AEW Battle of the Belts III live results: Castagnoli vs. Takeshita
The third-ever AEW Battle of the Belts special on TNT will be headlined by Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defending against Konosuke Takeshita.
Castagnoli defeated Jonathan Gresham for the title at last month’s Death Before Dishonor and this will be his first title defense. Takeshita has won two straight and this is his first opportunity at either AEW or ROH gold.
AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will defend against rival Jamie Hayter as part of her rivalry with Britt Baker and her entourage. Rosa will be aiming for her sixth successful title defense while this is Hayter’s first shot at the title.
In a TNT title match, Wardlow will look for the second defense of his belt as he faces Jay Lethal who is coming off a win over Orange Cassidy Wednesday. This is Lethal’s second shot at the TNT title as he unsuccessfully challenged then-champion Sammy Guevara last November in his debut.
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Show Report —
TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) defeated Jay Lethal (w/ Sonjay Dutt & Satnam Singh)
Lethal stalled at the start, and then a distraction from Dutt allowed him to attack Wardlow from behind. Wardlow popped up on a suplex and booted Lethal before sending him flying with a back body drop. Wardlow was distracted by Dutt and Satnam again, leading to Lethal pounding on him in the corner. Wardlow returned fire with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two.
Wardlow maintained control until Lethal avoided a tackle and sent Wardlow shoulder-first into the ring post. Lethal immediately landed a tope suicida and wrapped Wardlow’s left leg around the ring post. He targeted Wardlow’s leg through a commercial break.
Once back, Wardlow was able to roll through a cradle and wanted the Powerbomb Symphony, but Lethal repeatedly fought his way out. Wardlow cut Lethal off with a headbutt before leveling him with a wind-up lariat. He then hit a single powerbomb for the win.
– Immediately after the match, Dutt and Satnam attacked Wardlow. Satnam pressed his boot into Wardlow’s chest while Lethal locked on a Figure Four. Wardlow fought his way back and gave Satnam a low blow. He set up for what would have been a wild powerbomb on Satnam, but Lethal cut him off. Dutt and Lethal set up a table and Satnam chokeslammed Wardlow through it.
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AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) (w/ Toni Storm) defeated Jamie Hayter (w/ Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Rebel)
Hayter attacked before the bell and Baker immediately got involved. She dominated the early goings until a Rosa dropkick created some separation. Hayter cut off a suicide dive and sent Rosa into the barricade, but Rosa came back with a DDT on the floor.
Back inside, Rosa climbed the ropes, but a Baker distraction allowed Hayter to send her crashing to the floor. Hayter then planted Rosa onto the steel steps before commercial. Upon return, the two women traded forearms in the center of the ring until Rosa hit a northern lights suplex for two.
Rosa crushed Hayter with a running dropkick and landed a cannonball senton. A diving crossbody inside the ring got two. Hayter came back with a backbreaker and a brainbuster for two. Baker got involved, but Storm took her out with a DDT, allowing Rosa to cradle Hayter with a cazadora pin for the win.
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AEW Dynamite: Quake By The Lake lineup —
- FTR returns
- Coffin match: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
- Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Chris Jericho
- Tornado Tag: Lucha Bros vs. Andrade El Idolo & Rush
- TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Madison Rayne
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Caprice Coleman joined commentary, as did William Regal.
ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) defeated Konosuke Takeshita
This was yet another stellar match from both men — neither of whom has missed since coming to AEW.
They performed chain wrestling early on, concluding with Claudio hitting an impressive monkey flip on Takeshita. Neither man could establish any extended advantage until Takeshita took Claudio down with a dropkick. Claudio avoided a plancha, but Takeshita recovered to smash Claudio with a forearm. Back inside, Claudio hit multiple backbreakers and controlled the action through a commercial.
Back from break, Takeshita started a comeback and knocked Claudio down with his jumping shoulder tackle. He followed it up with a tope con giro. Back in the ring, Takeshita climbed the ropes, but Claudio cut him off and hit an avalanche gutwrench suplex for two.
Claudio called for the giant swing and performed about ten revolutions before covering for two. They traded big strikes in the corner before Takeshita hit a blue thunder bomb for two. They fought on the top rope, where Takeshita hit almost a turnbuckle DDT before a frog splash got a near fall.
Takeshita went for the big knee, but Claudio caught it and reversed a shoulder tackle with a European uppercut for a near fall. Claudio applied a Sharpshooter and then a crossface, but a pinning predicament forced him to break the hold. Takeshita hit a snap German, Claudio hit a lariat, then Takeshita hit a second German and a big lariat of his own for a near fall.
Claudio countered a discus forearm with an uppercut, but then Takeshita hit his rising knee and a brainbuster for a good near fall. Takeshita hit the discus forearm and wanted the Cinna-bomb, but Claudio fought out and hit a running uppercut and a stomp. He got Takeshita up for the Ricola Bomb, but Takeshita countered into a hurricanrana pin for an awesome near fall.
Takeshita went for another jumping knee, but Claudio plucked him out of midair for a Death Valley driver. Claudio landed a lariat, laid in hammer-and-anvil elbows, and finally hit the Ricola Bomb for the win.