CONTAINS SPOILERS

Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Kicking off the first Dynamite of the new year… “The Devil” Adam Cole came to the ring to explain his shocking betrayal of MJF!

Cole was accompanied by Roderick Strong, Wardlow, and the ROH World Tag Team Champions—The Kingdom—Mike Bennett and Matt Taven.

Strong: “Everybody shut up and listen to my best friend Adam!”

Cole: “You guys don’t have sympathy for me? I find it ironic that so many people were shocked by what happened at Worlds End, which means you’re all stupid, and you don’t know right from wrong. You think we’re the bad guys because we betrayed MJF? The guy who has run his mouth about everyone in the locker room and all of you fans? If that makes me the devil, then buy me a first class ticket straight to hell.

“MJF is a narcissist. The only person that MJF cares about is MJF. And he’s had his claws hooked in AEW for far too long. And I think it’s a time for a change. Someday most of that locker room will thank me. Hell, someday Tony Khan will thank me because MJF is gone and he’s never coming back.

“There’s a lot of reasons why I did what I did. MJF would have done the same to me, I just beat him to the punch. Adam Cole never needed MJF. MJF needed Adam Cole. I sacrificed everything for that friendship. That’s how I broke my ankle. I’m the one that lost something! Not him!

“MJF needed Adam Cole. None of you would have been cheering for MJF without Adam Cole. Better Than You BayBay—that’s me. In the beginning this was all about the AEW World Championship. But then it turned out to be something more. This is about ripping out a man’s heart and bringing him to his knees. MJF is dead!

“I’ll tell you who is very much alive. That is the Undisputed Kingdom. And aside from our disdain for the guy who doesn’t work here anymore, that is to win championship gold. We have the ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kingdom. My real best friend Adam Cole who is going to go after the International Championship. And Wardlow, finally with a group who respects him, he will go after the AEW World Championship. And when the time is right, Wardlow will forfeit the AEW World Championship and give it to me.

“And speaking of that, congratulations to Samoa Joe. It was a real pleasure doing business with you. It was a pleasure to take out Hangman Adam Page. And by the time Wardlow is ready, I hope you are not the AEW World Champion, because it would suck to hurt you as a friend. AEW needed change and we gave it to you. The Undisputed Kingdom starts a new era, and the devil is here to stay, baybay!”

“Switchblade” Jay White walked onto the ramp!

Jay White: “My good friend Adam Cole, baybay. Or as we now know you to be, the Devil, huh? I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your edge after all. What I don’t like is being collateral for your cause and for making me the catalyst when you had your friends jump me. And I’m not alone.”

Colten and Austin Gunn came out and the Gunns and Jay White jumped into the ring and began brawling with the Undisputed Kingdom! Bullet Club Gold were outnumbered until The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass charged to the ring! The Undisputed Kingdom retreated!

“The Acclaimed came to the aid of Bullet Club Gold is not how I expected to begin this year,” said Excalibur.

AEW International Championship Match!

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.) vs. Top Flight’s Dante Martin!

Dante and Orange exchanged pinning combinations at the start of the match. They continued to chain wrestle. Dante remained composed despite facing the veteran Cassidy. Dante applied a deep cradle for a near fall, and then Orange slid out of the ring to slow down Dante’s momentum. 

Cassidy baited Dante to the outside and then followed up with an elbow suicida. Orange rammed Dante into the steel barricade. Cassidy ran towards Dante Martin and dropkicked him. Dante reversed a suplex attempt and nailed Orange with a snap suplex onto the arena floor. Dante flew at Cassidy with a tope suicida, pushing the pace. Dante followed up with a springboard crossbody press for a two-count.

“When Dante gets up in the air it’s almost like time stops for a moment,” said Taz.

Dante began to play mind games with the champ, brushing him with light kicks and strikes. Cassidy had enough and connected with a thrust kick. Cassidy stomped at Dante in the corner, the intensity picking up with each subsequent strike. Cassidy spiked Dante with a DDT for a near fall!

“That was a crazy landing on that DDT! Talk about an exclamation point,” said Taz.

Orange blasted Dante with a diving DDT, driving Dante’s head down into the mat, good for another near fall. Dante ducked an Orange Punch. Dante escaped the Beach Break and then rocked Orange with a knee strike to the face! Dante hit a senton to Orange’s back. Dante climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Cassidy rolled, trying to get out of the ray. Dante walked the ropes and flew across the ring, splashing Orange! The champ moved out of the way of a senton. Orange crushed Dante with the Orange Punch and then pinned Dante!

FTW Champ Hook and Danhausen came down to check on Orange Cassidy, while Action Andretti and Darius Martin came to collect Dante. Orange offered his hand to Dante and shook it, showing good sportsmanship. 

Private Party—Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen made their returns!

Marq Quen: “Allow me to reintroduce ourselves! We’ve been keeping tabs on the tag division. The tag division has been missing some flavor! And most importantly the tag division has been missing Private Party!”

Isiah Kassidy: “We’re putting every tag team on notice. That means all of you, FTR, the Young Bucks, and the Hardys. We say new year, new champs!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Luther the Butler!

Toni: “This isn’t New York. This is New Jersey. I belong on Broadway. So, I’m going to call it a night. I’m not going to watch Mariah May’s debut. She needs to pay her dues, and what better way than wrestling in New Jersey!

Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews accepted FTR’s challenge! 

The House of Black said if they beat FTR, Cash and Dax would need to disown their family and walk back with their new family—the House of Black! It’s set for this Saturday live on Collision!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland!

Prince Nana: “Daniel Garcia is a respected competitor, but does he know he’s getting into the ring with the boss of bosses?”

Swerve: “Earlier tonight Daniel was talking about big pressure. It’s not about making diamonds with us, it’s about making pain. And in 2024 I’m looking for championship gold. So, I guess it’s up to you, Samoa Joe, so be ready!

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata!

Mariah May blasted Queen Aminata with an open palm strike. Mariah chopped at Aminata. Mariah followed up with a solid dropkick. Aminata was tied up in the ropes and Mariah May blasted her from behind with another running dropkick!

Queen Aminata fired back with a few slaps to Mariah’s face. Aminata kicked Mariah in the spine and then followed up with a running knee strike. Mariah May exploded out of the corner with a sling blade. Mariah finished off Queen Aminata with the May Day and pinned Aminata!

Renee Paquette interviewed Mariah May in the ring after the match.

Mariah May: “I can’t believe it! I won my AEW debut! I’ve wanted to be a wrestler since I was a little kid, so the fact that I’m in this ring on AEW is surreal to me. And I hope Miss Toni Storm is watching wherever she is. This is the first Dynamite of the New Year and it’s all about Mariah. But my only regret is we had to do this in New Jersey.”

“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo walked down to the ring, upstaging Mariah May!

Deonna: “Renee, I’m sure you know this but I’m from New Jersey! And if Toni Storm doesn’t want to be here, then trust me, we all don’t want her here either. But Mariah, I have a message that you can pass along to Miss Storm. It doesn’t matter where she runs or hides, I will find her because Mariah I am All Elite! And we are in the Age of the Virtuosa!”

Mariah May: “Okay, well, Deonna, I’m not the messenger so tell her yourself!”

Mariah May slapped Deonna and Deonna slapped back, knocking Mariah off her feet!

2x TNT Champion Christian Cage gave his 2024 State of The Union!

Christian Cage came to the ring with Shayna Wayne, “the Prodigy” Nick Wayne, and Killswitch!

Shayna Wayne took the microphone from Tony Schiavone and addressed the fans. “You boo me? You boo a mother? How dare you? I demand you people get on your feet right now and pay respect to the greatest TNT Champion that ever lived, our father, “the Patriarch” Christian Cage.”

Christian Cage: “Tony, it has been 200 days since I won this championship on the very first episode of Collision. It has been an historic run for sure. And if you interrupt me again, I’m going to have Mother Wayne put you across her knee and discipline you.

“I went through a war at Worlds End and there are a few people I need to thank. First of all, Mother Wayne, for understanding the vision. A mother’s work is never done. Secondly, I’d like to thank my pride and joy, the apple of my eye, Nick Wayne, who put his body on the line. Adam Copeland tried to put Nick’s career to an end at the age of 18. I just want to say I love you, Nick. 

“And lastly, I’d like to thank the man that sealed the victory at Worlds End, the man that put the final nail in the coffin that is Adam Copeland. I would like to thank myself!”

The fans chanted “Luchasaurus! Luchasaurus!”

Christian Cage: “I’d like to address Adam Copeland for the final time. I’ve beaten you twice. It’s to the back of the line and there’s no more title shots for you. I could make fun of you and say you grew up without a father. Or I could mention how your mother is no longer with us. But all I need to say is Christian Cage is superior to you. I’d like to think we left a little bit of our souls in the ring at Worlds End, but the difference is, one of us doesn’t have a soul. And that’s why I stand before you as the TNT Champion.

“So, this is a warning for anyone that has eyes for my TNT Championship. What happened at Worlds End is just a glimpse at what I’ll do to hold onto my title! This is the most important championship in this company. And I will remain the TNT Champion for as long as I want until I decide to hand off this title to Nick Wayne to carry on my legacy. We are the faces of AEW, now and forever!”

