Results
- Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta def. Místico, Bandido & Brody King (12:18)
- Harley Cameron def. Marina Shafir (TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest Qualifier) (7:51)
- Will Ospreay def. El Phantasmo (10:41)
- Swerve Strickland def. Daniel Garcia (12:24)
- Zack Sabre Jr. def. Jack Perry (13:12)
- Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson def. Mikey Nicholls & Bad Dude Tito (4:22)
- Queen Aminata def. Red Velvet (TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest Qualifier) (10:15)
- Konosuke Takeshita def. Ricochet (AEW International Championship) (13:48) (Recommended)
Death Riders score their first win of the night
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, a jam-packed Forbidden Door go-home episode, took place from the Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The show opened with a segment backstage, where Jon Moxley was seen giving a pep talk to the Death Riders. It was scheduled to be a busy night for the group, as nearly every single member was set to be in action. “We might go down sometimes, but we don’t stay down,” Moxley said. While still beginning to learn the traditions of the faction, Ospreay was starting to fit in with the group here.
We then went to the ring, where the opening match saw Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta face off against Mistico, Bandido, and Brody King. This served as a preview ahead of the Continental title showdown this weekend between Moxley and Bandido.
El SkyDido were in control as the show went to a break, with the team delivering a trio of tope suicidas. Bandido was isolated by the Death Riders through commercials. Mistico got a hot tag at the 10-minute mark, going on a fun run of moves against all three opponents. A Code Red to Castagnoli from Mistico delivered a two-count, as Moxley got in to break the pin attempt.
King tagged in and delivered a cannonball in the corner to Moxley. He tried to follow up with a piledriver, but an uppercut from Castagnoli stopped that from happening. Bandido got back into the ring and lifted the towering Castagnoli up for a deadlift suplex.
King regained control of the match and was about to lift Moxley for a suplex, but the Death Riders had other plans. Marina Shafir hopped onto the ring apron to distract the referee, allowing Castagnoli to hit King in the back of the head with the Continental title. Moxley capitalized on this illegal moment, rolling up King for the pinfall win in 12 minutes. I wasn’t big on this finish, but overall, this was a strong opener. Most of this match worked at a fast, frantic pace, setting the tone for this evening’s show.
Backstage, Team Mark Briscoe was interviewed about their upcoming cage match against Team MJF at Forbidden Door. Darby Allin was determined to get the win, saying it’s Briscoe’s time to get a shot at the world title. Briscoe wasn’t present for this interview, but Kyle O’Reilly told us that we’ll hear from him in the ring in the next segment.
Harley Cameron qualifies for TBS title match
Marina Shafir remained at ringside following the opening bout, as she was scheduled to face Harley Cameron in the next segment. They were battling for a spot in next week’s six-way Survival of the Fittest match, which will crown the next TBS Champion. Already qualified for the match were Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Persephone. Two more competitors were determined tonight, beginning with this match.
Shafir got the jump on Cameron, who was sporting a Supergirl-inspired outfit just days after she was at a press event for the comic book star’s upcoming movie. Cameron took a beating early in this match, but started to mount a comeback late.
Cameron caught a move from Shafir and countered into a Half Crab. Shafir sneakily transitioned into a rear naked choke, but Cameron countered into a roll-up pin attempt for the pinfall win in just under eight minutes! Cameron pulled off the upset win and is now one victory away from her first-ever AEW title reign. This was a better match than I expected, and an enjoyable upset.
Will Ospreay takes down NJPW’s ELP
We had some NJPW x AEW collaboration up next, as Owen Hart Tournament finalist Will Ospreay went head-to-head with El Phantasmo. Commentary pointed out that these two have history: They have met before in the Best of the Super Juniors, New Japan Cup, and, most notably, the G1 Climax.
This was a back-and-forth match, with the men trading moves at times. I liked seven minutes in, when they both hit their own Stundog Millionaires. These two had a lengthy striking exchange with hard forearms, chops, and kicks, which Ospreay got the better of. A long series of counters ended with Ospreay scoring a Spanish Fly for a near fall.
Ospreay tried for a Hidden Blade, but Phantasmo countered it into a hurricanrana. He followed up with a thrust kick, but it wasn’t enough to put away Ospreay. NJPW’s Phantasmo tried to score a piledriver, but Ospreay countered into a Styles Clash. He then followed up with a deadly-looking Hidden Blade for the win in 10 minutes. A punchy, quick showcase of Ospreay just a few days before he meets Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door. Phantasmo and Ospreay’s chemistry was clear here, as they were seamlessly pulling off some intricate sequences. Good stuff.
