Results
- Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC def. Josh Alexander, Konosuke Takeshita & Mark Davis (15:05)
- Kyle Fletcher def. Tommaso Ciampa (TNT Championship) (16:35) (Recommended)
- Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong def. Daniel Garcia & Clark Connors (9:08)
- Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson def. Dezmond Xavier & Myron Reed, Zay & Quen (Three-Way Tag Match) (13:42)
- Thekla def. Kris Statlander (AEW Women’s World Championship) (Strap Match) (14:02)
Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland don’t want to be buddy-buddy
Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, opened with a face-to-face interview between Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland. These two had a bit of a dust-up last week due to some miscommunication: Strickland hit the ring in hopes of preventing Andrade El Idolo from beating Omega in a nefarious way. Instead, his presence ended up costing Omega the match. Would they squash the beef tonight? Unlikely. But let’s see what happened.
Strickland got on the mic first and talked about how, by the time he had emerged into AEW’s title picture, Omega was “nowhere to be found.”
“You’re either laid up in a hospital bed or suspended,” Strickland said. “Seems like a false prophet to me.” Since he was gone for so long, Strickland accused that Omega was using his “EVP power” to just slide back into the title picture. I mean, they’ve spent the past month talking about how Omega was starting from the bottom to begin his title climb, so I don’t know how much Omega is stepping on Strickland like he claims.
Omega responded that he was trying to reach the top “and do it in the right way” for the fans who support him. Omega eventually cut to the chase: He’s not asking for Strickland to believe in him, “I’m asking for a fight … If you want that match, you’ve got it.”
Strickland said that if they do this, Omega’s getting put back in a hospital bed, but this time for good. Omega responded with a slap in the face. Oh boy, no squashing of the beef is going to happen now for sure.
Strickland said “Whatever happens next is on you” then tackled Omega, beginning a brawl between them. The brawl spilled out to ringside then into the crowd, where Omega bashed the fellow ex-world champ over the back with a steel chair. They went onto the stage, with Omega bashing Strickland head-first into an LED panel then scoring a V-Trigger. He looked for a One-Winged Angel, but Strickland used what looked like some sort of pick (fork?) to escape the move. Strickland speared Omega off the stage, putting them both through a table set up nearby.
The storyline building the match between Strickland and Omega is a little silly and disjointed, but it’s a first-time singles meeting between two of the promotion’s biggest names, so I’m looking forward to it.
Jon Moxley wins six-man against Don Callis Family ahead of Takeshita match
Six-man tag action opened the in-ring portion of the night, with Jon Moxley, PAC and Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders facing Don Callis Family’s Josh Alexander, Mark Davis, and Konosuke Takeshita. This served as a preview ahead of Moxley and Takeshita’s title matchup this weekend at Grand Slam: Australia.
Castagnoli got a hot tag after a commercial break, taking out Alexander with a huge swing, then a near fall on Davis after hitting a powerslam. The Swiss talent got a two-count after a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Davis came running off the ropes and took out Castagnoli with a huge lariat.
In next were the main characters of this match, Moxley and Takeshita. The Japanese star wobbled Moxley with a forearm, but Moxley replied with a nasty lariat to drop him. After everyone else briefly hit the ring for a few spots, Takeshita hit an Exploder Suplex for a two-count.
Castagnoli and PAC got back into the ring to hit Takeshita with a series of splashes in the corner, then tossed him to Moxley for a cutter. A pin attempt from Moxley was stopped by Davis and Alexander. The crowd was red-hot at this point and chanting “AEW.”
The Don Callis trio picked on Moxley in a three-on-one position in the ring. Davis, who had just tagged back in, hit a huge lariat and went for the pin, but PAC stopped the attempt. Castagnoli and PAC wiped out Davis and Takeshita, making it just Moxley and Alexander in the ring.
Moxley tried for a sleeper hold but then later transitioned to his Death Rider DDT finisher for the pinfall win in 15 minutes. Awesome tag bout here, successfully previewing the upcoming Takeshita and Moxley match, and getting the crowd onboard.
Kyle Fletcher regains TNT title in instant classic with Tommaso Ciampa
Kyle Fletcher attempted to regain the TNT Championship in the next bout, taking on recent AEW signing and defending champ Tommaso Ciampa.
Fletcher dodged a move from Ciampa at ringside shortly after the show returned from a break and seemingly looked to wedge the champ in-between the steel stairs and the ringpost. However, Ciampa reversed it into an Air Raid Crash onto the top of the stairs, a super painful-looking move.
Fletcher avoided a count-out by rolling into the ring, but Ciampa kept the pressure on him by scoring a running knee to the head. The move only rendered a two-count.
