It’s Saturday night, and you know what that means …
All Elite Wrestling returns with the latest edition of their week-end one-hour television program on TNT, which this week emanates from the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, and features a special “Holiday Bash” theme.
On tap for the AEW Rampage: Holiday Bash special event is a highly-anticipated
Featured below are complete AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash results from Saturday, December 25, 2021.
AEW DYNAMITE: HOLIDAY BASH RESULTS (12/25/2021)
This week’s show kicks off with the usual cold open video package and then we shoot inside the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina where Excalibur and the rest of the commentary team welcome us to the special “Holiday Bash” themed edition of the show as pyro and fireworks explodes at the top of the entrance stage.
Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy
Excalibur tells us that we’re getting right down to action, and on that note, we hear the familiar sounds of the Jungle Boy theme song. Out he comes accompanied by Luchasaurus and Christian Cage. The trio heads down to the ring.
Once he settles in the ring, we see Isiah Kassidy already in the ring with his tag-team partner Marq Quen, as well as “Big Money” Matt Hardy, in his corner on the floor at ringside. Jungle Boy walks right up and shoves Kassidy and that gets this one started.
The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with our opening contest of the evening. We see these two go at it early on, with Kassidy ending up taking over control of the offense. He works over Jungle Boy in the corner, however this doesn’t last for long, as Jungle Boy fights out of the corner and ends up shifting the momentum in his favor.
From there, we see him do a nice effortless-looking leap onto the top-rope, but he ends up flying off directly into a cutter from Kassidy on his way down. From there, Kassidy knocks him out to the floor, hits the ropes to build up a full head of steam and then he leaps and hits a turning corkscrew splash on the floor.
Back in the ring, Kassidy picks up where he left off, taking it to Jungle Boy, stopping at one point where we see Matt Hardy sneak in a cheap shot from the floor. As Kassidy continues to work over Jungle Boy, we hear Excalibur talk us into a mid-match, picture-in-picture commercial break as the action continues.
When we return from the break, we see Kassidy is still controlling the offense as he is in the middle of whipping Jungle Boy into the corner. We settle back in from the commercials and Jungle Boy immediately starts to fire up for an offensive comeback. He hits a jumping lariat on Kassidy as he was coming off the ropes. He follows that up with a fisherman falcon arrow for a close near fall.
As we watch Jungle Boy continue to work over Kassidy, we hear Excalibur on the broadcast pointing out the undisclosed injury that Jungle Boy is working through tonight. Out of nowhere, Kassidy hits a big poisonrana spot for a close near fall of his own. Despite not being able to finish Jungle Boy off, the move does help Kassidy fight his way back into competitive form.
This doesn’t last long, however, as Jungle Boy catches Kassidy running at him with a belly-to-belly throw suplex into the corner. He follows that up with another big spot for another near fall attempt that comes up short. Jungle Boy gets behind Kassidy and goes for a move but Kassidy holds onto the ropes to avoid it. This leads to Jungle Boy opting to simply lift Kassidy’s legs and dump him over the top before building up a full head of steam and diving through the ropes for a big splash onto him on the floor.
Now we see everyone at ringside get involved. Luchasaurus hits a big move on Marq Quen on the floor. He turns to a big shot from Matt Hardy, but he ends up decking him as well. Meanwhile, back in the ring, we see Jungle Boy firing up and he ultimately secures his snare trap submission finishing move for the tap out victory.
Winner: Jungle Boy
Ricky Starks Addresses Dante Martin
We shoot to the commentary desk after the opening contest wraps up. We see Excalibur, Taz and Ricky Starks seated at the desk and after quickly wrapping up the first match of the evening, we hear Taz point out that Starks has something to say.
Starks goes on to reference Dante Martin and how he has screwed himself and Team Taz over in the past, as well as how he’s not going to give him the opportunity to do so again in the future.
As we head into another commercial break, we hear the fans breaking out into a loud “We want Hook!” chant in the background. On that note, we do shift gears and head into another commercial break.
The Latest Word From “The Redeemer”
When we return from the break, we return to a vignette featuring Miro. He talks about how the healing process has begun. He claims to have no flaws and vows he will be a champion.
He talks about someone not having the balls and sitting up there because of their power but filled with fear. He closes by promising that they will feel the joy from him or the shame from themselves. This is the word from “The Redeemer.”
Hook vs. Bear Bronson
From there, we head back inside the Greensboro Coliseum where the fans are still chanting “We want Hook!” On that note, the Action Bronson song he uses as his entrance theme plays and the crowd explodes as he emerges from the tunnel and begins heading down to the squared circle for our second match of the evening.
Already in the ring waiting for him is his opponent, Bear Bronson, one-half of the Bear Country tag-team. The camera pans over and shows Powerhouse Hobbs from Team Taz has joined the commentary position where fellow Team Taz members Taz and Ricky Starks are singing the praises of Hook. A quick shot of “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese watching on from the front show is shown on-camera.
