[5.0] "Oh wow this got a hype package, also why didn't Bryan Keith get his name on the tron? it was only Big Bill, so weird. This was alright, basically what you would expect out of a tag like this. Shelton Benjamin's always been great, and that bully spot he did to Bryan Keith on the outside was awesome. I thought it was very funny to see Big Bill & Big Bob in the same ring after a few years ago when Bobby shoot brainbuster'd him at the Greatest Royal Rumble. They did their parts well as the supportive powerhouses. Bryan Keith was slow & sloppy, I never got the love for him from indy fans. MJF was here. Two and Half Stars out of Five."
[5.0] "**1/2 (05/10) Remember what I said earlier about matches that did not belong on Dynasty? Look: the Hurt-Syndicate are awesome. They always have been. But can we get them some actual opponents instead of a series of out of place jobbers that bury a tag-team division that used to be the Earth's top-tier defense? Maybe since FTR turned Heel and the Young Bucks are back we'll have some hot degree bangers that will put over Bobby and Shelton in a better way than creative had done thus far. Oh, s**t. You weren't supposed to know that just yet. But the way the direction is looking, it seems that the (little) big boss man is more interested in blending stories between MJF and the Hurt-Syndicate, even though they don't need each other."
[3.0] "Irgendein Tag Team-Match, bei dem zumindest ein Hauch von Storytelling betrieben wurde. Der eine Typ sah wie der letzte Lappen aus, der andere nur wie der vorletzte, ich hoffe, das war Absicht. Kein Plan, was das bei einem PPV zu suchen hatte, sowas kann man eher bei der B-Show unterbringen."
[5.0] "[2.5*] This wasn't a bad match. It was just incredibly uninspired. The Hurt Syndicate are being built as dominant champions. Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin look the part, act the part, and have the crowd behind them... but this current title run feels like it's stuck in neutral. And this match? Another round of what could've been. Big Bill and Bryan Keith were rushed into this match due to an injury to Brian Cage, and unfortunately, it showed. There were moments--especially with Big Bill throwing his weight around--but overall, this felt like a collision match dressed in PPV attire. Shelton Benjamin was the in-ring standout for Hurt Syndicate. That step-up knee on the apron to Big Bill was slick, and watching him suplex the big man was a real "damn, he's still got it" moment. But the match itself? It never shifted into gear. Too many quick tags in and out. Action that was either overly repetitive or too safe. And Bryan Keith? Basically a crash test dummy. Dude didn't get a lick of offense in. He was there to bump, eat the throw, and take the pin. It made him look like he didn't belong--not the best look for a guy AEW clearly sees potential in. If anyone walked out of this match with upward momentum, it was Big Bill. He's improved a lot over the past year. His timing, his presence, his in-ring intensity--everything feels cleaner. His corner splashes, big boots, and lariats are believable and impactful. But he needed more time and better layout to make the most of it. You can tell he was meant to be the core of the match--especially in his interactions with Bobby and Shelton--but the offense was too one-note, and the match didn't lean into the monster vs. monster narrative nearly enough. MJF's punch from the crowd was the big story beat here, helping the Hurt Syndicate secure the win and adding fuel to the ongoing storyline between MJF and the faction. Story-wise? It's progressing something, sure. But it also felt... unnecessary. The Hurt Syndicate didn't need the help. They were clearly dominating. The crowd was with them. If the goal is to portray them as unstoppable monsters, why book them needing interference to beat a thrown-together team? This is the second straight PPV where Hurt Syndicate got stuck with weak challengers. First it was The Outrunners. Now Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Neither of those teams are top-tier AEW tag acts, and neither gave Hurt Syndicate the match they need to cement their status. There's no way around it: AEW's once-pristine tag division has taken a backseat to stories, and Hurt Syndicate's reign is paying the price. They need a real team--someone established, someone with chemistry, someone that can go. Not more "just fine" TV matches masquerading as pay-per-view title defenses. Because right now? This run feels like a string of Collision bouts taped for time. And that's not good enough for guys like Lashley and Shelton, or for the crowd that clearly wants to rally behind them. This wasn't terrible. It was short, functional, and gave us a few cool spots. But it was disappointing. The Hurt Syndicate are still waiting for that match--the one that truly showcases their dominance and reclaims some prestige for AEW's tag division. Big Bill impressed. Bryan Keith was wasted. MJF got his storyline in. But overall? This felt like filler. AEW's tag division used to be a highlight. Let's get it back to that. The Hurt Syndicate deserve better. And so do the belts they're carrying."
[5.0] "The Hurt Syndicate seems destined to hold on to these titles and have mediocre defenses. Remember when the AEW Tag Team Division was one of the biggest highlights of the division and now it's become second rate to a story. I didn't care much about the match even with the MJF interference. Weakest match of the night. [**1/2]"
[6.0] "Unfortunately, this is the 2nd straight PPV that Hurt Syndicate could have used a better opponent in their Tag Title defense (Outrunners was previous). Big Bill is awesome and absolutely believable as a big man that could take on these two and win. I like Bryan Keith, but he's not quite up to the task of his opponents. For better or worse, they had Keith not participating much. The downside of Bill is his offense largely consisted of big splashes in the corner (which are fun and impressive at his size), big boots, and lariats. Not as varied as I'd like to see to showcase the Hurt Syndicate and go power for power. MJF interfered by punching Bill from the crowd to further that MJF/HS storyline. Benjamin with the release/throw on Keith followed by a Lashley spear for the easy cover and finish. Nothing too crazy. Short and sweet, but could have used more from Bill as mentioned and honestly more from the H.S. showing power. Sadly, could have been a Collision match the way it played out."
[4.0] "This was a rather simple match that was more of and angle for the Hurt Business/MJF story. The result was never un doubt and they wrestled a normal weekly-show main-event, the only reasons this bout was here is because of its implications at the end of the day. **1/4"
[6.0] "Fun match, wish it could have been something more. It was by all means a TV match but it was a great TV match. MJF's interference is something I was initially low on, but I really think that the angle is getting hashed out and is going to give more characterization to the Hurt Syndicate. Anyway, The Hurt Syndicate on PPV so far have faced the Outrunners and the Learning Tree duo, when will they get opponents that they can start to show off against? Really feels like they haven't been given the opportunity to shine on PPV and are still stuck in this streak of TV matches. They desperately need to face an actual top tag team to fully establish themselves because Big Bill and Bryan Keith just ain't it."
[8.0] "Not perfectly but highly underrated match, in my opinion. I just love watching Lashley and Shelton wreck folks, and Big Bill looked really good as well. It served the purpose of extending the MJF storyline as well, I'm curious where it may go from here."
[4.0] "Definitely the worst match of the night. I'm just not invested in Big Bill or Bryan Keith at all. This match just served to develop the MJF/Hurt Syndicate storyline that I'm excited more. I don't know why Bill and Keith got booked out of everyone. They should have just given us MJF vs Lashley."
[6.0] "I really enjoyed the match, The Hurt Syndicate is really a great team ; Bryan Keth and Big Bill can be really good elements of this division but I will see them more with a different partner for each one"
[6.0] "A better match than I thought it would be. Everyone worked hard and I enjoyed this more than I expected. Bill has come a long way. And I think Bobby Lashley and Shelton work really well together as a tag team. Overall a good match."
[5.0] "This is fine but falls a distant short of its presumed potential with the roles reversed, as The Syndicate again work as heels in response to an arena's adulation. That brings the ceiling down considerably, with Keith slightly struggling as babyface-in-peril. Big Bill at least gets some shine though, even if this lands more like some TV business than a PPV bout. **1/2"
[3.0] "Absolute snoozefest, watching The Hurt Syndicate is becoming harder and harder each week, loved them both earlier in their careers, but they are just painfully boring to watch. The same could be said for The Learning Tree, Both of those guys didn't look impressive inside the ring or outside, no charisma whatsoever and just felt pointless."
[7.0] "*** 1/4 - Pretty solid bout. The MJF angle was really interesting and certainly gave this match more attention/importance but I was actually really enjoying the action before that and would not have complained if it had gone without the MJF appearance."
[2.0] "Another boring Hurt Syndicate match on the PPV that had no reason being there in the first place. They're already firmly in that old geezers club who just have to get their shit in because Tony is enamoured with them so he can't say no. This added nothing to the PPV except for the MJF apperance which was terribly executed and this whole storyline feels very forced but they'll continue to roll with it."