Renee Paquette was backstage with Harley Cameron, Saraya, and Ruby Soho!

Ruby thanked Harley for her help this past Friday. 

Harley: “I’ll do anything!”

Saraya: “I said she’d do anything. I didn’t say she’d be sane.”

Saraya warned Harley to cool it. Renee wondered what was going on before the Outcasts walked off.

Darby Allin vs. The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita!

Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.

Takeshita grabbed Darby and planted him hard on the mat. Takeshita went for a wheelbarrow suplex, but Darby landed on his feet. Takeshita hit Darby with a big back body drop, with Darby arcing high into the air before crashing hard.

Darby rocketed out of the ring with a tope, but Takeshita countered with a wicked knee strike! Takeshita nailed Darby with a rolling German Suplex on the ramp! Darby managed to get to his feet and fly out of the ring with a tope like a human battering ram at Takeshita!

Takeshita countered the Code Red, planting Darby for a near fall. Takeshita was looking for a running knee strike in the corner, but Darby escaped the ring. Takeshita charged at Darby, but Darby dodged it, sending Takeshita crashing into the guardrail. Darby connected with a Coffin Drop on the outside!

“Darby will throw caution at the wind. He doesn’t care,” said Taz.

Darby was waiting for Takeshita as Takeshita entered the ring. Darby blasted Takeshita with a Code Red for a two-count. Darby went for another Coffin Drop but Takeshita lifted his knees, blocking the move and punishing Darby at the same time. Takeshita made Darby eat a lariat, dropping Darby. Don Callis signaled for Takeshita to finish it. Takeshita rocked Darby with a running boot in the corner. Takeshita hoisted Darby up on the top rope and followed up with an avalanche German Suplex! Takeshita connected with the power drive knee and then pinned Darby!

“A statement victory for the ‘Alpha’ to start the New Year,” said Excalibur.

After the match, Don Callis made a challenge! Callis invited Sting and Darby Allin to face Takeshita and Hobbs at Daily’s Place!

Continental Title Eliminator Match!

Trent Beretta vs. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage vs. “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith vs. AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo!

The winner fights Eddie Kingston on Collision.

Danhausen was watching from ringside. 

Brian Cage plowed into Trent and Bryan. Vikingo connected with a tope suicida to Cage. Keith clobbered Trent with forearms. Keith connected with a high boot to Trent’s jaw. Vikingo used a big arm drag on Bryan Keith.

Brian Cage blocked a hurracanrana from Vikingo and then Cage hurled Vikingo overhead. Trent jumped over the top rope and landed on Cage with a cross body on the arena floor. Cage stunned Trent with a brain buster on the floor!

Vikingo dropkicked “the Machine” from the top rope. Vikingo climbed to the top, but Bryan Keith stopped him with a jumping headbutt. Cage kicked Keith in the midsection. Trent threw Cage with a release German Suplex from the top and then connected with a running knee strike. 

Cage power bombed Trent for a near fall. Danhausen jumped into the ring and cursed Cage. Brian Cage picked up Danhausen but Keith and Vikingo landed thrust kicks and took down Cage. Keith charged at Trent with the diving battering ram head butt for a two-count on Trent. Keith was looking for a Tiger Driver, but Trent countered, planted Keith and pinned him!

Trent has earned a shot at Kingston’s Continental Crown Championship this Saturday at Collision!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Daddy Magic to interview him when they were interrupted by “Hangman” Adam Page!

Adam Page: “A few weeks ago Samoa Joe had a bunch of goons put me through a car windshield. So, I am here tonight to beat somebody’s ass! And if I can’t find the World Champion, it’ll be Adam Cole. If it’s not Adam Cole, it’ll be you. I dare somebody to give me a reason!”

Main Event Time!

Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. Daniel Garcia!

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard joined the broadcast team for this match.

Swerve knocked Garcia to the mat with a shoulder block. Swerve rolled up Garcia for a near fall. Garcia sent Swerve spilling to the outside with a jumping knee strike. Garcia whipped Swerve into the barricade. Garcia and Prince Nana had a dance off! Garcia heard Swerve coming up from behind, but Garcia was waiting for him and rammed him into the ring post. 

Prince Nana grabbed Garcia’s boot. Swerve booted Garcia and then drilled Daniel Garcia with a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron! Swerve created distance with a European Uppercut. Garcia pounded Swerve down to the mat. Garcia dropkicked Swerve. Garcia grabbed a near fall after a stalling suplex on Swerve.

Swerve nailed Garcia with a back breaker. Swerve got into Daddy Magic’s face. Garcia bulldozed Swerve. Garcia put Swerve in the sharpshooter on the announcer’s table. Swerve managed to escape as they both rolled off the table and onto the floor. 

Garcia superplexed Swerve back into the ring. Swerve hung on and served up a suplex of his own! Swerve had the upper hand, but just barely. Garcia grabbed Swerve by the wrists and yanked him right into a knee strike. Swerve lured Daniel into a flatliner! Swerve connected with the House Call, but Garcia kicked out at the two-count!

Swerve climbed to the top and crushed Garcia with the Swerve Stomp for another near fall! Garcia rolled up Swerve with a crucifix for a near fall. Swerve cracked Garcia with the House Call and finished off Garcia with the JML Driver, pinning Garcia!

“Is 2024 going to be the year of Swerve Strickland? He put AEW World Champion Samoa Joe on notice,” said Excalibur.

Swerve offered his hand to Garcia, and as Garcia went to accept, Prince Nana clocked Garcia with a low blow! Daddy Magic had enough! Daddy Magic began to bludgeon Swerve with strikes until Swerve kicked him low. “Hangman” Adam Page stormed to the ring with purpose!  Page struck Swerve and they began to brawl, both men throwing bombs! Security tried to separate the two men! Page broke free and jumped on Swerve! Page was peeled off Strickland. Then Swerve broke free and lunged at Page until they were pried apart again!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL!

This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!

Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

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WORLDS END proved to be exactly that for Maxwell Jacob Friedman as, in front of his hometown audience, he saw the AEW World Championship slip away to Samoa Joe and witnessed his best friend Adam Cole reveal himself as The Devil. Flanked by The Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, and Wardlow, Cole watched as his associates demolished the dethroned champion. Why Cole and these men have traveled this path remains to be learned, though it’s been clear for months Wardlow’s wanted Max’s head, and perhaps we will find out more soon.

In addition, the bums around the world rejoiced as Eddie Kingston defeated Jon Moxley in the finals of the Continental Classic to not only retain his ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Titles, but to also become the first Continental Champion, and the holder of the Continental Crown! It was one of the most emotional moments in AEW’s history, and likely the biggest in the career of Eddie Kingston. WORLDS END was also a night that saw the wildest TNT Championship situation imaginable, including the shortest title reign in history, and Killswitch make a surprising decision in the heat of the moment. Toni Storm retained her AEW Women’s World Championship, as did Julia Hart with the TBS Title, and so much more went down on AEW’s final PPV presentation of 2023!

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With a new year upon us, and a new AEW World Champion at the helm, All Elite Wrestling embarks down a new path but starting on familiar territory. The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ will host the first DYNAMITE of 2024 and with it comes an AEW International Championship Match where Orange Cassidy will defend against Top Flight’s Dante Martin! In addition, after two months of anticipation, Mariah May will finally make her in-ring debut this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE! 

The first AEW event of 2024 begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from WORLDS END, as well last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

THE CHAMP IS HERE!

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At WORLDS END this past Saturday, the longest reigning ROH World Champion and ROH World Television Champion of all-time added another accolade to his resume: AEW World Champion. Samoa Joe, after eighteen minutes of a tremendous fight, choked Maxwell Jacob Friedman unconscious to end the longest and most successful AEW World Championship reign experienced since Chris Jericho first won the crown at ALL OUT 2019. 

While the way the remainder of the evening played out for MJF will haunt him for some time, knowing that he is no longer the champion will likely linger the longest, especially as he watches DYNAMITE this Wednesday night, healing up from the various injuries sustained over his championship run, and sees Samoa Joe walk to the ring with the AEW World Championship over his shoulder. The added knowledge that the Triple B is in a dumpster somewhere on Long Island may just make it even more painful…

But that’s MJF’s burden to handle; the question at hand is where does Samoa Joe go from here? He made it abundantly clear in the Media Scrum that anyone can try to step to the champ, that he’d fight Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland and anyone else who wants a piece of the action. So who will be brave enough to be the first? We already witnessed Hangman and Joe have a confrontation in recent weeks, will it be him? Will it be Swerve who said his road to the title started December 31st? We will find out soon enough if anyone is willing to put it all on the line for a shot at greatness…

THE DEVIL REVEALED…

Why Adam? Why? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after seeing Adam Cole sitting in that chair Saturday night, surrounded by Matt Taven, Mike Bennett, Wardlow, and Roderick Strong, with The Devil’s Mask tossed on the broken body of former AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman. After spending months tolerating Max’s behavior, helping him grow into a legitimately better version of himself, and seemingly driving a wedge into his relationship with Roderick Strong, why did Adam Cole put in all that effort to drive a knife between the shoulder blades of MJF? Has this been the plan since the Blind Eliminator Tournament over the summer? Since after ALL IN: LONDON? Or maybe after Cole got hurt at GRAND SLAM 2023 trying to help MJF in his first match with Samoa Joe? 