The bell sounds and we’re off-and-running with the sophomore appearance in the ring by Hook. He immediately goes to work on the much larger Bear Bronson while the fans loudly chant “Hook! Hook! Hook!” in the background. Hook dominates the early offense but then the size advantage finally starts to show itself, as Bronson unloads on Hook in the corner with ferocious punches.
As Bronson pulls Hook out of the corner, he makes one comment about how he doesn’t care who Hook is before he has his legs swept out from underneath him by his opponent. Hook looks for a submission on the mat, but Bronson ends up back on his feet where he lands a big shot.
He slams Hook down with a big move that puts him down with a vengeance, however when he turns to taunt the fans and gloat, he discovers that Hook immediately popped to his feet behind him, no-selling the big spot he just took while Taz laughs on commentary and says they don’t know who they are playing with.
From there, Hook shows Bronson who he is playing with as he unloads on him with a wide-variety of strikes before grounding him, beating the piss out of him with ground-and-pound, and then he locks in his submission finisher for the tap out victory.
He immediately exits the ring as his theme hits again, the crowd pops and the commentators sing his praises and remind everyone that he still has a perfect undefeated record of 2-0. We see another quick shot of Tony Nese watching on from the crowd as he heads up the ramp and heads to the back. The commentators mention Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander coming up next and then we head to another commercial break.
Winner: Hook
Eddie Kingston & Daniel Garcia, Team 2point0 Hype Six-Man Tag-Team Match
We’re back from the break and we shoot to a vignette promoting a six-man tag-team match on next week’s Rampage involving Eddie Kingston and his rivalry with Daniel Garcia and Team 2point0. We hear from all four guys as clips are mixed in.
“Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander
After that, we shoot back inside the Greensboro Coliseum where we see the next two participants in our third match of the evening already waiting in the ring.
On one side of the ring, we see “Legit” Leyla Hirsch, while on the other we see Kris Statlander, who has “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy in her corner on the floor at the ringside area.
The bell sounds and we’re off-and-running with this one-on-one women’s showdown. Hirsch and Statlander square off and after Statlander out-shines Hirsch in an early back-and-forth, we see Kris smirk at her and back off.
Hirsch smiles back and the two re-engage, this time with Hirsch using her explosive hip power, which Taz points out on commentary, to launch Statlander over-head. Statlander gets back to her feet and she ends up shifting the momentum into her favor, as she takes over control of the offense.
Statlander beats down Hirsch with a wide-variety of strikes and then hoists her high up in the air for a stalled suplex. She leaves her hanging upside down in the suplex position for what seemed like an eternity before ultimately dumping her on her dome on the mat. The commentators sing the praises of Statlander for that impressive power display.
From there, however, Hirsch recovers and ends up shifting the offensive control back in her favor. She dumps the larger Statlander down to the mat with ease and then locks in a cross arm-breaker. She looks to yank back for all she’s worth, but Statlander ends up hanging on. Moments later in the corner, Hirsch grabs the arm of Statlander once again and this time leans over the top-rope to apply added pressure to the joint.
After letting go of the armbar over the ropes, we see Hirsch hit the ropes to build up a full head of steam before blasting Statlander with a big kick to the grill. Statlander is slow to recover, but when she gets back to her knees, Hirsch slides over in front of her on her knees and smacks her across the mouth with a cheap shot. This backfires, as it does nothing more than anger Statlander and as the commentators point out, brings out her mean streak.
This leads to Statlander hitting a blue thunder bomb on Hirsch for a close near fall. Hirsch shakes that off and recovers, hitting a big suplex on Statlander before Statlander shifts the momentum back into her favor. She connects with a big boot to the face that decks Hirsch. She then locks in a unique submission finisher and Hirsch taps out.
Once the match wraps up, Statlander celebrates her win by posing for the fans in the corner. After that, she goes to shake hands with Hirsch in a sign of class, but Hirsch wasn’t in the mood to be classy. She brushes the hand away and storms off.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Mark Henry’s Split-Screen Interview With Tonight’s Main Event Competitors
We shoot backstage to Mark Henry, who is ready for his weekly pre-main event split-screen interview. On that note, he introduces the TNT Champion Sammy Guevara, who appears on one side of the screen. On the other side is Cody Rhodes and Arn Anderson.
Double A cuts Guevara off and points out that most people his age and size refer to him as “Mr. Anderson.” He talks about being pissed off, but then Guevara cuts him off.
An agitated Guevara sarcastically calls him “Mr. Anderson” after talking about how a year or two ago this would have been a big deal to him, but now he’s just another guy. He walks off and Henry does his usual closing line before we head to one final pre-match commercial break.