Swerve earns win over Ospreay Death Riders ally Daniel Garcia
We went from one Owen Hart Final preview to another, as up next was Swerve Strickland facing Daniel Garcia of the Death Riders. Garcia came into the ring fired up, throwing a chair at ringside, then immediately getting in Strickland’s face.
A Swerve Stomp from Strickland on the ring apron was dodged by Garcia. While he wasn’t able to connect with his famous move, Strickland got Garcia with a Death Valley Driver onto the apron just moments later.
Garcia started to target the left knee of Strickland late in the match. Strickland connected with a backbreaker then followed up with a powerslam, but it wasn’t enough to put away a tough Garcia. Strickland tried for a House Call, but the leg that Garcia was targeting gave out and caused him to slip! Garcia capitalized on this pause, giving Strickland a Styles Clash.
Garcia tried for the Dragontamer, further going after Strickland’s legs, but the Owen Hart finalist was able to prevent the move. Strickland connected with his House Call upon the second attempt, but Garcia kicked out once again!
It looked like Strickland was about to go for a Swerve Stomp, but then decided to do something else: Will Ospreay’s Hidden Blade. The running elbow strike from Strickland was enough to finally put away Garcia in 12 minutes.
Attempting to send a message to Ospreay, Strickland continued to attack Garcia after the match. Ospreay hit the ring for the save, causing a brief brawl between these two. Ospreay was about to give Strickland a Hidden Blade, but Prince Nana tripped him up, allowing Strickland to connect with a House Call. A Vertebreaker attempt on Ospreay was stopped by Garcia, who ended up taking the move instead. Ospreay pulled out a chair, causing Strickland to run for the hills. The two matches here and the post-match segment were a great way to preview what should be a good bout between these two on Sunday.
ZSJ wins ahead of Forbidden Door showdown
We went backstage, where a cypher-style promo featuring MJF and numerous Don Callis Family members went down. MJF took aim at Mark Briscoe, calling him a “blue collar b****” and saying he’s never kicked out of his Jay Driller because he’s never had to. Don Callis showed off a hideous “DC-MJF” t-shirt for the faction, attempting to up team morale ahead of their big cage bout on Sunday.
NJPW star Zack Sabre Jr. was in the ring next, facing Jack Perry just a few days before he battles with Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door. Sabre Jr. rolled out of the ring early for a breather after a roll-up attempt from Perry nearly caught him.
There was a crafty spot after the show returned from a break, as a baseball slide from Perry was countered at ringside by Sabre Jr. into an armbar. The fight went to the ring apron, where Perry scored a Sliced Bread. He followed up with a huge top-rope moonsault to the outside, which looked like it caused a hard fall.
Back in the ring, Perry’s momentum was quickly stopped when Sabre Jr. locked him in a triangle choke. Perry powerbombed his way out of the submission, giving him a two-count. Perry and Sabre Jr. went back and forth with submission attempts, a sequence that ended after Perry turned the NJPW star inside out with a hard lariat. Another powerbomb from Perry gave him yet another near-fall.
Sabre Jr. countered a knee strike with a leg lock. Sabre Jr. started to wrench the left arm of Perry back at the same time, causing Perry to verbally tap out at 13 minutes. The crowd was quiet for this one (What’s that line about technical wrestling in America being like reading Shakespeare to a dog?), but I enjoyed it.
Omega/ZSJ trade words before PPV match
The theme of TMDK vs. The Elite continued in the next segment, as Mikey Nicholls and Bad Dude Tito battled with the Young Bucks. This is kind of a Forbidden Door match (Nicholls and Tito are best known as NJPW stars), but also kinda not? (It’s been over a year since either has appeared in the promotion).
This was an incredibly quick one, at least compared to the other tune-up matches tonight. The Young Bucks connected with a TK Driver against Nicholls for the pinfall win in four minutes.
Tito and Zack Sabre Jr. did a post-match attack. As expected, this caused Kenny Omega to hit the ring for the save. Omega got on the mic and said that he would make people forget Sabre Jr., just like they did last year. Sabre Jr. told Omega to stay out of the hospital.