It’s all speculation at the moment, but tonight on DYNAMITE, we expect to get some answers from Adam Cole about why he donned The Devil mask and betrayed Maxwell Jacob Friedman!

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Top Flight’s Dante Martin

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The last time Dante Martin challenged for a singles championship was on the June 3, 2022 edition of RAMPAGE when he challenged Scorpio Sky for the TNT Championship. Obviously that was not his night to claim a singles title, but it was one of many nights that proved with getting experience under his belt, Dante was destined for success with his brother, as well as on his own. Unfortunately a freak injury at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 derailed Dante’s career for months on end, but in truth he’s fortunate the injury didn’t flat out end his wrestling journey.

But since returning from that injury with a November 29th Trios victory on DYNAMITE, Dante has looked superb both in AEW and ROH action. He’s racked up victories in five of the six matches he’s been involved in, the only loss coming to Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed in an AEW World Trios Championship bout, and seemingly hasn’t missed a step. Dante’s confidence is high, something that can often be lacking when returning from injury, and that helped boost his trio to a victory last Friday night on RAMPAGE over Roppongi Vice and AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy.

It may not have been a pinfall on Orange Cassidy, but it was still Dante scoring the pinfall win over his OC’s team, and as such the fighting International Champion is willing to give this half of Top Flight an opportunity to end the run! Can Dante begin the new year by marking the first title change of 2024? Or will “Freshly Squeezed” ground the man’s dream and move forward into the year with the title still in his backpack? 

THE DEBUT…

Mariah May vs. Queen Aminata

November 8th; that is the day All Elite Wrestling officially announced the signing of Mariah May. May, a standout from the Japanese promotion Stardom reigned as a Goddesses of Stardom Champion alongside Mina Shirakawa during her tenure with the company, with her primary motivation for touring there being to follow in the footsteps of Toni Storm. See “The Timeless One” called Stardom home from 2016 until 2019, and even reigned as the World of Stardom Champion for 258 days, so being thus inspired by the path of Toni Storm, it was an experience Mariah May had to take.

After wrapping up in Stardom on September 30th, May showed up in AEW with aspirations of meeting Toni Storm, becoming friends with Toni Storm, and just being in the proximity of the current AEW Women’s World Champion. Mariah’s even asked Toni to be at ringside for this debut match, but it seemed like “Timeless” couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge the request being made by a woman whose name she couldn’t be bothered to remember.

Still, even if Toni Storm can’t remember her name, it’s clear from the reaction of the AEW faithful in the arenas, as well as those online, that they know who Mariah May is and have been patiently waiting for her in-ring debut. Well that day is finally upon us, so it’s all on Mariah to make it a memorable one and leave an impression on the AEW Women’s World Champion, otherwise it will be Queen Aminata who makes her mark by spoiling the AEW premiere of “The Glamour”!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia

The last several months in the careers of these two men could not be more different; since WRESTLEDREAM, Swerve Strickland has been on an absolute tear in All Elite Wrestling, winning nine of his last twelve bouts, including that unforgettable Texas Death Match with Hangman Page at FULL GEAR 2023, and had the best pinfall ratio in the Continental Classic. After scoring three straight victories in the Gold League, Swerve experienced his first pinfall loss at the hands of Jon Moxley. Still, with a victory in his final points match-up, Strickland managed to work his way into a Three Way League Final with Mox and Jay White, only to see Moxley pin White to advance to the overall Finals. But with Moxley losing to Eddie Kingston in the tournament finals, that means Swerve was the only man in the entire Continental Classic to only be pinned one time, and he capped off his year with a win over Dustin Rhodes in lieu of Keith Lee being unable to compete.

As for Daniel Garcia, he’s experienced just three victories in his last twelve matches with two of those coming over the course of the last week. It’s been a rough road for the man as of late, a frustrating one that’s often put him at odds with friend Matt Menard, but when he pinned Brody King in their final Blue League match, it felt like perhaps it had all been worth it. That feeling was further amplified at WORLDS END where, as part of the All-Star Eight-Man Tag, Garcia actually scored the winning pinfall for his team, a unit consisting of Blackpool Combat Club members Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli, as well as Mark Briscoe. 

It was a triumphant way to end the year for both men, but DYNAMITE marks the beginning of a new one for All Elite Wrestling, and that means nose right back to the grindstone. Swerve stated in the WORLDS END Media Scrum that his mission of becoming World Champion began the day after the pay-per-view, and that means a fight with Daniel Garcia on his plate for Wednesday night! For both men this is the kind of fight that can shape the rest of the year, and neither wants to let 2024 start on a bad foot. This will be two men fighting with every thing they’ve got in their body and soul; may the best one win…

CHRISTIAN CAGE’S 2024 STATE OF THE UNION…

What on Earth just happened? That had to be the thought spiraling through the mind of Adam Copeland after seeing the TNT Championship ripped away just minutes after he pinned Christian Cage to claim it for himself. From the moment Paul Turner’s hand counted three to end Cage’s first TNT Championship run to the second it hit three to begin his second, just three minutes and thirty-two seconds had passed, officially making Copeland the shortest reigning champion in AEW history. It should have been a moment of triumph for Adam, putting to rest the toxic relationship with Christian Cage, but ever the opportunist, “The Patriarch” managed to take Killswitch’s moment and make it his own. Whatever Cage whispered to the former Luchasaurus was enough to make the monster surrender the TNT Championship match he’d earned earlier in the night into Christian’s hands after Killswitch had done all the dirty work to incapacitate Copeland.

So now Christian Cage walks into DYNAMITE as a 2-Time TNT Champion, and it looks like we will all have to suffer through him delivering a State of the Union-style address to the AEW faithful. It will undoubtedly be filled with heaping of self-praise, with little credit given to Killswitch for doing the actual work, and likely little acknowledgment of the fact Adam Copeland beat him in the middle of the ring at WORLDS END. The question Christian Cage should be asking himself as he prepares to deliver this speech is whether or not Adam Copeland will be watching, listening, waiting, for his opportunity to deliver much-deserved retribution?

A new era is upon us with 2023, the era of AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, and it begins when All Elite Wrestling returns to the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ for the first DYNAMITE of 2024! On tap is an AEW International Championship Match pitting Orange Cassidy against challenger Dante Martin, as well as the greatly anticipated in-ring debut of Mariah May, and so much more! 

It all begins again at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from WORLDS END, as well last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more!

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CONTAINS SPOILERS

AEW presented Worlds End live from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, NY!

It’s Saturday and you know what that means!

The Zero Hour portion of the show kicked off! 

Your announce team for Zero Hour was Excalibur, Taz, and Nigel McGuinness.

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale!

Stokely Hathaway joined the commentary team for this match.

Willow connected with a crossbody press off the middle rope for a near fall. Willow followed up with a running clothesline and then flipped off the apron, landing on Statlander. Back in the ring, Statlander applied the pressure with body scissors. Willow got to her feet and scored with a kick to Kris. Willow nailed Kris with a massive spinebuster for a two-count. 

Kris hoisted Willow up on her shoulders and planted her on her face. Willow fired back with a running pounce! Willow cannonballed Kris in the corner and followed up with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Kris blasted Willow with a scissor kick across the spine. Willow grabbed Kris off the top turnbuckle and power bombed her onto the apron!

Willow reversed Saturday Night Fever will a roll-up for a near fall. Kris tried for a 450 but Willow dodged it. Willow hit the Doctor Bomb and pinned Statlander!

A vignette aired showcasing the impending return of Serena Deeb!

TNT Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royale!

The winner of this 20-man battle royale will earn a shot at the TNT Championship anytime, anywhere.

Lance Archer and Killswitch were buried under tables while the other competitors whacked away at them with steel chairs. Trent whipped Serpentico over the top rope and eliminated him. Kip Sabian charged at Dalton Castle and knocked him to the arena floor.

Danhausen kicked Johnny TV out of the ring as Johnny was trying to pull Trent out. Lee Johnson connected with a body press to Kip Sabian. Angelo Parker eliminated Lee. Dark Order tossed out Cool Hand Ang. Kip cannonballed Alex Reynolds and then eliminated Reynolds. 

Butcher sent John Silver packing. Trent and Rocky rocked Kip with a double knee strike. Bryan Keith kicked Kip out. Danhausen tried to curse Keith, but Butcher cut him off. Keith suplexed the Butcher. Blade charged at Keith and rammed him out to the floor. Lance Archer escaped the pile of lumber and entered the match. Daddy Magic chopped at Archer. The MurderHawk Monster clubbed Daddy Magic and made him vanish from the match. Archer eliminated Christopher Daniels.

Archer picked up Rocky and threw him over the top and sent him crashing onto Daniels. Darius Martin and Action Andretti worked in tandem on Archer. Killswitch emerged and choke slammed Darius and Action. Archer and Killswitch threw Action and Darius out of the ring. Blade ate a big boot from Archer before being tossed out. Killswitch booted Blade out of the match.