[3.0] "Thought MJF would be back at the top of the ranking but guess not. This was a toilet break match. Who were the good guys and the bad guys. Is MJF the heel, aligning with babyface Hurt Syndicate. Are they babyfaces or the fans just like them cause they hurt people? If they are heels then was this a heel vs heel match? I am so confused man."
[3.0] "**1/2 match meh, nothing to write home about, it wasn't a long squash like the one at Revolution, they gave them a bit more time, but the match was very simple in every sense, absolutely unnecessary at the PPV, MJF's appearance was interesting but it makes the "dominant" champions look bad for needing help to beat Jericho's cronies"
[4.0] "Honestly not a good match, this had a lot of potential, specially because of Big Bill and his interactions with monsters like Bobby and Shelton, but the action was kinda lame and repetitive, the excess of tags made me feel tired, they were entering and leaving all the time, and despite some cool moments, overall I think the action was sloppy. MJF helped the Hurt Business at the end, which maybe indicates a strong collaboration between them, and Bryan Keith, who basically jobbed the entire match, took the pin, without a single strike probably. A weekly show bout inside of the PPV - {*3/4}"
[5.0] "It's a solid match but nothing beyond that, although it did have its moments of highlights, like Benjamin delivering a German to Bill, the MJF cameo being fun, and Bobby spearing Bill outside being awesome. Some good logic in how all parties involved worked, with Bill being the big man, they kept him looking strong, and of course, Keith was the one who got isolated for The Hurt Syndicate's control segment. I was amused at seeing The Hurt Syndicate have a babyface celebration afterwards even though they worked heel. **3/4"
[6.0] "Big Bill was the star here, he was doing great stuff. Mad to see how huge he is next to Shelton and Bobby too. Standard tag match, nothing noteworthy other than MJF getting involved to help take out Big Bill. Bryan is then beaten and pinned for the champs to retain. MJF and MVP working together? Could've been a tv main event really"
[6.0] "I thoroughly enjoyed this tag match between Hurt Syndicate and Big Bill/Bryan Keith. Although I'm still not sure why someone is called Red Wood and Bad Apple. This was more of an storyline angle than a match but they did pretty good job. This was supposed to further establish the storyline between MJF and Hurt Syndicate. And it did. It was also an entertaining match. Big Bill clearing the ring with his brute power was awesome to see. Bobby has immense physical charisma. Him just being in the ring is just so fun to watch. Shelton is so talented. And Bryan Keith is... well he's just there to eat the pin. The crowd was red hot for this one. Hurt Syndicate are really over with them. The camera work was absolutely shitty."
[4.0] "[2.0*] Yeah, this was not good. I think these Hurt Syndicate title defenses on PPVs will always be placed to break the high pace, which is honestly a good thing. We are able to see this absolute stars while resting a little bit, W/W situation. The problem is that it felt like a 2-1 Handicap match that was not even planned, this was just a replacement. The MJF cameo was pretty nice tho, I am highly enjoying this story."
[6.0] "This was pretty decent. I didn't expect a lot going in. I'm just glad The Hurt Syndicate didn't bury Big Bill, because he's had a good connection with the crowd. Everyone besides Bryan Keith looked good here. He was unfortunately the fall guy."
[6.0] "This was an okay tag team match. I thought this match could've been a lot more, but the Hurt Syndicate had some help as MJF blasted Big Bill from the crowd to help out the Hurt Syndicate. I knew they weren't going to lose the title, yet I expected them to hold it for a very long time, but it was an okay tag team match."
[7.0] "I enjoyed this match. Everyone involved put in work and there was tremendous energy from both sides. The crowd was clearly amped and behind it and the "We Hurt People" chants seem to get louder every week. It's great to see the Hurt Business doing more than just squash matches. Bill is exceptional and it's awesome to see someone his size back it up with solid in-ring work. He was an amazing fit against both Bobby and Shelton and his stature made it feel more like an even match. Sometimes when you have a big wrestler vs smaller opponents it's hard to suspend any disbelief but they all just made it feel more intense and impactful since every one of them rose to the occasion. It's not often that the Hurt Business are the smaller guys and I loved seeing them legitimately have to figure out Bill. Brian Keith still did what he could and the concluding sequences felt natural given the most realistic win condition. MJF as a finish was screwy but it was supposed to be and he did it on his own terms. It was a solid match with room for another encounter in the future and felt exciting from start to finish."
[6.0] "The crowd in the arena are into The Hurt Syndicate and the "We Hurt People" chant is wildly over. Big Bill got a chance to really shine here, and the fans responded big to his offense. I would love to see Big Bill get away from Jericho, because I believe he could do great things! Lashley and Shelton brought the crazy intensity and experience I've come to expect from them. The surprise MJF interference didn't really vibe with me. I have no interest in the MJF/Hurt Syndicate interactions. Overall, the action was fast-paced, the crowd was hot, and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. The big downside is the MJF interference that felt like it killed the pace of the match and led to a disappointing finish."
[5.0] "(Grade:D+/**3/4) This match was going alright until the ending for me. The Learning Tree looked decent against The Hurt Syndicate that mainly due to Big Bill doing majority of the offense and some damage whilst Bryan Keith.....What have they done to you Keith, I don't think he got a lick of offense aside from getting thrown around left and right and looked like a fool who needed Bill to do all the work. The Hurt Syndicate got the crowd behind them and did good offense, really liked that step-up knee on the apron from Shelton to Big Bill and Shelton suplexing Bill was sweet. However, that ending involving MJF wasn't necessary when it makes Hurt Syndicate look like they couldn't handle The Learning Tree which they could and shown throughout the match."
[6.0] "This was solid. A bit sloppy at points but in a way that kind of added to the match. Not a fan of the dumb MJF interference finish but on the whole this was fairly enjoyable. ***"
[7.0] "I liked this match a lot more than the average rating might suggest, this was a blast. The crowd in the arena was into it, and "We Hurt People" is over AF. Big Bill got a chance to really shine here, and the fans responded big to his offense. Lashley and Shelton brought intensity and experience, and I thought Bryan Keith held his own. The surprise MJF interference added intrigue and sets up something compelling for the future I'm very interested in where that story goes. The action was fast-paced, the crowd was hot, and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. A solid 7.5 out of 10 in my book."
[4.0] "So let me get this straight, I'm supposed to be excited about MJHogan working with Lashley, Benjamin and MVP when those three cannot be bothered to work with Bryan Keith here? What a joke. Ex fed wrestlers believing they are owed respect for sucking the corporate teat. This was bad, Hurt Business or whatever their name is blow with their weak efforts here. "We bore people". At least the rubes got a new dumb chant to mindlessly repeat. Two stars."
[5.0] "Dieses Match hat mich ein wenig enttäuscht, ohne schlecht zu sein. Die Story des Ganzen war von Beginn an klar und hat hier Big Bill richtig krass aussehen lassen, leider aber auch 2 bis 3 Nummer besser als seinen Partner. Der Mini Eingriff von MJF zum einläuten der Endphase war echt nicht cool"
[6.0] "Decent match, although nothing to write home about. The build was definitely hurt a bit by Bill/Keith being rushed replacements for Archer/Brian Cage because of Cage's injury. Big Bill was definitely the standout of this match. I genuinely respect how much he's worked to improve himself in and out of the ring, with his battles with addiction and depression. I hope he gets a meaningful push sometime soon, the dude really deserves it. The finish did its job in carrying on the MJF/Hurt Syndicate story. Decent match, but could've done with a more focused build. (***.25)"
[7.0] "[3, 5 Stars] It was much better than Hurt Syndicate's last title defense at Revolution, but then again that's Dynamite-caliber stuff normally. (***, 5)"
[5.0] "It was alright, nothing much to say other than another successful title defense for The Hurt Syndicate. It wasn't terrible, it just really wasn't that needed on the show and kinda ran a bit too long, MJF helped the Syndicate win and overall it was an okay match."
[4.0] "4.5 - Kind of an odd match from the get-go, but The Hurt Syndicate are popular enough to have an interesting, imperfect match. MJF jumping in was fine, but I really didn't like how they only did a suplex and spear to pin Keith, especially when they have excellent signature moves."
[6.0] "You knew what you were getting going into this match. It was fun to see Big Bill get suplexed by Shelton Benjamin. It was a competent wrestling match."
[5.0] "Big Bill was tottaly the focus here and he did well, but it really looked more like an handicap match. A decent fight with an MJF appearence, and clearly the storytelling was their main focus in this."
[8.0] "This was more my cup of tea. Big dudes slamming into each other. Shelton hitting a suplex on Big Bill might have been the spot of the night for me. Could use more Bryan Keith but otherwise this didn't overstay its welcome. Surprised by how good Big Bill looked quite honestly."
[5.0] "A narrative beat in lieu of a match, nothing actually happened here beyond MJF's involvement and I don't think it got anyone more over than they already were. Match seemed designed around Big Bill, not giving Keith much to do and not taking full advantage of the tag stip."
[5.0] "Worst match of the night but this is not necessary something bad. This was clearly not made to be great, it was a replacement match for the Murder Machines and now things are starting to heat up between MJF and the Hurt Syndicate. Everything related to this stable is very interesting for my taste. Big Bill MVP."
[6.0] "A heel vs. heel dynamic will never work, but the crowd was vocal for both teams and the action was solid nontheless. Bill looked great, he put on a show. MJF helped the Hurt Syndicate retain. 6/10 - 3*/5*"
[4.0] "This was ok. It is a bit odd to see heel vs heel tag match, but with the MJF storyline I don't see The Hurt Syndicate turning face anytime soon. ** stars."
[4.0] "[2.00/5.00]: The match was clearly structured to make Bill look like he could hang with Lashley and Benjamin, but it didn't feel like they were all that interested in giving Keith much to work with. It was fine for what it was, but nothing special."
[5.0] "I love the syndicate, I'm loyal to Keith and Big Bill, but it felt like they weren't working at full capacity. I didn't have enough speed. And, as if, the main highlight of the match was a purely plot point with the appearance of MJF. **3/4"
[5.0] "Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin war ein Standard Tag Match. War soweit ok und es gab auch nichts negatives, richtig herausgestochen hat aber auch nichts. Bin gespannt was MJF da zu suchen hatte (** 1/4)."
[5.0] "This match was okay. I liked that Big Bill got in a good amount of offense but just as I expected his partner Brian Keith was kind of useless here, but in a way that made sense given his lack of size and power compared to everyone else making him the obvious weak link as he took majority of the punishment in the match. It would have been nice to see him offer more offense or find a way to outmaneuver Shelton and Lashley with clever teamwork but instead it was just a fun but somewhat predictable shorter match. Hurt Business looked really good as they should and the match was entertaining just nothing surprising and not very competitive."
[4.0] "Another underwhelming PPV performance from the Hurt Syndicate, but like last month, I cannot blame them so much as their opponents. Big Bill and Bryan Keith are a fine tag team, but their match with the Hurt Syndicate is not what I want to see from Hurt Syndicate matches. It is very average pro wrestling when it should be quick, power house bombs. It was not as bad as the Outrunners match, but it was still rather disappointing. The Hurt Syndicate need better, more established opponents that highlight their strengths better and who why the crowd loves The Hurt Syndicate so much."
[2.0] "Big Bill looked good in this, I liked everyone else in this but honestly it's kind of a pretty unremarkable match. I know you can't take the belts off the Hurt Syndicate but at least try to make the opposing team's guy who getting a monster reaction look really good in defeat instead of making him a third wheel in a MJF angle. Honestly I don't think that would have worked well anyways as Bryan Keith getting beat up wasn't really making any noise either. Just a match that's a victim of the really uninteresting angle behind it with the Learning Tree, just break it up already."
[6.0] "This was strange as it was heel vs heel and second on the card, and it was wrestled at a strange pace instead of being a total slugfest with the Hurt Syndicate tossing around Bryan Keith and getting victimised by Big Bill in spurts. It was a bit slow and didn't really feel like it got fully going, and the MJF involvement felt like more of a TV spot than a PPV finish. However, despite it not being the match I was hoping for, there were some great moments and Lashley/Benjamin are the tag team who should define the division over the next 12 months."
[7.0] "This won't get MOTN honors but I really enjoyed it for what it was. A very decent example of heel vs heel action where both sides are ready to get rough. I thought the working over of Keith from Lashley & Shelton was good stuff, and BK's ways of slipping out to eventually get the hot tag made him an effective underdog even if not a true Face In Peril. Big Bill came in and started wrecking house, and I just love watching him work, especially against Shelton to be honest (mostly for that crazy German suplex though). A bit of a meh ending but it prolonged the Hurt Syndicate/MJF thing and protected Big Bill so sure. ***1/4"
