By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Battle of the Belts XII
Taped September October 16, 2024 in Stockton, California at Adventist Health Arena
Aired October 19, 2024 on TNT
The show picked up right where Collision left off with Jon Moxley and his crew roughing up Dante Martin, Darius Martin, and Action Andretti. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary. “The Dark Order” Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver ran out tried to help. After his crew got the better of Dark Order, Moxley said they would make their dreams come true by defending the AEW Trios Titles against them on the spot…
1. Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta (w/Jon Moxley, Marina Shafir) vs. “The Dark Order” Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver for the AEW Trios Titles. Silver was dominated by the champions while his partners were down. Silver eventually put Pac down. Reynolds, who had his ribs wrapped, got back on the apron and took the tag.
Castagnoli pressed Reynolds over his head and performed a gutbuster. Castagnoli put Reynolds in the Sharpshooter. Yuta tried to bring a chair in the ring, but the referee stopped him. Pac jumped off the top rope and
Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta defeated “The Dark Order” Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver in 5:10 to retain the AEW Trios Titles.
After the match, Yuta put Reynolds in Cattle Mutilation while the rest of his crew roughed up Uno and Silver. Castagnoli and Yuta eventually held Silver’s arm over the ring steps while Shafir slammed the title belt case over it. Daniel Garcia and “Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy ran out, causing Moxley’s crew to hop the barricade. Orange Cassidy came out and surveyed the situation before walking to the back… [C]
Powell’s POV: The end of Collision and the start of BOTB did a terrific job of putting over Moxley and his crew. I love that they plowed through the Top Flight crew and Dark Order all in one night, as no one took those teams as real threats to beat them anyway.
Ring announcer Arkady Aura delivered the introductions for the AEW Continental Title match…
2. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the AEW Continental Championship. Aubrey Edwards was the referee. O’Reilly applied an ankle lock, which Okada broke by reaching the ropes. O’Reilly dropped his knee on the arm that Okada used to reach the ropes heading into a PIP break. [C]
There were dueling chants for the wrestlers and the Okada chants were louder. O’Reilly performed a hammerlock driver. Okada rolled under the bottom rope. O’Reilly went to the ropes and hit a flying knee on Okada, who then rolled back inside the ring. O’Reilly went up top and dropped a knee on the back of Okada’s leg.
O’Reilly applied a knee bar, then transitioned into an ankle hook. Okada kicked O’Reilly, who grabbed that leg and tied it up. Okada raked the eyes of O’Reilly to break the holds. O’Reilly got to his feet and threw kicks at Okada’s bad leg. Okada came back with a neckbreaker across his knee into another PIP break. [C]
Aura announced that there were five minutes remaining in the time limit. Okada set up for a piledriver, but O’Reilly slipped away and put him in the ankle lock. Okada reached the ropes to break the hold and then rolled to ringside. Okada teased returning to the ring and then smirked while stalling.
O’Reilly went to ringside and was put down by an Okada DDT. Okada rolled O’Reilly back inside the ring and bodyslammed him. Okada went up top and performed an elbow drop. Okada teased the Rainmaker pose and flipped off the hard camera instead.
Okada hit a ripcord clothesline and then followed up with a dropkick. Okada went for the Rainmaker, but O’Reilly caught him with a kick. O’Reilly put Okada in a guillotine. Okada escaped and then slammed O’Reilly to the mat. Okada hit the Rainmaker clothesline and got the clean pin…
Kazuchika Okada defeated Kyle O’Reilly in 18:50 to retain the AEW Continental Championship.
Powell’s POV: A very good match and a nice win for Okada. O’Reilly looked good in defeat as well. I wish we would have had more matches like this on the other Battle of the Belts specials.
A video package set up the AEW Women’s Championship eliminator match…
Rush and Dralistico delivered a backstage promo. Rush said they will destroy every wrestler in every faction in the company. Dralistico said they will burn. The camera pulled back and showed The Beast Mortos choking out Hologram. Rush delivered his catchphrase and then the LFI trio put their fists together…
Lance Archer and Brian Cage made their entrance with Don Callis. The opponents were already in the ring…
3. Lance Archer and Brian Cage vs. Jack Cartwheel and Jon Cruz. Don Callis sat in on commentary and said he gave his team one word of advice – kill. Cage dominated Cartwheel. Cruz didn’t want to enter the ring once. Cage forced the tag and tossed Cruz inside the ring.
Cage put Cruz on the top turnbuckle and then tagged Archer, who clotheslined Cruz to the mat. A short time later, Archer performed a Blackout on Cruz while Cage powerbombed Cruz on the way down. Cage covered Cruz for the win…
Lance Archer and Brian Cage defeated Jack Cartwheel and Jon Cruz in 2:40.
Powell’s POV: A good old fashioned monster heel tag team squash. I’m not sure why this match aired on the Battle of the Belts show rather than Collision, but I like the idea of a monster heel tag team. I’m still surprised they didn’t put Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun in the monster heel team slot instead because they are younger and haven’t taken as many television losses as Archer and Cage in AEW.
Backstage, Lexi Nair spoke with Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, and Roderick Strong while The Beast Mortos stood by. Bennett gave Mortos a plate of meat. Strong told Mortos that something was off with him. Bennett said it wasn’t cool that Mortos took out Hologram. Taven said it wasn’t cool that Mortos wore a polo shirt when he didn’t do the same while he represented him. Strong said they weren’t mad, they were disappointed… [C]
Powell’s POV: I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed that segment aired. Okay, I’m sure someone out there found that funny even if it didn’t do anything for me. And I’m pretty much fine with anything that keeps Taven, Bennett, and Strong away from Adam Cole. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all four guys, but the Undisputed Kingdom ran its course and Cole needs to be his own man.
Entrances for the eliminator match took place…
4. AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May vs. Anna Jay in an eliminator match. Jay targeted the left arm of May early in the match. May came back and dropkicked a kneeling Jay and then covered her for a two count. May was on the offensive going into a PIP break. [C]
Jay applied a sleeper hold. May bit Jay’s arm to break the hold. May hit a Saito Suplex and covered her for a near fall. Both wrestlers traded pin attempts. May caught Jay with a headbutt and tried to hoist her up, but Jay slipped away and hooked her into a pin for the three count.
Anna Jay defeated AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May in 12:10 in an eliminator match.
Schiavone said Tony Khan just informed him that Mariah May vs. Anna Jay for the AEW Women’s Championship will be held on the Saturday, November 2 edition of AEW Collision in Philadelphia. Jay celebrated her win and blew a kiss to May from the entrance ramp to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A nice match with a rare win for the challenger in an elimination match. The crowd seemed a bit drained, but they were attentive and seemed pleased by the outcome. Jay continues to impress since returning from Japan, and I’m happy this wasn’t a one and done between her and May.
Overall, I enjoyed Battle of the Belts more than Collision, but this was an easier three-hour watch than I anticipated. The company wisely booked some brief matches on Collision along with the tag team squash on BOTB to give the shows a nice change of pace rather than going with three straight hours of long matches. That said, I won’t complain if this is the final BOTB special. Most of the BOTB specials were underwhelming and the company has more than enough weekly television content even if Rampage goes away. Will Pruett’s audio review of Collision and Battle of the Belts will be available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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