A series of reversals ended with a reverse DDT from Ciampa for another near fall. The fight went to the top rope, where a Psycho Driller was avoided from Fletcher. Instead, Fletcher scored a backdrop off the middle rope, giving him a two-count. Fletcher followed up with a massive powerbomb, but Ciampa survived with another kickout.
Ciampa knocked Fletcher through the ropes with a knee to the body then tried to come off the ring apron with a move, but Fletcher caught him and instead hit a powerbomb onto the ring apron.
Back in the ring, Fletcher scored a head kick in the corner. Ciampa nearly reversed a move from Fletcher, but after a misdirection spot with the referee, Fletcher hit another kick and a big brainbuster. Fletcher got another near fall, one which the California crowd really bit on (We got a “ref you suck” chant here because of how close the pin was).
Ciampa escaped a superplex and instead scored a German Suplex out of the corner. He followed up immediately with another running knee strike, but Fletcher kicked out! Ciampa tried for another knee, but Fletcher countered with a superkick. However, Ciampa powered through the kick and instead hit the knee strike again, but Fletcher once again kicked out! These two were on fire here.
Fletcher picked up Ciampa and tossed him head-first into the top turnbuckle. He followed up with a running kick to the back of Ciampa’s head. He shouted, “The title is mine,” to Ciampa and started setting up for another kick, but instead Ciampa charged at him with another knee to the head!
Ciampa followed with a brainbuster, but Fletcher survived. Ciampa came running forward, but Fletcher caught him with a Michinoku Driver. Fletcher hit a lariat, then a Teardrop Brainbuster for the pinfall win in 16 minutes, kicking off his second run with the TNT Championship.
Incredible match between these two, wow. They had the crowd in the palm of their hand for what felt like the final 10 minutes of this match, some amazing in-ring action between these two. I’d need to give it a little more thought to say for sure, but this is probably my favorite TV match of the year thus far.
Fletcher mentioned in a post-match interview that he will show up in his home country, Sydney, Australia, this weekend at Grand Slam: Australia, defending the title in his hometown “against anybody from anywhere.”
Answering Fletcher’s challenge was former champ Mark Briscoe, who appeared onstage. Briscoe said that they’re tied 3-3 in singles matchups, and he’s ready to face Fletcher in the tiebreaker in Australia. “I am sick and tired of seeing you in this ring,” Fletcher said. “But I did say I’d fight anybody from anywhere, so I accept.”
Fletcher wanted to raise the stakes for the bout and announced it would be a ladder match.
Death Riders get last laugh before Saturday’s hair-versus-hair match
AEW announced that a ticket pre-sale for All In: London at Wembley Stadium will take begin on March 16. It’s good that they announced this, I saw some anxiety about how no ticket information for the event had been revealed just yet.
Daniel Garcia of the Death Riders teamed with NJPW’s Clark Connors to take on Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong in the next bout. Connors mentioned in a backstage promo that Cassidy and Strong made this match as a way to standing up for Darby Allin after Connors and Gabe Kidd left him abandoned in the Las Vegas desert last week (I’d personally get revenge by going to a precinct and reporting that my friend had been kidnapped, but I guess The Conglomeration (and Strong) don’t roll that way).
Cassidy worked his way out of a two-on-one beatdown at the six-minute mark of the match, avoiding both Connors and Garcia while keeping his hands in his pockets. He went to Strong for a hot tag, but then Strong dropped off the ring apron! Strong walked up the ramp and backstage to a chorus of boos, making this a handicap match for the remainder of the bout.
Cassidy took a nasty spear on the ring apron from Connors, then was tossed into a barricade. It was during this exchange at ringside that Darby Allin emerged from the crowd and took out Connors, which the referee presumably didn’t see. This match became a one-on-one between Garcia and Cassidy back in the ring: Cassidy couldn’t get the Orange Punch, but countered a submission attempt from Garcia into a roll-up for the win in nine minutes.
Toni Storm, Cassidy’s teammate this weekend against the Death Riders, appeared inside a Toyota Arena press box after the match. She cut a promo on her opponents, calling Marina Shafir a “mixed martial asshole,” and said Wheeler Yuta is the “most annoying little s*** I have ever seen.”
This promo was interrupted by Yuta on stage, who revealed that Shafir had kidnapped Mina Shirakawa. With Shirakawa locked in the Mother’s Milk submission from Shafir, Yuta cut off the Joshi talent’s ponytail! The Death Riders clearly are in the babyface squad’s heads just a few days before their clash on Saturday.
Private Party returns, but falls short in #1 contenders match
Speedball Bailey and Kevin Knight said in a backstage promo that, despite holding the six-man titles, they’re after even more gold in AEW.