Trent and Danhausen grabbed Lance Archer and flipped him over the top and to the floor. Trent and Danhausen hugged, but then Trent eliminated Danhausen. Trent charged at Killswitch with a running knee strike. And then a second, and then a third knee strike! Killswitch caught Trent and planted him with a chokeslam. Killswitch clobbered Trent with a European Uppercut on the apron and then won the match!

FTW Championship Match/FTW Rules!

HOOK (c.) vs. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta!

Yuta charged at Hook as Hook was making his entrance. Hook pounded away with strikes at Yuta in the corner. Hook headbutted Yuta. They brawled onto the ramp. Hook sent Yuta for a ride with a suplex. Yuta grabbed a trash can lid from under the ring and swung for the fences, clocking Hook in the head.

Yuta whipped Hook into the steel barricade. Yuta was grinding his boot into Hook’s head. Hook jumped into the ring, but Yuta was waiting for him. Yuta had a stop sign and slammed it into Hook’s back. Yuta sat out with a senton for a near fall on Hook. 

Hook suplexed Yuta with a Northern Lights throw for a near fall. Yuta countered the Red Rum with a release German Suplex. Yuta chomped on Hook’s forehead and then connected with a fisherman’s suplex. Hook caught Yuta and suplexed him into the trash can with a high cradle. Hook tried for the Red Rum, but Yuta sat back and smashed Hook onto the trash can. Yuta spiked Hook with a DDT on the stop sign for a two-count. 

Yuta grabbed a two-by-four, but Hook found a hockey stick. Hook cracked the hockey stick over Yuta’s back. Hook used the remnants of the stick, applied Red Rum, and made Yuta tap out!

The pay-per-view portion of the night kicked off with…

All Star 8-Man Tag Match!

Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, Mark Briscoe, & Daniel Garcia

vs.

Brody King, Jay White, Jay Lethal, & Rush!

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard joined the commentary team for this match.

Rush and Claudio started shoving one another. It escalated to stiff chops and forearms. Claudio booted Rush but Rush retaliated with a German Suplex. Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe tagged in for their respective teams.

Lethal dropkicked Mark but Mark answered with some redneck kung fu. Danielson and Jay White grabbed tags. The crowd came alive at the sight of these two competitors entering the ring to square off. Danielson tried for the Le Bell Lock, but Jay White quickly grabbed the ropes to force the ref to break the hold. The “Switchblade” chopped Danielson in the chest, lighting him up. Danielson whipped White into the turnbuckles and then walloped White with round kicks.

Danielson took down Jay White with a hurracanrana. Bryan fired off more round kicks and then Daniel Garcia grabbed a blind tag. Danielson wasn’t happy. Brody King entered the ring and Garcia tried to use his quickness against Brody. Brody blasted Garcia with a Bossman Slam! Brody got in Matt Menard’s face and taunted him.

Garcia’s nose was busted, and Jay White body slammed him. Garcia finally reached the corner and tagged Mark Briscoe. Mark took down Jay White with a flying forearm. Briscoe dropped a Cactus elbow off the apron onto Rush. Back in the ring Briscoe planted Jay White with a fisherman’s bomb for a near fall!

Jay Lethal tagged in and superplexed Mark Briscoe from the top! Brody King and Claudio Castagnoli tagged in. Claudio hit a vertical suplex on Brody! Rush charged at Danielson’ with the Bull’s Horns while Brody cannonballed Claudio. But Claudio answered with the Giant Swing, and then Danielson punctuated it with a dropkick to Brody’s head!

“We’ve got bodies flying everywhere!” said Matt Menard.

Garcia got rocked by Jay’s Lethal Combination. Jay Lethal applied the figure four on Garcia. Briscoe stunned Lethal with the Froggy Bow off the top. Claudio sent Jay White flying with a pop up uppercut. Garcia bypassed the Lethal Injection and folded up Lethal for the pin!

“Garcia said he thinks he fits in, and boy did he prove it here tonight,” said Excalibur.

Brody King blindsided Daddy Magic. Sonjay Dutt came out to give Lethal a talking to.

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo (with CJ Perry)!

Miro bulldozed Andrade from behind as Andrade was entering the ring. Andrade tried for a tope suicida, but Miro cut him of at the pass with a stiff shot. Miro turned Andrade inside out with a suplex overhead, throwing him with ease.

Miro shouted at CJ Perry, “Is this what you wanted?!”

Andrade shoved Miro and Miro went flying over the commentary team’s desk. Andrade whipped Miro into the ring steps. They both got into the ring and traded stiff chops. Andrade used a dragon screw leg whip out of nowhere and followed up with a crossbody off the top turnbuckle. Andrade moonsaulted out of the ring and onto Miro on the arena floor. Andrade connected with another moonsault, this time in the ring, for a near fall on Miro. 

Andrade charged at Miro, but Miro made him pay with a massive boot to the face! Miro was feeding off his fury. Miro stomped on Andrade’s back and then applied Game Over. CJ Perry yelled at Andrade, “Do not tap!” Andrade managed to reach the ropes and forced the ref to break the hold. Miro shouted at CJ Perry, “You should cheer for your husband!”

Andrade rocked Miro with the spinning back elbow for a two-count. Andrade applied the figure four leg lock. Andrade transitioned into the figure eight but Miro countered, reversing it. Andrade turned it back over, applying the pressure to Miro. Andrade bridged up, but CJ Perry swept out Andrade’s arms while the ref wasn’t looking! Miro scored with a kick for a near fall on Andrade. Miro trapped Andrade in the Game Over submission and forced Andrade to tap out!

CJ Perry blew a kiss at Miro after the match!

AEW Women’s World Championship Match!

“Timeless” Toni Storm (c.) (with Luther the Butler) vs. Riho!

Toni body slammed Riho and covered her, but Riho bridged right out of it. Riho used a bulldog out of the corner, but Toni kicked out at the one-count. Riho jumped off the apron, but Luther caught her, and then Luther handed Riho to Toni. “Timeless” Toni body slammed Riho on the arena floor.

Riho tried to body slam Toni, but Riho’s back seized up. Toni spotted it and went to work on Riho’s lower back. Toni applied the Texas Cloverleaf, punishing Riho’s lower back. Riho tried to reach the ropes, but Luther pulled the ropes back. The ref saw this and ejected Luther from ringside. 

Riho connected with the area code shot! Riho body slammed Toni Storm. Riho jumped off the top and crashed down on the champion with a diving cross body! Riho double stomped Toni on the apron. Riho nailed Toni with a dragon suplex!

Toni Storm retaliated with the Storm Zero, but somehow Riho kicked out! Riho climbed the turnbuckles, but Toni yanked her down. Toni spiked Riho with a DDT and pinned Riho, retaining her championship!

Mariah May came to the ring with a bucket of rose petals. Mariah poured the petals over Toni, helping her idol celebrate her victory tonight.

Lexy Nair was backstage to interview Dante Martin!

Dante: “I’ve been doing good, but good’s not good enough. Last night I got the pin on Rampage.”

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy walked onto the set. Orange told Dante to try to take his title his Wednesday on Dynamite!

Dustin Rhodes vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!

Dustin was taking the place of Keith Lee, who wasn’t cleared by the doctor to wrestle today due to injury.

Prince Nana set up a cinder block and put Dustin’s ankle on it. Swerve jumped off the apron with a double stomp, smashing Dustin’s ankle and the cinder block! The match hadn’t even officially started. The AEW medical staff and referees help Dustin up, trying to walk him to the back. Dustin couldn’t put any weight on his ankle. Dustin refused to give up and forced his way back to the ring!

“This is ill advised by Dustin Rhodes tonight,” said Excalibur.

Dustin told the ref to ring the bell. Swerve came in hot with a kick to Dustin’s head! Swerve dropkicked Dustin in the knee. Swerve set up Dustin for a superplex. Dustin headbutted his way out of it, knocking Swerve down to the mat. Dustin connected with a crossbody press for a near fall.

Dustin stunned Swerve with a Canadian Destroyer and then a snapping powerslam for a two-count. Prince Nana looked panicked. Dustin blasted Swerve with the UnNatural Kick. Dustin spiked Swerve with a piledriver and then the Cross Rhodes for a two-count!

“If Dustin wins this, what a comeback it would be,” said Tony Schiavone.

Swerve rolled through with a flatliner! Swerve applied a single leg crab on Dustin. Swerve transitioned to a stretch muffler and then stomped on Dustin’s head. Dustin made it to the ropes, showing off his mat sense and toughness. Dustin popped middle fingers at Swerve and then spat at Swerve! Swerve was infuriated and nailed Dustin with the House Call! Swerve wrecked Dustin with a second House Call kick! Swerve finished off Dustin with the Double Stomp from the top rope and pinned Dustin!

“Swerve is victorious but not a happy expression on his face,” said Excalibur.

“I will not have my time wasted anymore,” Swerve said, as he looked into the camera.

8-Man Tag Match!

Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, & Sting

vs.

AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks, and The Don Callis Family—Konosuke Takeshita & Powerhouse Hobbs!

Takeshita dropped Sammy with a headbutt. Sammy tagged Jericho in, and Jericho ate a Takeshita line. Starks grabbed a tag and Starks flipped off Jericho. Hobbs tagged himself in and Starks wasn’t happy. Hobbs rammed into Jericho with a shoulder tackle.

Big Bill tagged in and battered Jericho with clubbing shots. Darby jumped in with a dropkick to Big Bill. Takeshita entered the fray, but Darby connected with a lateral press. Darby drilled Takeshita with a Code Red for a near fall! Darby climbed the top for a Coffin Drop but Don Callis distracted him from the apron. Takeshita hoisted up Darby and decimated him with an avalanche helicopter blue thunder bomb!

Hobbs and Big Bill grabbed Darby and swung him across the ring like a sack of potatoes! Starks entered the match and went for a Stinger Splash, but Darby dodged it. Sting tagged in and threw haymakers all over the ring! 

Starks walked the rope and dropped an elbow on Sting’s arm. Sting drove Sting to the mat and stomped him. Sammy tagged himself in. Sammy came off the turnbuckles with a cutter. Big Bill jumped in the ring and planted Sammy with a Bossman Slam. Jericho came to even up the odds and smashed Big Bill with a Code Breaker. Hobbs wrecked Jericho with a spinebuster from behind. Hobbs pancaked Jericho with the World’s Most Dangerous Slam. Darby splashed Jericho into Hobbs! Darby impaled Hobbs with a Scorpion Death Drop! 

Takeshita suplexed Darby and Sammy with a German Suplex! Sting swept out Takeshita’s leg and applied the Scorpion Death Lock! Callis jumped into the ring with Sting’s baseball bat, forcing Sting to let go of the hold. Callis backed off when Sting saw him. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho to Hobbs. Starks popped Jericho in the face with a thrust kick. 

Darby rocketed out of the ring at Big Bill like a human battering ram! Starks speared Sammy for a near fall! Sammy rocked Starks with a thrust kick and then the GTH! Sammy climbed to the top and walloped Starks with a shooting star press, scoring the pin on Starks!

TBS Championship Match! House Rules Match!

Julia Hart (c.) vs. Abadon!

Abadon chose the stipulation to have biting made legal for this match!

The crowd chanted “This is spooky! This is spooky!”

Abadon hit a cutter out of the gate! Abadon battered Julia in the corner with lariats. 

“Those shots will wear Julia out,” said Taz.

Julia fired back, ramming Abadon’s head into the mat! Julia grabbed Abadon in a crucifix for a near fall. Julia hurled Abadon through the ropes and onto the arena floor. Julia suplexed Abadon onto the cold arena floor. Abadon chomped down on Julia’s arm, taking a bite out of the champion!

Abadon followed up with a lung blower for a near fall. Julia came back with a superplex. Julia blindsided Abadon with a running lariat to the back of the head. Abadon caught Julia in the side of the head with a running knee strike. Abadon bit Julia’s forehead. Skye Blue crawled out from beneath the ring and hit Abadon while the ref was distracted. Skye hid back under the ring, but Abadon pulled her out and cracked Skye with a jumped knee strike! Julia Hart blindsided Abadon again, bashing Abadon’s head into the steel steps. Julia Hart scored the victory after a backflipping knee strike from the top rope onto Abadon’s chest!

TNT Championship No Disqualification Match!

“The Patriarch” Christian Cage (c.) (with Mother Wayne & Nick Wayne) 

vs. “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!

Copeland charged at Christian Cage as Christian was making his entrance. Cope hammered Christian Cage with fists. Copeland sent Christian flying into the barricade. The fans chanted “We want tables!” and Copeland smiled. Christian Cage retreated from the ring. Copeland followed him but Cage was waiting with a thrust kick.

Adam Copeland whipped Christian into the steel ring steps. Christian tried to escape, walking up the arena steps. Copeland followed him. Copeland jumped off the top of the 100 section with a crossbody press onto Christian Cage!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Copeland ran across the barricade, jumped off, and clotheslined Christian Cage! Copeland tried to spear Christian, but Christian dodged it and sent Copeland flying into the steel ring post. Christian stomped on Copeland’s neck on the ring steps! Copeland’s eye began to swell up, blood trickling down his face.

Christian Cage grabbed a kendo stick. Christian cracked Copeland in the back over and over with the kendo stick! Christian was using the kendo stick to choke Copeland. Nick Wayne tossed a couple of chairs to Christian. Christian put the chair across Copeland’s back, sat on it, and applied a Boston Crab. All of Christian’s body weight was on the chair, punishing the back of Copeland. 

Christian had a metal rod, swung it at Copeland, but Copeland ducked it. Copeland planted Christian onto the mat and then bashed him with the kendo stick! Copeland applied the cross face in the center of the ring, putting the metal rod in Christian’s mouth and pulling back! Christian managed to grab the bottom rope and pull himself free. Copeland pulled a ladder from beneath the ring!

Copeland catapulted Christian Cage face-first into the ladder, which was wedged between the ropes. Christian swung the kendo stick at Copeland. Christian Cage climbed the ladder. Copeland got to his feet and climbed the other side of the ladder. Christian whiplashed Copeland with a sunset powerbomb from the top of the ladder for a near fall!

Christian Cage pulled two tables from beneath the ring. Christian and Nick Wayne set up a table near the ring. Copeland went for a spear, but Nick Wayne pulled Christian away. Copeland cracked Christian with a chair across the spine. Copeland nailed Christian Cage with an Impaler on the chair!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Copeland was going for the conchairto, but Nick Wayne pulled the chair out of Copeland’s hands. Christian Cage blindsided Copeland with a low blow. Nick Wayne pushed a table into the ring. Christian Cage propped up the table against the turnbuckles. Christian tried to spear Copeland, but Copeland avoided it. Copeland answered with a spear of his own, putting Christian through the table! Copeland went for the cover, but Shayna Wayne pulled the ref out of the ring!

Nick Wayne rammed the TNT Title into Copeland’s head. Nick Wayne followed up with the Wayne’s World, bashing Copeland’s head onto the arena floor. Cage used the Killswitch for a near fall!

Christian Cage and Nick Wayne poured lighter fluid on a table! Nick Wayne lit the table on fire! Copeland speared Cage! Copeland put more lighter fluid on the table! Copeland power bombed Nick Wayne off the apron and through the burning table!

Christian tried to hit Copeland with the title belt, but Copeland blocked it and stopped Christian in his tracks with a low blow! Copeland smashed Christian with the Killswitch and pinned him!

New TNT Champion…” The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!

Killswitch appeared out of nowhere! Killswitch choke slammed Copeland! Killswitch set up a chair and then choke slammed Copeland on it! Killswitch had his TNT Title contract and was about to hand it to the ref. Christian Cage jumped in between Killswitch and the ref. Christian demanded the contract from Killswitch. Christian made Killswitch surrender the contract after whispering into Killswitch’s ear. Christian signed the contract, handed it to the referee. The ref rang the bell, and we had another TNT Title Championship Match! Christian Cage speared Adam Copeland and pinned him!

And new TNT Champion… “The Patriarch” Christian Cage!

Continental Classic Championship Finals Match!

Gold League Winner Jon Moxley vs. Blue League Winner Eddie Kingston!

The “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson joined the commentary team for this match.

Moxley took down Eddie with a drop toe hold. Eddie went into the guard and blew a kiss to Moxley. Eddie kicked Moxley, forcing Moxley to take a few steps back. Moxley used a snap mare and then kicked Kingston in the lower back. 

Kingston and Moxley traded chops in the center of the ring. Kingston caught Moxley with a kick to the back of the head. Kingston followed up with a tope suicida, but Eddie landed hard on his neck and shoulder. 

Moxley baited Kingston and then German Suplexed him. Moxley spiked Kingston with the Paradigm Shift on the floor. Moxley punished Kingston with kicks to the chest. Kingston got to his feet and chopped at Moxley. Moxley blocked one of the chops with his forearm and Kingston felt pain right away. Moxley drove Kingston down on his neck with a piledriver for a near fall.

“Kingston is the hometown favorite, but Moxley just let the oxygen out of the arena,” said Excalibur.

Moxley applied an STF, but Kingston bit Moxley’s hand. Moxley began to get frustrated. Kingston chopped Moxley and brought Moxley down to his knees with it. They traded more chops. Moxley went to the ropes and Eddie tossed him with an exploder suplex! Eddie followed up with a spinning backfist. Both men went down.

Kingston dropped Mox with a DDT. Moxley retaliated with a cutter. Kingston connected with a second spinning backfist, but Moxley answered with a lariat. Kingston smashed Mox with a Northern Lights Bomb for a near fall. Kingston put Mox in a bulldog choke. Kingston transitioned to hammer and anvil elbows. He went to the bulldog choke on Moxley again. Moxley escaped and put Kingston in a bulldog choke of his own!

Kingston escaped and cracked Mox with a spinning backfist. Kingston planted Mox with another Northern Lights Bomb for a two-count! Mox wrecked Kingston with a lariat. Moxley was clutching his arm afterwards. They traded headbutts from their knees. They got to their feet and traded open palm strikes. Eddie spun around with the backfist and pinned Moxley!

“Oh man, Eddie Kingston did it!” said Taz.

The referee handed the three belts to Eddie Kingston and the crowd chanted “You deserve it! You deserve it!”

Moxley and Kingston hugged after the match.

“Eddie Kingston is the first ever Continental Crown Champion,” said Excalibur.

Tonight’s Main Event! AEW World Championship Match!

MJF (c.) vs. Samoa Joe!

The sold out arena chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”

MJF pointed to the entrance ramp and Adam Cole’s music hit, baybay! Adam Cole came down to the ring on crutches. Cole stood in his best friend’s corner, and MJF smiled. 

MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eye and then kicked him. MJF charged at Samoa Joe, but Joe grabbed him and slammed him to the mat. MJF clutched his arm. Samoa Joe punched MJF in the shoulder and then stomped a mudhole into him. Samoa Joe hit a leg drop on MJF’s arm. Samoa Joe put a tight grip on MJF’s shoulder. MJF fought out of it with a series of chops. Samoa Joe booted the champ in the face!

“Max is in deep you know what right now,” said Taz.

Samoa Joe went for the muscle buster, but Max escaped. MJF grabbed an inside cradle for a near fall. MJF tried to schoolboy Samoa Joe and Joe kicked out of it. MJF went for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe anticipated it and blocked it. MJF went to skin the cat, but as MJF was inverted, Samoa Joe kicked MJF in the head. Samoa Joe dived out of the ring with an elbow suicida and mowed down MJF.

Samoa Joe planted Max with a Death Valley Driver in the center of the ring. Joe nailed MJF with a German Suplex and then a dragon suplex. Samoa Joe followed up with a straitjacket suplex! Samoa Joe decimated MJF with a muscle buster on the ring apron! MJF landed directly on his injured left shoulder. Joe covered MJF but MJF managed to kick out at two.

MJF headbutted Joe. MJF connected with a rolling elbow strike to the back of Joe’s head. MJF chomped on Samoa Joe’s forehead. MJF tried for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe booted Max out of the air. MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eyes. MJF tried to hoist up Samoa Joe, but MJF collapsed under the weight. MJF ran into Samoa Joe, throwing his body at Joe. MJF landed the heat seeker on Samoa Joe for a two-count! MJF applied the Salt of the Earth armbar on Samoa Joe. The challenger escaped and put MJF into an arm bar. Samoa Joe wrenched upwards. Adam Cole cheered on MJF, and MJF was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold.

Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. MJF pushed backwards, inadvertently shoving Samoa Joe into the referee. The ref collapsed. MJF smiled. MJF stunned Samoa Joe with a low blow. MJF hoisted up Samoa Joe and pancaked him! The ref finally turned around and began to count the pin, but Samoa Joe kicked out at two! MJF signaled for the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Adam Cole had trouble finding it, and in the meantime, Samoa Joe grabbed Max from behind. Samoa Joe wrapped MJF in a deep submission. The referee lifted up MJF’s arm three times and MJF didn’t respond. MJF was choked out!

And new All Elite World Champion Samoa Joe!

Adam Cole got into the ring to console MJF. The Devil’s masked men surrounded the ring. They swarmed MJF and Adam Cole! 

Adam Cole said, “Hey, hit me!”

One of the masked goons had a steel chair. MJF yelled, “No, don’t hit him! Hit me!”

The masked goon with the chair turned around and raised the chair, about to swing it at Adam Cole. 

The arena lights went dark!

When the lights returned, Adam Cole was free, and he was sitting in the chair! The masked goons stood behind Cole. The masked goons removed their masks—it was Roderick Strong, Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, and Wardlow!

MJF, with tears streaming down his face, in complete disbelief, yelled, “How could you do this, man?”

Roderick Strong rammed into MJF with a jumping knee strike! Taven and Bennett began to pound MJF with fists. Wardlow power bombed MJF! Adam Cole sat on the chair the entire time. Cole pulled the Devil mask out from behind his jacket. Adam Cole dropped the mask onto MJF and laughed!

“Why? The question is how long have they been planning this!” wondered Tony Schiavone.

“The world of MJF has ended,” added Excalibur.

Missed what the entire wrestling world is buzzing about? Order the replay of the historic AEW Worlds End 2023! It’s available on all traditional cable and satellite providers in the United States and Canada, Bleacher Report, Fite International, PPV.COM, and more! See AEW Worlds End 2023 for yourself!

Catch the fallout from Worlds End on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

AEW World Championship Match!

MJF (c.) vs. Samoa Joe!

The sold out arena chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”

MJF pointed to the entrance ramp and Adam Cole’s music hit, baybay! Adam Cole came down to the ring on crutches. Cole stood in his best friend’s corner, and MJF smiled. 

MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eye and then kicked him. MJF charged at Samoa Joe, but Joe grabbed him and slammed him to the mat. MJF clutched his arm. Samoa Joe punched MJF in the shoulder and then stomped a mudhole into him. Samoa Joe hit a leg drop on MJF’s arm. Samoa Joe put a tight grip on MJF’s shoulder. MJF fought out of it with a series of chops. Samoa Joe booted the champ in the face!

“Max is in deep you know what right now,” said Taz.

Samoa Joe went for the muscle buster, but Max escaped. MJF grabbed an inside cradle for a near fall. MJF tried to schoolboy Samoa Joe and Joe kicked out of it. MJF went for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe anticipated it and blocked it. MJF went to skin the cat, but as MJF was inverted, Samoa Joe kicked MJF in the head. Samoa Joe dived out of the ring with an elbow suicida and mowed down MJF.

Samoa Joe planted Max with a Death Valley Driver in the center of the ring. Joe nailed MJF with a German Suplex and then a dragon suplex. Samoa Joe followed up with a straitjacket suplex! Samoa Joe decimated MJF with a muscle buster on the ring apron! MJF landed directly on his injured left shoulder. Joe covered MJF but MJF managed to kick out at two.

MJF headbutted Joe. MJF connected with a rolling elbow strike to the back of Joe’s head. MJF chomped on Samoa Joe’s forehead. MJF tried for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe booted Max out of the air. MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eyes. MJF tried to hoist up Samoa Joe, but MJF collapsed under the weight. MJF ran into Samoa Joe, throwing his body at Joe. MJF landed the heat seeker on Samoa Joe for a two-count! MJF applied the Salt of the Earth armbar on Samoa Joe. The challenger escaped and put MJF into an arm bar. Samoa Joe wrenched upwards. Adam Cole cheered on MJF, and MJF was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold.

Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. MJF pushed backwards, inadvertently shoving Samoa Joe into the referee. The ref collapsed. MJF smiled. MJF stunned Samoa Joe with a low blow. MJF hoisted up Samoa Joe and pancaked him! The ref finally turned around and began to count the pin, but Samoa Joe kicked out at two! MJF signaled for the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Adam Cole had trouble finding it, and in the meantime, Samoa Joe grabbed Max from behind. Samoa Joe wrapped MJF in a deep submission. The referee lifted up MJF’s arm three times and MJF didn’t respond. MJF was choked out!

And new All Elite World Champion Samoa Joe!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ALKhUPQnlKY?si=TsrJJirQ1ljHTBah

The end of 2023 is upon us and this Saturday night marks the final event of the year for All Elite Wrestling! Appropriately entitled WORLDS END, this pay-per-view offering features multiple championship matches, as well as the finals of the historic Continental Classic, which itself is also a title fight as the winner will be crowned the first Continental Champion, as well as ROH World Champion and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, creating an all-new North American Triple Crown!

Preceded by ZERO HOUR on the official AEW YouTube channel, WORLDS END begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT and hails from the historic Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island! Be sure to watch all the COUNTDOWN content to get up to speed for the latest happenings leading to AEW’s year-end extravaganza, and do not miss out as the stage is set for 2024!

AEW World Championship Match…

MJF(c) vs. Samoa Joe

https://www.youtube.com/embed/y3mVgI4K3Xg?si=Ct4giTEtXpTRiiij&start=45

Betrayal; is there any other way to encapsulate the last month of MJF’s life since he beat Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023? Samoa Joe stepped up, after vacating the ROH World Television Championship and declaring the AEW World Championship as his sole focus, and told Maxwell Jacob Friedman that no matter what he would chauffeur the AEW World Champion to WORLDS END intact. Joe took it upon himself to be MJF’s bodyguard, to protect the hot-headed AEW World Champion from himself, and insure Max made it to December 30th at peak physical condition so there would be no excuses if he lost the AEW World Championship to Joe live on pay-per-view.

But this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, after Samoa Joe seemed to be taken out by The Devil and his lackeys ahead of a scheduled ROH World Tag Team Championship defense against said masked men, the entire situation went a drastic overhaul. MJF, as he’d done with The Righteous at WRESTLEDREAM 2023, elected to go solo in a tag title defense, only to be laid out by the superior numbers of The Devil’s henchmen, and watch the championship he’d earned with Adam Cole slip away just like that.

For MJF it was more than just losing a title, it was also breaking a promise to his best friend Adam Cole, the only man who’d given Max an opportunity to prove himself a better man than the scumbag he’d shown the world the last four years. After Adam Cole got hurt at GRAND SLAM 2023 while trying to come to MJF’s aid in his last fight with Samoa Joe, Friedman promised Cole he’d keep the ROH Tag Titles around his waist until Cole could return, but the machinations of this Devil made it a difficult situation, and the willingness of Samoa Joe to do business with the masked man turned it into an impossibility. As much heart as MJF as where it comes to Adam Cole, even he can’t overcome the multitudes willing to serve The Devil, much less Samoa Joe’s apparent willingness to do anything for an edge heading into WORLDS END this Saturday.

