Results
- Hangman Adam Page def. Wheeler Yuta (3:14)
- Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler def. Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight (World Tag Team Eliminator Series) (17:32) (Recommended)
- Toni Storm def. Billie Starkz (AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator) (9:30)
- Swerve Strickland def. Hechicero (11:16) (DQ)
- Mark Briscoe def. Claudio Castagnoli (13:18)
Hangman Page gets his hands on Wheeler Yuta
Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite kicks off with a few quick announcements: An eight-tag team title eliminator tournament will kick off this evening, with the winner of the bracket earning a title shot at Forbidden Door. The first matchup in the bracket (and only one announced thus far), JetSpeed vs. FTR, will take place tonight. It was also announced that both MJF and Will Ospreay will appear later on the show, and that Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mark Briscoe will take place.
But kicking things off, AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page faced Wheeler Yuta. When asked backstage why he accepted a match this week, putting himself in harm’s way against the damaging Death Riders, he said he wants to hurt Yuta because of what they did to Colt Cabana on Saturday’s episode of Collision.
MJF, the All In: Texas Men’s Casino Gauntlet Winner, walked into the shot. He told Page that he’s going to beat him for the world title. “And I’m not going to do it with this [contract], see, I’m going to prove a point. I’m going to beat you inside that squared circle.”
Page cut him off: “You are not going to goad me into giving you a world championship match. If you want a match for this championship, you are going to use that contract, or you’re going to earn it. And I know you, you have the guts to do neither.”
Page walked away from MJF and made his way to the ring for the opening match.
As Page posed with his title on the ring apron, opponent Wheeler Yuta appeared through the crowd, got in the ring, and attacked Page from behind to get the match started. The attack gave Yuta the upper hand… For about 30 seconds. Page got control of the match, running Yuta into barricades at ringside a minute in.
Back in the ring, Hangman connected with a Death Valley Driver for a two-count. He tried for a Deadeye, but Yuta escaped the move by hanging onto the top rope. Yuta then raked the eyes of Hangman to buy himself a moment.
Yuta came running off the ropes but instead ate a clothesline from Page. The champ then connected with his Buckshot Lariat finisher to win in a little over three minutes.
A pinfall win wasn’t satisfying enough for Page. Hangman wrapped a chain around his right fist, then struck Yuta in the head numerous times with it. Worth noting: No other Death Riders were coming to Yuta’s side. Page wrapped a chain around the neck of a now-bloodied Yuta and weighed the idea of hanging him off the ropes with it.
Page shouted at Yuta that nobody was coming to save him. Then, showing some remorse, let him go. The crowd chanted “He deserves it” as Page left the ring.
Backstage, Billie Starkz cut a promo praising Athena and tearing down Toni Storm. Athena informed Starkz that her objective tonight is not to win, but to “take out” Storm.
FTR advance past tag tourney quarter-finals in 17-minute barnburner
The next match saw Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood of FTR meet Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight of JetSpeed in the first round of the tag team eliminator tournament. A clip was played from last week’s Dynamite, where Stokely Hathaway told Cope that he will be fired if he interferes in FTR matches.
FTR jumped JetSpeed to get the match started. Bailey had to escape a Shatter Machine attempt just seconds into the bout. With the help of a thrust kick from Knight, Bailey bridged a German Suplex into a pin attempt onto Harwood. JetSpeed did stereo crossbodies to the outside before Bailey and Harwood went back to battling in the ring.
The fight went back to ringside a minute later, where Bailey gave both Harwood and Wheeler back bodydrops onto the stage ramp before a commercial break.
JetSpeed had a double team move as the show returned: Wheeler was sent off the top rope with a hurricanrana, then they did stereo dropkicks off the top rope to both FTR members. Knight got a near fall against Harwood with a DDT.
Speed hit a springboard moonsault to the outside as Knight scored a springboard splash in the ring onto Harwood. A pin attempt after the splash gave Knight just a two-count. Harwood got a breather after catching Knight with a dragonscrew in between the ropes. Continuing to go after Knight’s legs, he hit a dragonscrew in the ring and then ran Knight’s left knee into the ringpost a pair of times.
Harwood locked in a Figure Four through the ringpost onto Knight, but Bailey broke up the submission by scoring a series of kicks to the FTR member’s chest. Wheeler came in for the save, taking out Bailey with a dragonscrew and some strikes.
Back in the ring, Harwood slipped in a Sharpshooter after another dragonscrew. On the outside, Wheeler put in a Sharpshooter on Bailey, preventing him from coming in to interfere with the submission.
Knight got out of the submission by reaching the bottom rope. FTR scored a superplex and frogsplash combo, but Knight put up his knees as Wheeler came down onto Knight with the splash. Bailey lept off the top with a Shooting Star Press onto Harwood. Knight went for the pin, but Harwood was able to kick out after taking the move. The show went into another break after this spot.
Bailey found himself in a two-on-one situation against FTR as the show returned. He got both FTR members to ringside, where he came off the top with a moonsault onto the duo. Bailey rolled Harwood back into the ring for a Shooting Star Press, but he avoided it.
Bailey scored a kick to the chest, then a Shooting Star Kneedrop, but it still wasn’t enough to put away Harwood – he kicked out at two. Bailey put Harwood on his shoulders as he tagged in Knight. Knight showed his impressive hops, knocking Harwood off Bailey’s shoulders with a dropkick. Knight went for a pin, but Wheeler peeled him off Harwood to break the pin attempt.
At ringside, Bailey did a back bodydrop, which sent Wheeler into the timekeeper’s area. Bailey then dove over the barricade to land onto Wheeler.
In the ring, a UFO Splash from Knight was reversed by Harwood, who put up his boots to strike him in the head. A roll-up pin attempt from Harwood was unsuccessful.
Harwood tried for a powerbomb, but Knight reversed it into a roll-up attempt. After getting out of the pin, Harwood caught Bailey for a powerbomb. He tried to pin Bailey, but not so fast: Bailey wasn’t the legal wrestler. Knight got a near fall by rolling up Harwood after the moment of confusion.
Harwood reversed a move from Knight into a roll-up attempt. Grabbing onto Hathaway’s crutch while rolling up Knight, Harwood scored a three-count to give FTR a win after 17 minutes. Quite the impressive match, which didn’t overstay its welcome despite going longer than most TV matches.
After the match, Tony Schiavone asked Hathaway about his beef with Adam Copeland. Hathaway said Cope “belongs in prison.” As he was cutting a promo on Copeland, the man himself came out.
Copeland said that he can’t get within a certain number of feet near FTR, but he has made a deal with some friends who would be able to do it for him: The Hurt Syndicate.
Out came The Hurt Syndicate (sans MJF). Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin hit the ring and started brawling with FTR. Security came out and started trying to break up the fight, but were unsuccessful. The Hurt Syndicate backed off after getting a good beating in against FTR. Cope didn’t get to spear Hathaway, but took out a security guard as the segment came to an end.
Will Ospreay provides update on health, believes he will be gone until at least Forbidden Door
Backstage, Nick Wayne, alongside Momma Wayne and Kip Sabian, said they will prove Saturday why they’re better now that they are “Uncaged.”
A vignette featuring Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir aired next. Moxley admitted to his All In loss against Adam Page, then started angling for a rematch against the champ: “Avoiding a rematch with me, that’s not something you would do. That’s not something champions would do … A mistake was made, I’ll fix it.”
He teased that we’ll find out who “the Hangman Page was that rode out” of All In by the end of tonight.
Will Ospreay was interviewed in the ring by Tony Schiavone for the next segment. Ospreay said he’s here to give everyone an update about what he’s been dealing with.
“I’ve been struggling with my neck now for about 10 months,” he said. “It’s been causing me a bit of issues.”
Ospreay said that he has been keeping his medical issue to himself as he wanted to get to the “finish line,” something he said he shouldn’t have done.
Ospreay said that he is proud to say he played a part in helping Adam Page dethrone Jon Moxley at All In. But, now he has to step away temporarily.
“When the Death Riders did what they did to me, I was rushed to the emergency room. I was put on an MRI. And on my C2 and C6, I have two herniated discs that have gone into my spinal cord. As bad as that sounds, every doctor I’ve spoken to has said that’s treatable.”
Ospreay said that he hopes to be back in time for Forbidden Door in London. He ended his segment in character, saying that he will get his revenge on Death Riders once he’s back.
A vignette aired for the newly-formed trio of Thekla, Julia Hart and Skye Blue.
Backstage, Willow Nightingale was asked what’s next for her. She called for a fight against Thekla: “You feel your spidey senses tingling? That’s me.”