TNT Championship
Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara (C)
Once we return from the break, we are immediately treated to the elaborate ring entrance of Cody Rhodes. His theme hits and the crowd in Greensboro immediately starts loudly booing. “The American Nightmare” finally emerges and begins heading down to the ring accompanied by Arn Anderson.
He settles into the ring and poses in the corner as the boos grow even louder. His music dies down and now he awaits the entrance of the reigning, defending title-holder heading into this championship main event.
From there, Sammy Guevara’s theme hits and out comes “The Spanish God” and Inner Circle member for the main event of tonight’s special Holiday Bash-themed edition of AEW Rampage on TNT.
With both competitors inside the ring now, we head to “The Dapper Yapper” Justin Roberts, who begins the formal pre-match ring introductions for our headline bout. During this, he introduces a special guest who is on-hand for tonight’s show — the legendary David Crockett.
The commentators talk about how it is good to see Crockett here in Greensboro considering the long history the Crockett family has in the area. From there, the ring introductions for Cody and Guevara are wrapped up and all that’s left is the battle.
On that note, the bell sounds and we are officially off-and-running with our TNT Championship main event of the evening. The fans immediately get on Cody’s case with loud boos and anti-Cody chants. Guevara charges right across the ring and blasts Cody with a dropkick to the grill that drops him.
Cody pops right back up and hoists Guevara up for a big spot of his own. He gets in some offense and is met with some defeaning “Cody sucks! Cody sucks!” chants from the crowd in attendance. Guevara starts to shift the offensive momentum in his favor now, as he picks up the pace and turns up the intensity-level a bit while he strings together a nice offensive run.
We see Guevara lighting Cody up until he comes off the ropes directly into a counter-cutter that Rhodes connects with. Just as it looks like Cody is going to take back over control of the offense, we see Guevara shift things back into his favor. He brings Cody out to the floor and hits a big chop. He heads up to the ring apron and looks to run and flip onto Cody, but Cody moves. Guevara lands on his feet but Cody blasts him upon landing and then rolls him back into the ring.
As the action resumes inside the ring with Cody in the offensive driver’s seat, the commentators talk us into a mid-match, picture-in-picture commercial break. When we finally return from the break, we see Cody still in control of the offense as the commentators inform us that he has been focusing his attack on the arm of Guevara throughout the break.
From there, Cody goes for a big moonsault inside the ring, but Guevara avoids it and ends up shifting the momentum back in his favor. Guevara takes over and hits Cody with his own Cross-Rhodes finisher. As the action spills out to the floor, we see Guevara build up a full head of steam and connect with a big splash. He goes for another big spot, but Cody ends up hoisting him up and launching him into the front row.
The fans break out into a loud “AEW! AEW!” chant. Cody then heads over and grabs Guevara, pulling him from the crowd back over the barricade and into the ring. The fans start to boo as he pounds the mat in the corner, stalking “The Spanish God” and waiting for him to get up. When he does, he sprints over and blasts him with the disaster kick. He goes for the Cross-Rhodes and Guevara avoids it at first, but Cody ends up connecting with it successfully moments later. He goes for the pin after hitting it, but Guevara somehow manages to kick out.
Cody picks up a completely lifeless Guevara. The commentators talk about wanting to see some urgency from Cody, as he seems too relaxed. He brings Guevara over to the corner and sets him on the top-rope. He goes for a big superplex but Guevara avoids it and lands on his feet. Cody goes for something off the top but Guevara ends up catching him in the torture rack position. He momentarily drops him but then picks him back up and connects with a GTH. He goes for the pin, but somehow Cody manages to kick out and keep the match alive.
With Cody laid out on the mat right next to the corner, Guevara surveys the scene and decides to climb to the top-rope. The commentators speculate that he is looking for his 630-splash. He does indeed go for it, but he lands on the waiting knees of Cody on his way down. Cody then pops up and hits two Cross-Rhodes’ in a row. He then boots Guevara in the gut and finishes him off with a Tiger Driver ’98. He goes for the cover, hooks the legs and gets the 1-2-3. We have ourselves a new TNT Champion.
Winner and NEW TNT Champion: Cody Rhodes
After The Match: David Crockett, Nightmare Family Help Cody Celebrate
The crowd loudly boos as his music begins playing and he starts celebrating his victory and becoming the first-ever two-time TNT Champion. He is bum-rushed by his brother Dustin Rhodes, his wife Brandi Rhodes and members of The Nightmare Family as the celebration begins in the ring.
Also joining them is David Crockett, who presents him with his TNT Championship belt. Cody takes it and bows to Crockett. He gives him a hug and a kiss and raises his title up high in the air as the camera quickly pans over to briefly show a dejected Guevara with his head-in-his-hands as he soaks in the defeat on the floor at ringside.
The commentators wish us a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays and then sign off the air. That’s how this week’s special Holiday Bash edition of Rampage wraps up. Thanks for joining us and make sure to have a safe and happy holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody!