AEW’s “Battle of the Belts” has become something of a laughingstock since its inception, or at least a skippable show that typically doesn’t feature major matches or title changes.
Belt Battle VII tonight (July 15) in Calgary began in much the same way. AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy vs. Lance Archer opened the show with a very poor countout finish that the AEW commentators actually tried to paint as a historic achievement because it was the first countout in Battle of the Belts history .
Next up was AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. Taya Valkyrie, and by this point the event was plagued by technical difficulties in both TNT and FITE. In the midst of battle, the broadcast suddenly went dark and the AEW logo appeared in the corner of the black screen. The show was reduced to commercials before finally returning to TNT with footage that appeared to be from last week’s Julia Hart vs. Bambi Hall collision match.
Live coverage of the Belt Battle was then rebroadcast, with commentators apologizing for the satellite problems caused by severe weather in the area. There was no mention of the end of the women’s fight and the transmission continued to Martha Hart presenting the Owen Hart trophies to Willow Nightingale and Ricky Starks.
Battle of the Belts VII then ended with Shawn Spears in a TNT title fight in the main event, losing to Luchasaurus. That concluded another Battle of the Belts event with no title changes.
Credit has to be given to AEW for ensuring the broadcast ended with footage of the final seconds of the women’s fight, with Storm retaining the title ahead of Valkyrie.
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