So with that broken promise to Adam Cole hanging over his head, with the various injuries MJF has sustained during his record-setting AEW World Championship reign, what chance does he have fighting the monster that is Samoa Joe? 

After all, Joe is the man who held both the ROH World Championship and the ROH World TV Championship longer than any man who came before him. He is the man who, unarguably, changed the landscape of professional wrestling for all those who came after him, and the man who broke the mold of what being Samoan meant as a professional wrestler. Samoa Joe traversed the independent landscape, battled across Japan, took Kenta Kobashi to his limit in game changing Ring of Honor fight, and tested a generational competitor like Brock Lesnar like no man before or since. Once upon a time Samoa Joe would look into a camera and unblinkingly tell the world “I am Pro Wrestling” in the same tone with which he now tells the world he is “The King of Television” and there is no doubt that he believes it with every fiber of his being. Ask anyone who has stood in that ring waiting for Samoa Joe’s arrival and they will tell you there are few individuals of this generation, maybe Jay Briscoe, who struck fear into the hearts of their foes before they ever stepped between the ropes. As soon as Joe steps before the people, the man standing in the ring knows he is in for the fight of his life, and that is what Maxwell Jacob Friedman has awaiting him on Long Island this Saturday night.

It’s not the first big-time fight of MJF’s AEW career, this is a man who has beaten Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and even Samoa Joe over the last four years, just to name a few, as well as the other Four Pillars of Jack Perry, Darby Allin, and Sammy Guevara. He’s been big-time for almost as long as he’s been in All Elite Wrestling, and although he has beaten Samoa Joe in the recent past, he’s never come at “The Samoan Smashing Machine” under these circumstances. Max is hurt, he’s fighting from behind, he’s got the specter of The Devil over his shoulder, but he’s fighting on his home turf and with everything to lose. His body may want to give up the ghost, but his spirit, that indomitable Fighting Spirit, isn’t ready to call it quits on this historic AEW World Championship reign just yet…

Continental Classic Championship Finals…

Gold League Winner Jon Moxley vs. Blue League Winner Eddie Kingston

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTXNt4T0XQA?si=QnEoSdoKxmPTtByx&start=408

The AEW website took a deep dive into the history between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston on Thursday night with “You Always Hurt The One You Love”, reflecting on the violence that has gone down between these two friends, these brothers-by-choice, ever since Kingston first came to AEW.

A dissection of their relationship can be read there, this is a look at the immediate history and what brought these two men to WORLDS END and the Continental Classic Finals! For Jon Moxley the road to Gold League success began on the November 22nd edition of DYNAMITE, one night before American Thanksgiving, with a match against Mark Briscoe. It was a first-time collision between the two men, and was every bit as hard-hitting as one would anticipate given their history as fighters. The end came with Mark Briscoe surviving one Death Rider, but eventually succumbing to a second, only after Moxley had to stomp Mark’s skull into the canvas: three points for the 3-Time AEW World  Champion.

Moxley’s second foray into the Gold League came against Jay Lethal, and that too went in his favor, but again only after stringing together a succession of moves that, under some circumstances would’ve put a lesser man away. Lethal survived a Paradigm Shift, a King Kong Lariat, and a piledriver, kicking out of the last maneuver at a 2.5 count, only to end up tapping out to Moxley’s Rear Naked Choke: two matches down, six points to his name, and three more to go.

For his halfway point Moxley welcomed a fight with RUSH, a man capable of matching Jon’s capacity for violence, but who ultimately fell to The Blackpool Combat Club member. In this case the leader of La Faccion Ingobernable survived a massive King Kong Lariat and Death Rider, kicking out just before the three, but could not escape the same choke that tapped out Jay Lethal a week prior. Unlike Lethal, RUSH never tapped out or said he quit, it was a matter of referee stoppage to protect the safety of the unconscious RUSH. It was a decision that did not sit well with RUSH, but it was final, and sent Moxley into his fourth bout with nine points to his name.

Enter Swerve Strickland, another man with nine points to his name, and one of the other favorite’s to win the entire Continental Classic. The winner of this bout would be etched into the Gold League Finals with twelve points, and though it was hard-fought by the head of The Mogul Embassy, it was Mox who squeaked out with a victory, but not with a lariat or Death Rider or choke, but rather via roll-up with a little pulling of Swerve’s tights. By hook or crook, Jon Moxley became the only man with 12 points to his name, and guaranteed himself a spot in the League Finals.

Then came the last night of the points competition, Moxley versus “Switchblade” Jay White, and perhaps it was the rigors of what had come the previous four weeks, but with this fifth tournament bout, Jon Moxley finally tasted defeat after being dropped with a Blade Runner. That victory by Jay, combined with Swerve’s over RUSH, meant the Gold League Finals would be contested in a Three Way match, and as we all saw this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE, it ended with Moxley’s hand raised after evening the score with Jay White as Swerve watched on from the outside. 

For Eddie Kingston, the tournament first began with him upping the ante from just the Continental Championship awaiting the winner to it being a Triple Crown situation involving both Eddie’s ROH World Championship and his NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. It was a huge risk no doubt, and one that very nearly backfired in Kingston’s face as he dropped his first match with Brody King as well as his second with Bryan Danielson, sending “The Mad King” to the halfway mark with zero points to his name. He had to rebound with his third fight, a bout with long-time rival Claudio Castagnoli, and that’s exactly what happened after a series of counters ended with Kingston scoring the pinfall victory. 

There was a definite change in Kingston through this tournament, rather than a man beaten down by his losses, he was a man who fought through them, through the self-loathing that they could bring, and instead lived off the phrase “Humble in victory, humble in defeat”. It seemed his role as a dual champion had made an honest change to Kingston’s usual mentality, and it paid off as he racked up a victory over Daniel Garcia in his fourth Continental Classic match, and another in his fifth against Andrade El Idolo. Neither came easy, both took a toll on the champion, but he persevered through both and found himself, through hard work and determination, in the finals of the Blue League opposite “The American Dragon”. 

Despite the fact that he’d never beaten Bryan Danielson in their prior encounters, be it in AEW or elsewhere, Eddie Kingston latched onto the Fighting Spirit that had motivated him from the first time he saw an AJPW tape, powered through Danielson’s relentless punishment, and dropped the man many consider the greatest of this generation with that Kawada-style Folding Powerbomb that beat Claudio at GRAND SLAM 2023. 

With that victory it became locked in stone that Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston would fight at WORLDS END in the finals of the Continental Classic with ownership of the ROH World Championship, the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship, and the brand-new Continental Championship all at stake. It’s a modern-day North American Triple Crown, one that will belong to either Jon Moxley or Eddie Kingston in this battle of brothers by choice rather than blood, but can their relationship survive yet another blow after everything it has endured since Kingston first challenged Moxley for the AEW World Championship more than three years ago?

AEW Women’s World Championship Match…

“Timeless” Toni Storm(c) vs. Riho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/O67wxotbvCQ?si=KMqs2pF3soazKzzj&start=45

Over the course of the last several months the AEW faithful have watched Toni Storm spiral out; it began when Hikaru Shida ended her second championship reign back in August, and kicked into full gear (no pun intended) as Storm neared her rematch with Shida at FULL GEAR 2023 on November 18th. Now RJ City and Renee Paquette have had to endure the “Timeless” experience more than any others, while Luther has thrown himself fully into the experience as her…butler, but the entire Women’s Division has had to take a step back and question what has happened to Storm.

She seems trapped in a delusion of Old Hollywood stardom, of key parties, of celluloid dreams, and only vaguely aware of anything going on outside of her own head. Toni’s barely cognizant of Mariah May’s fawning presence, despite the former STARDOM champion actively helping her fight Riho, and only remotely aware of an entire division of competitors gunning for the title around her waist. That division includes women that Toni, as part of The Outcasts, made a point to verbally denigrate and physically assault, women like original AEW Woman’s World Champion Riho!

That “Timeless” moniker matters not to Riho, no matter what she’s called Toni Storm is still part of the Outcast trio that took Riho out of AEW action many months ago, and she returned with a vengeance to right those wrongs. It started with a victory over Ruby Soho, continued with a #1 Contender’s victory over Saraya, leaving just Toni Storm and her AEW Women’s World Championship to be conquered this Saturday night at WORLDS END!

Can Riho etch her name into the AEW history book as a 2-Time Women’s World Champion, or will “Timeless” Toni Storm continue to live out her fantastical delusions with the title belt securely strapped around her waist?

TNT Championship No Disqualification Match…

Christian Cage(c) vs. Adam Copeland

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4WAjPlrWS0?si=1V7FZJZ55llJnbnD&start=294

What can possibly be said about this championship match that adequately encompasses what it means to the two men involved in the battle. Christian Cage and Adam Copeland have been part of each other’s lives for more nearly four decades, they have fought side-by-side and been champions many times over, they’ve even battled one another on multiple occasions, and each man has seen the other have to give up their professional wrestling dreams when their body decided enough was enough. 

