Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland

[8.0] "Finish was weak and a couple of misses but the rest of it was excellent. Swerve is a ridiculous talent in whatever setting he's put in."

[8.0] "There were some botches here and there but that didn't hurt the match as all four athletes delivered amazing perfomances. The action was great all throughout the match, lots of great sequences and exchanges. Ftr are one of the best tag teams in the world and Back in his Glory are incredible as well. The closing stretch was phenomenal and the ending didn't bother me. 8/10 - 4.25*/5*"

[8.0] "The finish was a bit weird, yeah, but the bout itself was something. That was a banger between four guys who have a crazy overness. Crowd was mad about it and bought everything what each lad did. FTR's unity against SIOG's Kobe and Shaq dynamic was a great point of storytelling. The near-falls were pretty well managed as well. Finish was interesting, but at the same time killed the hype."

[8.0] "Even though there were visible miscues, both teams wrestled an outstanding match for the challengers' privilege. I love the dynamic SIOG carries in Keith as a beloved favorite and Strickland as a dastardly villain and I love FTR anytime on any day. Those miscues were steppingstones to enhance the quality of the contest as time moved on. There were great near falls, incredible fan support and great storytelling where Strickland did what he does recently to gain what is wanted. The finish might've baffled some but it's a smart way to protect FTR away from the inevitable crack at the rightful claim of golden treasure. Until the next opportunity arises, the manifestation towards FTR is still intact. 4 out of 5 stars!"

[9.0] "That was an excellent match, baring the screwy finish. There was so many fantastic spots with heavy shots and high flying. Everyone was excellent, and the finish was interesting too, although it wouldn't have been my choice. Swerve In Our Glory get one more shot at the Acclaimed while FTR goes on a detour and starts a feud with The Gunns. 9/10"

[7.0] "Very fun match but a few hiccups prevented me from scoring it higher. The interference finish made sense but was just a bit of a downer. ***3/4"

[7.0] "Not the most smooth match but still entertaining. Swerve in Our Glory are really good for a thrown together tag team."

[7.0] "A match with a claim to quality, but with problems in structure and execution, the fighters were obviously confused and the impression was spoiled a little from this. Sloppy actions were visible, and of course it was striking that the fighters tried very hard to correct this situation, but they overplayed themselves. In general, this is a cool match between two top teams and of course there was a story where Strickland again resorts to the tactic of breaking the rules, and this again gives them victory, of course not without the help of Ass Boys. This match has set the stage for the future and of course opens the way to many confrontations. In general, of course, the team division is still not the weak side of the company."

[5.0] "This match just felt off... the flow of the match just felt wrong. I can't really explain it but the whole match I kept thinking that it should be a lot better. It was still OK but definitely not up to the high expectations for these teams."

[8.0] "As always, in a fight where these two teams are, it is sure to be a great fight. It didn't matter the winner, now we have to continue with the story."

[8.0] "Good match spoiled by the interference at the end by the Gunns. Incredible power on display by Dax. Looks like FTR were paying homage to Power and Glory (the late Hercules & Paul Roma) with that Powerplex (Superplex/Diving Splash combo)."

[8.0] "FTR and SIOG put on a damn good match here, lots of near-falls and impressive moves, especially by Keith Lee. The ending was goddamn perfect too."

[7.0] "A very technical match with a well-thought-out finish; the finish protected FTR and made Swerve look like a sneaky and cunning heel. The sequence with the powerbomb reversals was great."

[8.0] "I thought this was a really good bout, a couple iffy spots here and there but it felt like a fight. FTR losing was an interesting decision, but they looked very strong in defeat. They were on their A-game here and played to Keith and Swerve's strengths very well. I could see a lot of chemistry, would not mind at all seeing a rematch in the future. *4*"

[8.0] "The dynamic of Swerve working as a slithering heel as opposed to Keith Lee working as a powerhouse babyface is so cool. Which means whenever one of them is in the ring FTR has to contrast with two completely different characters. FTR selling as usual was top notch, the part of the match where they had to overcome how huge Keith Lee was. The ending of this was getting really good with all the near falls and big spot exchanges before we got an interference that ultimately cost FTR the match.****"

[8.0] "Of course it was a banger of a match because what else would you expect from a match between these two excellent teams FTR and Swerve In Our Glory, nothing else of course because even in their worst nightmares they would be incapable of doing anything bad or disappointing. It was everything I wanted it to be, the match had a good length so they had time to do what they wanted to do and you could see straight away that they have mastered tag team wrestling like no one else, they're used to it and they gave us some quality television. The crowd was a bit awkward at times but still relatively invested, there was always action and it was never boring. I'm not really surprised by the result, which seems to make a lot of people angry, because to me it seemed obvious, the third match between SIOG and The Acclaimed has been teased for weeks as has their heel turn. Seeing them win against the hottest team by cheating further reinforces their role as heels, good booking and great action."

[7.0] "A bit clunky at some parts with some hilarious botches but still there is a lot of good shit chemistry between these teams. FTR is now on a run where they can never have a bad match. I think I would have appreciated this much more if I didn? t just watch their newest masterpiece on Royal Quest II with Aussie Open."

[8.0] "Such a great match. The dynamic of Keith as this monster face that is working with this slick heel Swerve is so great, especially since they still have good teamwork. FTR have to overcome two completely different but cohesive opponents and nearly do it belt the Ass Boys cost them. Swerve continues to have excellent heat segments in tag matches and FTR can sell the beating well, although there was one awkward mistiming between Swerveand Dax. Keith also continues to be an athletic freak. Just a super well-done match in spite of the dirty finish (albeit one that furthers stories well). ****"

[6.0] "Felt like it could be epic at times, but the chemistry wasn't there. Obviously so much talent, but too many slip-ups and miss cues."

[10.0] "This was my favorite match on a show with very strong in ring content, so that's a very cool accomplishment. Though the Acclaimed are clearly the most over team in AEW, I think there's a good argument that these two teams are the most fun in ring at the moment, and I was extremely pleased with how well they meshed together. FTR is on one of the best runs of their career, Keith Lee remains an incredible beast, and Strickland has in my opinion hit the highest overall level he's ever been at lately, and I always liked the guy. Huge props to both teams, they did an amazing job. The ending is what I expected, since FTR seemingly have an Ass Boys feud waiting whereas SIOG has nothing to do except finish Strickland's heel turn, but if a screwy finish bothers you then I have some very bad news about the entire history of wrestling, my friends."

[8.0] "A great match with an ending that I actually thoroughly enjoyed. FTR are the best tag team in the world and Swerve in our Glory are seemingly on their way to a split due to their contrast in moral standards. That played out to perfection in this one, as FTR neutralized the explosiveness of Swerve Strickland and even managed to overcome the power of Keith Lee. Dax Harwood has earned justified rave reviews this year, but I actually thought this match was a great example of how good Cash Wheeler is. Just the complete package as far as professional wrestlers are concerned. The build to overcoming Lee was expertly crafted and Strickland and Harwood even overcame a misfire to turn it into a meaningful moment. The drama, the explosiveness, and the storytelling were all firing on all cylinders in this one. A genuinely great tag team match, especially if you were able to watch what happened during the TBS commercial break. 4 stars, 8 out of 10. Booking decisions should not influence match ratings, in my opinion, so I will leave it at that."

[7.0] "Was decent, however the ending hurt this match, this match also seems to represent the end of the ranking system which is a shame."

[8.0] "A very good match with the result I expected. Swerve once again showed how good he is and how great of a heel singles star he is going to be here in the near future and Keith seems to be back to his best. FTR are having a great year and they did well too, as usual. ***3/4"

[6.0] "Swerve In Our Glory just do not do anything for me as a tag team which is weird as I like them both as singles guys. FTR getting sent off to a mini feud with Gunn Club is very funny. The tag title match set up for PPV does not do much for me but I assume it is where Swerve break up."

[6.0] "Super solid contest, a very tag team match oriented episode in this beginning, good one with implications."

[7.0] "Pretty good match that definitely would have been better if they treated it like an even bigger match like if it was on PPV. There was strong chemistry between the teams the whole way through, with both teams hitting some cool tag spots. Swerve was impressive was all his beautifully slick movements and attacks, and his arrogant and charismatic displays were really good as well. It's a shame about his 1 botch later in the match, but at least it didn't affect the match in any major way. Lee's monstrous powerhouse offence and his few novelty agility spots were likewise very good, with it always being fun whenever he got to toss FTR around or carve up their chests. FTR's gritty and physical old-school work was really good, and they always sold well when being dominated and always showed good babyface fire when attempting to stage their comebacks. Their rapid big-move trades and counters towards the end were usually all really good, though a few of their big spots involved some noticeable cooperation and their chemistry was occasionally off for a few of those spots/exchanges as well. ***1/4"

[6.0] "Was this billed as a tornado tag match? Because they wrestled as if it were. This took me out very much, especially considering it was an FTR match. Other than that, it was pretty good. 6/10 breads"

[8.0] "easily MOTN, even PPV worthy. despite some mistimed spots, great chemistry between these teams. Keith Lee looked like a beast. the right decision having SIOG beat FTR. The Acclaimed don't need to lose the belts yet."

[7.0] "This was a good match that also set up several angles. A few mistimed things are the only blemishes on it."

[8.0] "This match was the best of the night in my opinion. It is crazy how great FTR are and they really brought their A-game for this match. Swerve really showed out and was able to show off his speed and ability without the match feeling like a spot fest. Keith used his size perfectly by overpowering his opponents and them then overcoming his size to take him down without that becoming to much of a focus of the match. The interference was pretty silly at the end but made sense to keep them away from the titles just yet. Also this match focused way more on FTR so it started to feel one sided at times. ****1/4"

[7.0] "Absolutely the right decision to have SIOG win over FTR. A great match, as soon as I saw the Ass Boys I knew how it was ending though."

[7.0] "SIOG had some rough spots but not enough to keep this from being a good match. Keith Lee looked like a beast throughout this and the dynamic with Swerve is a good wrinkle."

[8.0] "Wonderful #1 contenders match with multiple storylines progressed and FTR's clearly being saved for later with that finish. ****"

[9.0] "Great match, wanted FTR to win but having The Acclaimed vs SIOG III is fine as well (Hope they do a Best Two Out Three Falls or an Iron Man Match for the third match). The Gunns were involved in the finish and there also was a low blow by Swerve. [****1/4]"