock bed, laboring to pick it up. Hobbs hits them with chairs. No idea who is about to get dropped onto these cinderblocks but I hope no one.
Hobbs places Swerve face down on the cinderblocks, steel chair over head, ready to commit a homicide before his manager breaks it up and takes a chair shot for his troubles.
Swerve goes for a top rope move. Hobbs catches him, powerslams him onto the cinderblock bed.
Page runs in to break up the 3-count.
The Opps dojo comes into attack Hangman. 4 white boys in black tees just start whooping ass. White boy winter in full effect.
Hobbs sets Swerve and Hangman back-to-back on the mat, tying the metal chains around their necks.
prince Nana crawls to the apron, throwing hot coffee in Hobb’s face. Page and Swerve get to their feet and run through the white boys like a coke bag in the sports bar bathroom.
Okay, we’re back on the cinderblock bed.
Page hits Hobbs with the Deadeye, assisted by Swerve off the top rope.
Hook sneaks in while the two auro farm once again, quick 2-count.
Swerve and Hangman beat the dogshit out of Hook. “Get it over with, will ya?” Jim Ross as Page and Strickland stare at the cameras between finisher moves on Hook. I feel you, Jim.
Hangman wraps the chain around Hook’s neck and sends him over the top for a stranglehold victory.
Winner: Swerve Strickland and Adam Page
Time: 19:50
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
See y’all this weekend for my Collision review. Please don’t let Adam Page Jump in the air and land his knees on cinderblocks. Please.
If you enjoyed what you read, head over to our Substack. We’ve got more content making fun of the ridiculous world we live in, sent directly to your email inbox daily.
Follow us over on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.