AEW announced that Jon Moxley & Marina Shafir will face Orange Cassidy and Toni Storm as part of the promotion’s house show in Brisbane, Australia, on Sunday. If you’re not going to the event, this means nothing to you.
The co-main event of the night was a tag team three-way to determine the new #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Champions, FTR. The Young Bucks, The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier & Myron Reed), and a mysterious third team battled it out. Who was that unannounced duo? Private Party! Back on AEW TV for the first time in over a year, Quen and Zay have returned!
It didn’t take long for these risk-taking teams to have a huge series of dives to the outside. Xavier had the biggest move before a commercial break, hitting a moonsault off the top rope and onto everyone else at ringside.
The Bucks were on a roll as the show returned, with Matt scoring a double Northern Lights Suplex onto both Private Party members. The Bucks hit stereo top-rope moves, one scoring an elbow drop as the other hit a Swanton Bomb, but it wasn’t enough to put away the returning talents.
We briefly saw Hook watching from a press box during this match.
Zay escaped a double-team Bucks move with a hurricanrana. They gave Nick a double-team cutter, but a pin attempt was stopped by Xavier of The Rascalz. The match hit an even higher gear at this point, with all six men in the ring and trading shots, leaving them all laid out eventually.
Reed took out numerous opponents at ringside with his leaping cutter over the top rope and to the outside (always a risky-looking but badass move). He gave Matt a 450 Splash off the top, but Nick broke up the follow-up pin attempt.
Reed came flying off the ropes but ate stereo superkicks from the Bucks. Xavier was similarly wiped out by the superkicks moments later as well. The Bucks picked up Reed for the TK Driver, giving them the pinfall win in 13 minutes.
Really fun three-way tag match, but this result is a letdown. The Rascalz are new and Private Party have been gone for ages, and we go with the duo who have faced FTR many times before? I’d prefer something fresh, as much fun as the Bucks can be.
Tag champs FTR hit the ring afterward and tried to play games with the Bucks on the mic, but the new #1 contenders didn’t have time for it and took them out.
We got another video package about Will Ospreay, who has been away since Forbidden Door last year.
Thekla takes down Kris Statlander to earn AEW Women’s World Championship
The main event of the night saw Kris Statlander defend her AEW Women’s Championship against Thekla in a strap match, facing off in a rematch from their first meeting a few weeks back.
Thekla was the first to use the strap as a weapon, catching Statlander with a few hard whips of the leather at ringside. Statlander got some momentum back a minute later, slamming Thekla down onto her knee.
Thekla used the rope to pull Statlander shoulder-first into steel steps at ringside, cutting the champ open on the forehead. The show went to its final commercial break just after this happened.
Statlander was sporting a crimson mask by the time the show returned. The champ battled back into the match near the 10-minute mark, getting a near fall after a powerslam. She climbed to the top rope for a move but was slowed by Thekla, who caught her in the shoulder with a cracking of the strap.
Thekla whipped Statlander a trio of times in the corner then hit a Spider Suplex. Statlander was quick to recover from this move, unloading on Thekla with a series of whips to the back and stomach of the challenger as she remained draped on the turnbuckles.
Statlander got a two-count after a discus lariat, unloaded a series of whips to Thekla’s back, then a Blue Thunder Bomb for another near fall.
After motivating herself with some whips to the back, Statlander tried for a second Blue Thunder Bomb. Thekla dodged the move then started to choke the champ with the strap. Statlander dodged a Curbstomp from Thekla then wrapped the Toxic Spider up with the strap for a tombstone piledriver.
Skye Blue and Julia Hart hit the ring at this point, but Statlander took them both out with whips. This distraction allowed Thekla to drop Statlander with a spear. She wrapped up the champ’s hands behind her back with the strap then hit a Curbstomp to win the AEW Women’s World Championship in 14 minutes!
This was a really physical and solid match between these two, albeit with a somewhat formulaic ending. Unforunately the crowd was a little fatigued at this point, especially following up on that hectic tag bout just before, so this moment felt without the appropriate reaction for a world title change. I liked this one and enjoy the shock move of putting the belt on Thekla. I do wish this came in a bigger spot, though, and with a better build.
Final thoughts
While this episode of Dynamite didn’t feature much more to help build MJF vs. Brody King, the biggest match on Saturday’s Grand Slam: Australia card (an issue I assume came due to travel logistics), it was overall a really fun show. Some decent preview matchups for this weekend’s event mixed in with a pair of exciting title bouts and an electric #1 contenders match, it’s hard to complain about the two hours and some change that this show lasted for.