We saw an awesome promo from Thekla from this weekend, when she crashed STARDOM’s The Conversion event and attacked company President Taro Okada. She cut the promo while being held by two security guards who were escorting her out of the venue – this was worth catching.
Aminata earns TBS title opportunity
The co-main event saw Queen Aminata and Red Velvet go head-to-head, with the winner qualifying for next week’s TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest match.
Velvet got a two-count after powerboming Aminata out of the corner, then hitting a Scissor Kick to the back of the head. Aminata was working her usual heavy-hitting style, which is always fun. Aminata got a near fall after scoring a double stomp off a set of turnbuckles.
The fight went into the corner, where Velvet launched Aminata to the mat with a hurricanrana, then followed up with a huge frogsplash. Aminata kicked out, but looked like nearly everything was taken out of her from that combination.
Velvet ripped off the athletic tape that was on Aminata’s neck. They went back and forth with stiff strikes, an exchange that ended after Aminata dropped her with a hard headbutt. The shot seated Velvet against the bottom rope, setting her up for Aminata’s Off With Her Head kick finisher, ending the match in 10 minutes. Good showdown between these two, and it’s great that we’re going to see more Aminata next week.
Before their tag title match this weekend, we saw Cope & Cage get into a brawl with Clark Connors and David Finlay of The Dogs. This scuffle ended with the champs getting choked out with cables. Connors and Finlay then mocked the legends with their own five-second pose.
Takeshita defends International title, big brawl ends show
The main event of the night saw Konosuke Takeshita defend his AEW International Championship against Ricochet. It was announced earlier in the night that everyone else would be banned from ringside for this match.
Ricochet tossed his jacket at Takeshita as a distraction, allowing him to get a jump on the champ to open the match. Ricochet scored a pair of dives to the outside early, including a Sasuke Special. He came off the top rope with a 450 Splash, hoping it would be enough to give him an upset quick win, but Takeshita kicked out at two.
Ricochet controlled most of the match early on. A move in the corner from Takeshita was dodged by Ricochet, causing the champ to go tumbling over the top and to the outside. Ricochet tried for a Shooting Star Press off the ring apron, but Takeshita caught it and countered into an Exploder Suplex.
Back in the ring, Takeshita got a near fall with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Takeshita connected with his classic combination piledriver into deadlift German Suplex. Ricochet responded with his Vertigo driver moments later for a near fall.
Ricochet hit his own Powerdrive Knee then connected with a Shooting Star Press off the top. The fight went to the top rope, where Takeshita attempted a huge German Suplex. Ricochet landed on his feet from the German and tried for a Spirit Gun, but Takeshita avoided the move. Takeshita hit a hard forearm then a powerbomb for a near fall.
Takeshita searched for a Powerdrive Knee, but Ricochet shoved the referee between them to avoid taking the move. Ricochet hit Takeshita with a headbutt, head kick, then a Lionsault for another near fall.
Takeshita turned Ricochet inside out with a lariat, scored the Powerdrive Knee upon second attempt, then his Raging Fire for the pinfall victory in 13 minutes. Great title match between these two.
Before the show wrapped up, Team Briscoe captain Mark Briscoe hit the ring for a promo. Briscoe agreed with MJF’s comments from earlier, when the champ said they’re not alike: “You’re a soft little baby boy and, Max, I’m a grown ass man.”
This promo was eventually cut off by MJF himself, who emerged from the crowd and attacked Briscoe. A Jay Driller from Briscoe was stopped by Kyle Fletcher. We then saw a conveyor belt of run-ins from wrestlers set to be involved in Sunday’s cage match. The end of this run-in parade was Andrade El Idolo, who has had a rocky relationship with MJF, saving the champ from another Jay Driller. MJF and Andrade came to shoves briefly.
Andrade attempted to hold Briscoe down so that MJF could strike him in the head with his Dynamite Diamond Ring. What happened next? You guessed it, MJF accidentally struck Andrade instead. Briscoe hit his Jay Driller to end the segment.
Here’s what AEW announced for Saturday’s Collision, which is being taped tonight:
- Jake Doyle vs. Adam Priest
- Mistico & Speedball Mike Bailey vs. Tony Nese & Ari Daivari
- Jericho vs. JD Drake
- Persephone vs. Billie Starkz (Women’s CMLL World Championship)
- Kevin Knight vs. Dezmond Xavier (TNT Championship)
- Mercedes Moné & Athena vs. Maya World & Hyan
