By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Battle of the Belts XI
Arlington, Texas at Esports Stadium Arlington
Aired live July 27, 2024 on TNT
A video package recapped key moments from AEW Dynamite and the Royal Rampage match from Friday’s AEW Rampage… Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni, and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary, and Arkady Aura was the ring announcer… Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm vs. Taya Valkyrie in an eliminator match. Storm wore white gear and had straightened short hair. The broadcast team acknowledged that Storm had changed her look. Valkyrie threw her shades at Storm after the bell rang. Storm picked up the shades and put them on.
Storm put Valkyrie down with a Thesz Press and threw punches at her and then executed a suplex, all while wearing the shades. Storm continued to wear the shades while she knocked Valkyrie off the apron with a hip attack. Storm went to ringside and was tripped into the ring steps. Valkyrie hit Storm with a double knee strike against the steps that knocked the shades loose, but Storm actually kept them on.
Storm ditched the shades, battled back, and ran Valkyrie into the barricade before rolling her back inside the ring. Valkyrie tripped up Storm on the apron heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C] Storm executed a backstabber via the ropes and then hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two count.
Storm looked to the crowd before hitting a hip attack in the corner. Storm followed up with a Storm Zero attempt that Valkyrie avoided. Storm put Valkyrie down with a DDT for a two count. Valkyrie came back and hit the Road to Valhalla for a near fall.
Valkyrie smiled and had lipstick on her front teeth. Valkyrie performed Shania Pain and covered Storm, who put her foot over the bottom rope to break the pin. Valkyrie showed frustration. Storm headbutted Valkyrie and then hit Storm Zero and got the three count…
AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defeated Taya Valkyrie in 9:10 in an eliminator match.
After the match, the screen went to black and white. Storm took the mic and said the tramp is still the champ. Storm brought up Mariah May and said she was perfect. Storm dropped to one knee and acted distraught while saying May was all of her dreams come to life. Storm said May made a mistake by not cutting her bloody head off…
Powell’s POV: A solid match with the expected outcome (there’s been a lot of those tonight). Storm is going with a new look, but she was still playing the same character during her promo and had the live crowd behind her. By the way, AEW knows when these quarterly specials will be held. Is it too much trouble for them to build to actual title matches as opposed to going with two eliminator matches?
Lexi Nair interviewed the third Outrunner, er, Kip Sabian. He said he lost his father and the last four months have been a roller coaster. He said the important thing to him is doing his family proud and being the best wrestler in the company. Sabian said he could let things with Nick Wayne go, but if Wayne can’t do that then he knows where to find him. Sabian said he’s back and better than ever… [C]
Entrances for the second eliminator match took place…
2. CMLL Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale vs. Deonna Purrazzo in an eliminator match. There was an ugly spot early where Purrazzo went for a head-scissors and Willow countered into a slam, but Willow ended up slamming Purrazzo on the side of her head or shoulder. Purrazzo wrenched Willow’s arm heading into a PIP break. [C]
Late in the match, both wrestlers traded forearm shots. Willow clotheslined Purrazzo and both women stayed down. Taya Valkyrie walked out with a turnbuckle that she held behind her back. Valkyrie held it out while Purrazzo reached for it while Willow was pulling Purrazzo from behind.
Thunder Rosa ran out and attacked Valkyrie at ringside. Willow hit Purrazzo with the Pounce. Willow followed up with a Doctor Bomb and scored the pin…
CMLL Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale defeated Deonna Purrazzo in 11:30 in an eliminator match.
Schiavone hyped the main event as coming up next… [C]
Powell’s POV: Purrazzo seemed to be okay despite that early scare. Let’s hope it stays that way once the adrenaline wears off. This was a solid match otherwise with yet another predictable outcome.
Bobby Cruise handled the ring announcer duties for the ROH match. Dustin Rhodes made his entrance with a bull rope around his neck and then waited on the stage. Ross Von Erich, Marshall Von Erich, and Kevin Von Erich came out to a knockoff of Kevin’s old “Stranglehold” entrance theme. The Kingdom’s entrance followed. Paul Wight sat in on commentary and was introduced as a new member of the ROH Board of Directors…
3. “The Kingdom” Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett vs. Dustin Rhodes, Ross Von Erich, and Marshall Von Erich (w/Kevin Von Erich) for the vacant ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles. The title belts were on a podium on the stage. Dustin’s bull rope sat on the apron in the babyface team’s corner. Wight said his goal is to work with Tony Khan to make sure the ROH brand is up as far as they want it to be. Wight said he wasn’t happy about the way The Kingdom won at ROH Death Before Dishonor.
Schiavone emphasized that the match was for the vacant “AEW Ring of Honor Six-Man Championships.” Schiavone also plugged the early start time for next Saturday’s Collision. The babyface trio cleared The Kingdom members from the ring heading into an early PIP break. [C]
Dustin was taken out early, but he returned to his team’s corner and then took a hot tag from Ross. Dustin worked over Bennett, who had his right arm heavily taped. Dustin powerslammed Bennett and then Strong, and then hit a bulldog and a Canadian Destroyer on Taven.
Dustin hit CrossRhodes on Bennett, then picked him up and gave him a piledriver. Dustin went for the cover, but Bennett’s partners broke it up. Taven ran Ross into the ring post. Dustin set up Bennett for Shattered Dreams, but Taven grabbed his foot and then Bennett escaped the corner.
Bennett put Dustin down, but Dustin avoided a springboard move by Taven. Dustin rolled up Bennett for a two count. The Kingdom hit a series of moves on Dustin and then Bennett covered him, but the Von Erichs broke up the pin. Taven superkicked Ross and then Strong ran Marshall into the ring post.
Strong and Taven tried to bring the tag titles in the ring, but the referee spotted them. Meanwhile, Bennett hit Dustin with the bull rope and covered him for a near fall. The crowd popped big when Dustin kicked out.
Katsuyori Shibata ran out and put Taven in a claw. Kevin struggled, but eventually put Strong in the Iron Claw. Ross hit Bennett with a knee strike and then Marshall followed up with a discus lariat. Dustin followed up with a move of his own and then pinned Bennett,
Dustin Rhodes, Ross Von Erich, and Marshall Von Erich defeated “The Kingdom” Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett in 13:30 to win the vacant ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
After the match, Kevin brought the title belts inside the ring and handed them to his sons and Dustin. Shibata celebrated with the winners and then streamers were thrown in the ring while Wight entered the ring and several wrestlers ran out from the back to join the celebration.
Schiavone hyped Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite and a graphic noted that Bryan Danielson will speak live during the show. They also hyped Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander in an eliminator match, Mariah May sits down with Renee Paquette for an interview, and Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer. Schiavone closed the show while the in-ring celebration continued…
Powell’s POV: They capped off the night of predictable match outcomes on a high note by going with a crowd pleasing win for Dustin and The Von Erichs. I will be back with a same night audio review of AEW Collision and Battle of the Belts XI available exclusively to Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
Why couldn’t they just let the roh six man titles die? There is no need for all these meaningless championships. If Khan had any sense(he doesn’t) he would just let ROH die. There’s barely any interest in AEW now let alone whatever ROH is supposed to be now
McMahon’s point with Raw and Smackdown following the demise of WCW was to “be our own competition.”
Khan should transform Rampage into ROH, with a unique cast and identity from other AEW programs.
No more talent sharing or ROH titles appearing on AEW. Make it its own undeniable product.
That’s actually not a bad idea. Might drum up more interest in the product.