In this AEW Battle Of The Belts II review, Thunder Rosa defends the AEW Women’s title against Nyla Rose, Scorpio Sky squares off with Sammy Guevara for the TNT title, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show:Â AEW Battle Of The Belts II
- Date:Â April 16, 2022
- Location:Â Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland, TX
Sammy Guevara (w/Tay Conti) vs. (c) Scorpio Sky (w/Ethan Page and Dan Lambert) – TNT Title
Obviously, all the talk heading into this one is about the crowd booing Sammy and Conti unmercifully. Early on, Sammy is aggressive and showcases some heel tendencies. The dueling “Let’s Go Sammy” and “Sammy Sucks” chants tell the story here. A flashy sequence from Sammy also draws a mix a cheers and boos. Even Conti is playing it up on the outside. So, yeah, they’re not stupid. They know the crowd is turning on them, so I can appreciate that they aren’t ignoring it.
Just a brutal TKO from Sky to Sammy on the apron. I mean, that was BRUTAL. Sky is punching Sammy like a damn boxer, and the crowd loves it. They’re even chanting his name now. And now Sammy is getting the “One More Time” chant after Sky hits a backbreaker. Yeah, they’ve officially turned on him.
The action is great in this match, but again, the bigger story is the crowd reaction to Sammy. It does add a dynamic that makes the match more interesting. A ridiculous Shooting Star Press from Sammy on both Sky and Page and even that gets boos. Sammy nearly slips on the springboard cutter, and he didn’t get all of that one.
They work to Lambert and Conti getting involved and here comes Paige VanZant as she starts brawling with Conti. And while the referee is distracted by the fighting on the outside, Sammy hits a low blow and the GTH to win the title.
Give AEW credit for understanding when to change direction because they had no choice with Sammy. The title change won’t be everyone’s favorite (especially since Sammy is now a 3-time champion), but I suppose it makes sense if they’re really gonna crank this heel turn up to 100. The match was fine, even if you could see the interference finish coming a mile away. (***, Recommended)
Dalton Castle vs. (c) Jonathan Gresham – ROH World Title
I haven’t had a chance to watch a lot of Ring of Honor in recent years, but I’ve kept up with things to the point of knowing what’s going on. They’re really having to work to get the crowd into this one, though that’s not surprising. There is undoubtedly an overlap in fans, but the majority of the fans came to see AEW talent.
Just gonna be honest: There is one sequence in this match that I hated. It’s the one where Gresham and Castle duck each other’s clotheslines in the corner. It goes on and on and on to the point where it took me out of the action. I realize people shit on this era of wrestling just to shit on it, but there are some things that don’t fit my taste as a wrestling fan. This is one of those sequences.
Beyond that, these two guys had very good chemistry, and Castle has the type of charisma that will grow his stock with fans that haven’t seen him before. Meanwhile, Gresham is a technical wizard, as showcased by him using the Octopus to retain the title. They hooked me to want to watch more from them, so it’s a good sales job. (***1/4, Recommended)
IN THE RING: And here comes Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh. He destroys everyone in sight, then we get the visual of him and Gresham in the ring and the enormous size difference. Lethal hits the Lethal Injection on Gresham, and Singh bounces Gresham like a basketball. Lee Moriarty and Matt Sydal also come in and get destroyed, but HERE COMES SAMOA JOE. This was a significantly better Singh segment than his debut on Dynamite.
Nyla Rose vs. (c) Thunder Rosa – AEW Women’s Title
Rosa’s title reign to this point hasn’t exactly been spectacular, but that’s not her fault. It doesn’t seem like the title is a huge priority for the company right now, even if it is slotted in the main event of this show (which feels like dessert to Dynamite’s main course).
A solid back and forth match, and the crowd was into everything Rosa did. Great sequence down the stretch with Rosa kicking out of a variety of a near falls, which brought the crowd into it even more. Rosa eventually reversed the momentum and scored the pin to retain. The finish was never in doubt, and that did hurt the overall emotional investment a little bit. And as mentioned, the build to this show left a lot to be desired, but the hot crowd did add a nice element to it. (***, Recommended)
BLAKE’S TAKE ON AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS II
Recommended Matches:Â All
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
Thoughts: A perfectly fine hour of wrestling with plenty of action across the board. While it did feel like an afterthought following a loaded Dynamite, the stipulation of an all-title match show helped add some stakes to the card. The Sammy stuff was the most intriguing, but I thought Greshman vs. Castle was the best match of the bunch. Not a must-see show, but it’s an easy watch with only three matches.
For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!