Backstage, MJF was curious why The Hurt Syndicate are friends with Adam Copeland. “We made a business arrangement with Cope,” MVP said. MJF replied: “That’s cute, Montel, but how about we get in the business of getting a damn world title around my waist?”
Bobby Lashley wasn’t taking the criticism. He pushed MJF up against a locker: “We don’t need to help you with s***,” he said. “We’re not your lackeys. Every week it’s I, I, I. As far as I’m concerned, I want you out of The Hurt Syndicate.”
The rest of the group looked disappointed as they left alongside Lashley. Looks like MJF isn’t as secure in the group as he might’ve previously thought.
Toni Storm wins title eliminator over Billie Starkz, narrowly avoids cash-in from Athena
The next bout of the night saw AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm take on Billie Starkz in a title eliminator match. Athena, a future world title challenger, watched from an opera box of the venue. This was the first stateside match for Starkz since appearing in Japan last weekend for a big TJPW card.
Commentary noted that Starkz repeatedly looked over to Athena for approval during the match. The challenger was doing well in this contest, at one point coming off the ring apron with a Swanton to Storm, who was on the floor.
Storm started to mount a comeback as the broadcast returned, scoring a series of Mongolian Chops, then taking Starkz down for a combination of punches. Storm scored a sit-out powerbomb for a two-count.
Starkz wasn’t out of the match, dropping Storm with a front kick just a minute later. She got a near fall during a roll-up pin attempt, albeit while grabbing Storm’s tights for leverage.
Storm connected with a Hip Attack and tried for a Storm Zero, but Starkz reversed the move into a back body drop into a pin attempt, earning her another near fall.
Starkz scored a head kick, then came off the top with a Swanton Bomb, but the champ put her knees up to block the move. Storm put in a sleeper hold to force a tap from Starkz, giving her the win in nine minutes.
Starkz listened to Athena’s orders to not beat Storm but instead simply hurt her, dropping the champ after the match by striking her in the head with the AEW Women’s World Championship. Athena came to the ring and used her Women’s Casino Gauntlet title shot as a weapon to Storm’s head.
Athena brought Storm to ringside, where she scored a running double knee strike to the champ while she was sitting up against a steel staircase.
Athena looked like she was about to cash in her world title shot, but then out came Alex Windsor. The recent AEW signing took Athena and Starkz out of the ring, preventing a cash-in. Commentary noted that Athena and Windsor will face off for the ROH Women’s World Championship on Saturday’s Collision.
Interference brings sudden end to Swerve Strickland vs. Hechicero
Swerve Strickland took on Don Callis Family member Hechicero in the co-main event of the night.
Hechicero connected with a Mad Scientist Bomb three minutes in, landing the first big move of the match after a technical exchange opened things up. Strickland responded a minute later by scoring a backbreaker, then following up with a suplex as the bout went to a commercial break.
The broadcast came back at the seven-minute mark, as Strickland and Hechicero were trading blows in the middle of the ring. Hecicero scored a flashy kick in the corner and a slam, but Strickland kicked out at only one.
Strickland started to power back up while taking punches from Hechicero. The former world champ dropped Hechicero with a front kick, then came off the middle rope with his Diving European Uppercut. He went back to the top roughly a minute later for a 450 Splash, giving him another near fall.
Hechicero had a flashy combination on the mat to set up for a sleeper attempt, eventually transitioning his submission attempts into a roll-up. Strickland was able to escape a grappling position with Hechicero and then connected with a Flatliner.
Strickland climbed to the top for a Swerve Stomp, but was pushed off the top by Lance Archer, who suddenly appeared at ringside alongside Josh Alexander. The referee threw the match out at 11 minutes.
Brody King and Bandido came in for the save, brawling to the back with Hechicero and Archer. Strickland started looking at the ramp, where the action was. As this happened, Kazuchika Okada appeared from behind and struck Strickland in the back with a chair.
Okada tried for a tombstone piledriver onto the chair, but Strickland escaped, then hit him with a headbutt. Strickland put a chair around the neck of Okada and teased an especially damaging House Call, but Okada escaped the ring before he could get hit with the devastating move.
MJF demoralizes Mark Briscoe before tonight’s main event match
Still less than an hour removed from an embarrassing interaction with the rest of The Hurt Syndicate, MJF came to the ring for a promo.
