WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

AEW Battle of the Belts VII Review - July 15, 2023

7/15/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy def. Lance Archer by Count-Out

Archer just returned to the ring on AEW TV last night on Rampage, so no one had any reason to believe he'd be the one to end Cassidy's undefeated streak and title reign. They had a well-worked match, but the count-out finish really ruined it. I assume the idea is to keep the feud going, if only for one more match, but it was a weak way of opening the show. Plus, this was a Battle of the Belts special, not an ordinary episode of Dynamite or Rampage. The crowd wasn't happy and I don't blame them.

Tony Schiavone Interviewed The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn

I'm glad The Acclaimed have been getting plenty of television time this year despite largely being out of the title picture, but the stuff they've been doing hasn't been my cup of tea, personally. Their mini feud with Jericho Appreciation Society was lame and their latest storyline with QTV hasn't been much better. They challenged QTV to a match next Friday on Rampage during this segment and announced that they'll have a rematch with House of Black for the AEW World Trios Championship next Saturday on Collision. I don't know that this needed to happen in the ring, though.

AEW TBS Champion Toni Storm def. Taya Valkyrie

A weather storm (fitting with it being a Toni Storm match, I know) cut the satellite feed, so we missed the final few minutes. They're available on AEW's YouTube page, and after watching the closing stretch, it's clear viewers didn't miss much. It was a solid match, but even with Valkyrie having the home field advance, it was difficult to buy into the possibility of her winning after already failing to win the AEW TBS Championship three times this year.

Martha Hart Presented Willow Nightingale and Ricky Starks with Their Owen Hart Cups

Martha also appeared last year following the finals of the inaugural Owen Hart Cups, though I don't remember if she spoke on the pre-show or after the finals concluded (or not at all). Both this and Collision emanated from Calgary, so it was nice that she had a chance to speak about the Hart family ties to the area. An annual speech probably isn't necessary (it reminds me of what WWE used to do with Dana Warrior and the Warrior Award at the WWE Hall of Fame every year), but it made sense in this instance.

AEW TNT Champion Luchasaurus def. Shawn Spears

Christian Cage serving as Luchasaurus' surrogate and defending the title on his behalf would've been more entertaining. These two have been around forever and it felt like a Dark main event. That's not to say it was bad, but Spears was hardly a threat and Luchasaurus is just there at this point. The distraction finish was bush league as well and not the most effective way of sending the message that these Battle of the Belts specials are important.

Overall Show

I continue to question why Battle of the Belts is still a thing. We're seven installments in and I believe only once has a championship changed hands, that being the AEW TNT Championship on the second one in April 2022. The matches are well wrestled, but they have very little storyline significance and the build always sucks. In short, they're a waste of time and this was no different. There's nothing worth seeking out from this show. You're better off using the hour to check out FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold from Collision tonight instead.
SEE MORE: Battle of the Belts Reviews
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact