AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS RESULTS (8/6/2022)
The show kicks off and we shoot inside the arena, where we head down to the ring for our first match of the show.
TNT Championship
Wardlow (C) vs. Jay Lethal
Wardlow and Jay Lethal kick things off in the first of three advertised matches for tonight’s show. The bell sounds and we’re off-and-running with this one.
We see some good back-and-forth action from the get-go after an initial impressive start from Wardlow.
As the action picks up, we see Lethal fighting his way into competitive form.
Wardlow ends up on the floor at ringside, where Lethal hits a nice running tope suicida and splashes onto the TNT Champion.
At this point, we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
When we return from the break we see that Lethal is still in the offensive driver’s seat, however not for long as Wardlow starts to take over and eventually connects with his power bomb symphony for the pin fall victory.
With the win, Wardlow retains his TNT Championship, however it’s not all smiles and laughs for the title-holder.
Winner and STILL TNT Champion: Wardlow
After The Match: Wardlow Falls Victim To 3-On-1 Attack
After the match, Wardlow ends up victim to a three-on-one beat down at the hands of Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh.
After a prolonged beat down, we see Wardlow finally hulk-up and just as he was about to hit his power bomb symphony on the massive Satnam Singh, Lethal attacks from behind and the trio feed Wardlow to Singh while setting up a table in the ring.
Singh then hoists him up and chokeslams him through the table. The trio leave him laying after Lethal poses with the TNT Championship that still rightfully belongs to Wardlow.
AEW Women’s Championship
Thunder Rosa (C) vs. Jamie Hayter
It’s time for our second of three scheduled bouts here on the third installment of the AEW on TNT “Battle of the Belts” special event series.
On-the-line in our second match of tonight’s show will be the AEW Women’s Championship, with Thunder Rosa defending against Jamie Hayter.
The bell sounds and we’re off-and-running with this one. The champion is attacked immediately by Hayter to get this one off with a bang. The commentators mention that they are picking up right where they left off following their recent involvement in the women’s tag showdown on AEW programming earlier this week.
As Britt Baker, who is at ringside, starts to get involved, Hayter starts to grow further and further into the offensive lead. We head to a mid-match commercial break as the action in this title contest continues.
When we settle back in from the break, we see Rosa start to show signs of life for the first time since the early goings of this match. She hits a big cross-body splash off the top-rope. She hits a brainbuster for a near fall, but Hayter keeps this one alive.
Now we see Toni Storm taken out by Baker on the floor at ringside. This is followed up by Rosa taking out Baker and then returning to the ring to finish off Hayter for the victory. With the win, Rosa retains her AEW Women’s Championship. Good match from these two tonight.
Winner and STILL AEW Women’s Champion: Thunder Rosa
ROH World Championship
Claudio Castagnoli (C) vs. Konosuke Takeshita
We return from a commercial break after the conclusion of the women’s title bout and it’s time to get the stage set for our third and final match of the evening.
Our main event here at the third AEW Battle of the Belts special event on TNT will feature the Ring Of Honor (ROH) Championship at stake.
Claudio Castagnoli will be putting his newly-won title on-the-line in a one-on-one showdown against rising Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita.
Takeshita makes his way down to the ring for this one as we hear William Regal joining the gang on commentary for the call.
Now the theme for the current title-holder, Castagnoli, formerly known as WWE Superstar Cesaro, hits and out he comes. The bell sounds and we’re off-and-running with our headline bout of the third Battle of the Belts show in the event series history.
We hear Caprice Coleman, the voice of ROH commentary, has joined the announce team for this main event match-up. We see Claudio get off to a good start, with Takeshita hanging with him for the most part.
As Cesaro starts to take over and settle into a comfortable offensive lead, we head to a mid-match commercial break as the action continues in the ring.
The show returns a few minutes later and we see Castagnoli still in charge of the action. He hits a Giant Swing and the fans inside the Van Andel Arena pop big-time.
Soon after, however, the champion finds himself — and his title reign — in jeopardy as Konosuke Takeshita goes on a hot offensive run that forces the ROH Champion to pull all of his veteran tricks of the trade out of bag to ensure he doesn’t lose this one.
Takeshita hits a big spot off the top and also connects with his finisher. He hits a running knee to the dome of the champ as well. None of these are able to finish Castagnoli off for the three-count.
Ultimately, Castagnoli shifts the offensive momentum back into his favor and connects with his own finisher to score the three-count and retain his ROH Championship in a thriller of a main event.
Really, really good stuff from these two. Great main event — likely the best in the short-lived history of the Battle of the Belts series.
Winner and STILL ROH Champion: Claudio Castagnoli