MJF said he doesn’t need Bobby Lashley, or “Bob,” to get back his title.
He then turned his focus to Hangman Page. “As far as Cowboy goes, you want to call me a coward? Listen to me, you’re the coward, you hypocrite. You won’t wrestle me unless I execute my contract? Huh? Buddy, I’m not going to execute this contract, I’m going to beat you inside that ring, fair and square, and my belt is gonna be around my waist.”
Mark Briscoe, one-half of tonight’s main event, showed up to interrupt MJF. Briscoe alleged that MJF stole his win during the Casino Gauntlet at All In. MJF nodded, seemingly in agreement. Briscoe said he wants revenge in a singles match next week.
“No,” MJF replied. “Mark, if you were supposed to win this here, you would’ve.”
MJF spent quite some time cutting into Briscoe: “Not even your biggest fans actually think you’re a top guy,” he said. “Not even your biggest fans think you’re actually anywhere near my level. You know what you are, Mark? You’re a joke, bud.”
MJF said that he knows another guy from Delaware who people actually feared and respected. “I think you know who I’m talking about.”
MJF finally namedropped the late Jay Briscoe, causing Mark to storm the ring out of anger. MJF avoided an attack from Mark, leaving the ring just as he got in.
Mark Briscoe scores pinfall win in main event
As Mark Briscoe got in the ring, his opponent for tonight’s main event, Claudio Castagnoli, started to make his entrance.
Death Riders were 0 for 1 by this point in the night, but Castagnoli tried to get the faction back up to .500 with a win against Briscoe.
Commentary noted during the match that Colton Gunn won’t be able to compete in the tag title eliminator tournament due to injury.
Briscoe sent Castagnoli out of the ring with a clothesline just four minutes in. He tried for a scissor kick to the outside, but Castagnoli caught him on the way down. Castagnoli swung Briscoe into the ringside barricade as the show went into its final commercial break.
Back from the break, Briscoe knocked Castagnoli off the top with a chop. Briscoe tried to come flying off the top rope with a move, but instead ate an uppercut from Castagnoli on the way down.
As Castagnoli was standing in the ring, he suddenly noticed that Darby Allin was in the crowd. This slightly distracted Castagnoli, allowing Briscoe to get back into the match. Briscoe ended a long combo of moves with a belly-to-belly German suplex for a two count.
Briscoe knocked Castagnoli to ringside once again, allowing him to do a dive through the ropes. He got on top of the commentary desk to follow up with an elbow drop to Castagnoli, who was on the floor.
Briscoe came off the barricade with a Blockbuster, closing out a series of physical moves outside of the ring. Back in the ring, Briscoe came off the top rope with a Froggy Bow elbow drop for a near fall.
Both wrestlers went to the top rope after Castagnoli avoided a J-Driller. Castagnoli dumped Briscoe groin-first onto the top rope, then scored a bodyslam out of the corner for a two-count. Castagnoli scored with a series of elbows and then tried for a Neutralizer, but Briscoe avoided the move.
Castagoli poked Briscoe in the eye as the referee wasn’t looking, then connected with a hard uppercut. This looked like it could’ve been the finish, but Briscoe kicked out. Briscoe avoided another Neutralizer, then rolled up Castagnoli for a pinfall win in 13 minutes.
Hangman Page vs. Jon Moxley set for next week, with a special stipulation
Briscoe’s celebration was short-lived, as Marina Shafir came into the ring and took out his legs. Castagnoli dropped Briscoe stomach-first onto a propped-up chair as Jon Moxley cut a promo about how Hangman Page isn’t a champion yet.
Page made his way to the ring with a microphone:
“When you say that I don’t want this, that I cant’ handle the pressure and the responsibility that come with this, that I can’t get up, and do it again, and do it again, and do it again, I think you believe that. So I will prove it to you. Not the Jon Moxley that is standing here tonight, but the Jon Moxley that has carried the weight of this company so many times in these six years, I will prove it to him. Next week. Dynamite. Hangman. Mox. For the world championship. But this time, you are the challenger, so you will play my rules. Everyone but a referee banned from ringside. And I already know your answer is yes, so I will see you next week, dumbass.”
Moments later, the match was made official with a graphic: World title on the line, Moxley and Hangman will face off next week. Nobody else at ringside. Page left the ring as tonight’s episode of Dynamite came to a close.