Each man has also seen the other fight back against the body that betrayed their dream, has watched the pain and sacrifice the other has experienced to get back inside the squared circle, and celebrated the moment each returned to the ring to continue living the dream they’d each had for as long as they could remember. And that’s the thing about dreams like the professional wrestling one; no matter the championship successes, the time spent on television and pay-per-view, or the opportunity to step into the ring with the legends one admired as they came up themselves, it’s a dream that is never fully realized. There is always something more to dream about, though for Adam Copeland the culmination of that dream was ending his career standing alongside Christian Cage, the best friend Jay Reso he’d grown up with before either actually laced up a pair of boots, the man with whom he’d changed the landscape of tag team wrestling.

Christian had other ideas…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/XzQCnL4IzzY?si=g12hkWW_J5vWselF

So after saying he would never fight his brother, Copeland had to come to a hard realization that Cage did not feel the same way and, in fact, was willing to break Adam’s neck if that’s what it took to insure their relationship was quits. Christian invoked the names of Copeland’s wife and children to express just how much animosity he had towards the very idea of every reuniting the band, and it took “The Icon” Sting, a man quite familiar with betrayal by those he called his friends, to convince Copeland that the man he considered his best friend was anything but. That resulted in the two colliding in Montreal during a recent edition of DYNAMITE, and showed just how far Christian Cage would stoop in order to see that he remained the top man in the Cage/Copeland dynamic…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q_Z4gJPwYjg?si=YtN4RE_7Nq-v5bre&start=172

Whether it was something Cage expected or not, the choice Shayna Wayne made to align herself with her son’s surrogate father figure changed the landscape of the game, putting even more forces against Adam Copeland, and that one largely because of choices Adam made in the heat of the battle. After all, what mother could watch their son’s head get caved in with a chair and not choose to oppose the individual who inflicted the pain? 

So now we enter WORLDS END and Adam Copeland’s challenge to face “The Patriarch” Christian Cage in one more TNT Championship match, only this time under No Disqualification rules. It was made clear by how Copeland responded to the idea of a sit-down interview with his former best friend just how this fight is likely to go down. There’s no quarter asked, and none likely to be given, between these two men who’ve gone up-and-down the wrestling roads together. 

After this there will likely be no more family dinners, no more “Uncle Jey”, nor the possibility of ending their hall of fame careers standing side-by-side as AEW World Tag Team Champions. This TNT Championship match on Saturday night may indeed be the end of the Copeland/Reso world and regardless of if it’s Adam Copeland or Christian Cage who walks away from the battle as TNT Champion, both will have to ask themselves whether it was worth sacrificing something built over a lifetime…

TBS Championship Match…

Julia Hart(c) vs. Abadon

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7G-QxEwAdTk?si=qjYGnvPRgLAFy9eU&start=45

A darkness has fallen over the TBS Title, the shadow of The House of Black dimming the light once brought to this championship by Kris Statlander’s reign, replaced by something wicked, something intensely scary with the reign of Julia Hart.

Thus perhaps it is apropos that this Saturday night at WORLDS END the Princess of The House defends her championship against “The Living Dead Girl” known as Abadon! With just four loses on their singles record, they are one of the most successful competitors in the Women’s Division, with two of the longest singles win streaks in AEW’s history to their name, seventeen matches between 1/26/21 and 10/22/21 and fifteen from 12/21/21 to 10/27/23. Abadon has drawn blood from foes with their own teeth, struck fear in the hearts of even the strongest competitors, and even in those few losses, come so close to the AEW Women’s World Championship on two occasions. Hikaru Shida has been the bane of Abadon’s existence, responsible for three of those losses, while the other has Dr. Britt Baker’s name attached to it in a Trick of Treat Match two years ago. Other than that, Abadon has been largely untouchable and unfazed by any opponent who’s stood across the ring.

Their desire for the TBS Championship that’s built up over these past few weeks has even led to some very strange bedfellows as Skye Blue, after weeks of successfully fighting against the darkness Julia Hart spat into her soul, finally succumbed to the House and aligned with the TBS Champion against Abadon. In turn, that alignment brought Thunder Rosa away from the commentary table and back into active competition as the former AEW Women’s World Champion chose to stand alongside “The Living Dead Girl”. Their tag team victory over Skye and Julia during last week’s COLLISION certainly gave an edge to Abadon heading towards this PPV battle, even if it was Thunder pinning Skye to bring the win for their team. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7G-QxEwAdTk?si=-w2xc8MNSHEEWyC8&start=172

This past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, Julia Hart played a decisive role in helping Skye Blue defeat Kris Statlander, as well as assisting in the post-victory assault on the former TBS Champion that only ended with the arrival of Willow Nightingale. As the two women fled the scene of their crime, Abadon appeared on the stage, essentially trapping Skye and Julia between the proverbial rock and hard place, forcing them to flee to the side of the stage to escape from any repercussions. 

But Saturday night there will not be any running from the situation, there will not be an opportunity to flee from this TBS Championship fight, no hiding from Abadon when the bell rings at WORLDS END! “The Living Dead Girl” has been a dominating force from the moment they debuted in AEW, only Hikaru Shida has really had their number, but a title has eluded Abadon thus far. Perhaps that will all change on Long Island, perhaps The House of Black will lose its hold on the only championship under its roof, and watch it fall into a different kind of darkness.

This will be a fight unlike any other Julia Hart has experienced during her time in All Elite Wrestling, but if she can survive Abadon, she will have proven herself truly worthy of the mantle she ripped away from Kris Statlander. This is the abyss staring back at The Princess of the Black Throne, will she blink?

EIGHT-MAN TAG…

Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, & Sting vs. AEW World Tag Champions Big Bill & Ricky Starks and The Don Callis Family (ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHfYiBHaMHE?si=iiw3Jwh4Tf10rRyp

Just a few weeks ago Chris Jericho was set to fight Big Bill and Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship with Kenny Omega as his partner, with the match scheduled for WORLDS END this Saturday night. Unfortunately Kenny Omega was struck down before the match, a diagnosis of diverticulitis forcing him away from the ring for an indefinite amount of time, and leaving Chris Jericho without his #1 Contender partner. Of course this made Don Callis extraordinarily happy, seeing his two former friends in pain and misery, even though the situation at that moment had nothing to do with him.

Unsurprisingly Callis chose to celebrate himself and, to a degree his “Family”, this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. He considered it a Boxing Day celebration, recognition of the holiday celebrated around the world, and chose to give each member of his Family a painting of himself, with them of course, but in each one Callis looked every bit a conquering hero. Still, he seemed quite surprised when one member of his family returned to the fold that night, one who’d been injured fighting for Don, and who’d also celebrated the birth of his baby during that time spent healing up; none other than “The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara!

It wasn’t all that long ago that Guevara chose Don Callis over Chris Jericho, turning his back on a history dating back to the very first DYNAMITE, but it only took a fraction of that amount of time for Don Callis to forget all about Sammy. That’s why Guevara said what he had to say upon his arrival, about how Callis leeches off the men he surrounds himself with, and uses them to keep himself in the spotlight rather than doing anything to bolster their careers. Perhaps the truth hurt because it only took moments for Callis to unleash his hounds upon Sammy Guevara, but “The Spanish God” was as shocked as everyone else to find Chris Jericho the man coming to the rescue, and it was not just because of his issues with Callis.

Guevara actually stood up and embraced Jericho, only for Ricky Starks and Big Bill to jump on the two men for a vicious assault, and then to the shock of the former Le Sex Gods, another save was made, only this time by Darby Allin and Sting! Considering that just six months ago Darby and Sting were beating up Jericho and Guevara in a Tornado Tag on DYNAMITE, it was absolutely a surprise to see them stepping to the assistance of these two. It wasn’t as if there was some pressing matter against Big Bill and Ricky Starks either, the bad blood between Sting, Darby, and Starks had been put to bed at REVOLUTION 2021 in that unforgettable Street Fight. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/owgfbdGtSu0?si=ZBZd9Sqc8ges_nCS&start=196

Perhaps this is just Darby Allin and Sting doing the right thing, helping out two men who were being assaulted by an uneven numbers game, and offering their services as “The Icon” heads down the road to his final match at REVOLUTION 2023. It’s quite the intriguing scenario as this brings Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs back on the same side of the fence after their relationship soured some time ago, puts Darby and Sammy Guevara on the same side after years of back-and-forth, and gives Le Sex Gods an opportunity to heal their wounds in real time combat. 

This has all the elements to be quite explosive if tempers flare the wrong way, very combustible elements all crammed together in an unpredictable 8-Man tag! 

ONE-ON-ONE…

“Limitless” Keith Lee vs. Swerve Strickland

On July 13, 2022, during DYNAMITE: FYTER FEST N. 1, Swerve In Our Glory won a Three Way battle over Team Taz and The Young Bucks to become the 8th AEW World Tag Team Champions. Together Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee would reign over the division for seventy days, successfully defending on three occasions before The Acclaimed took the crown at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2022. There partnership was tense, to say the least, as Swerve Strickland leaned towards a darker bent while Keith Lee wanted to travel the more righteous path. Those differences in philosophy made the partnership difficult, but yet successful, at least until the point it reached the point where it just wasn’t anymore.

That led to DYNAMITE: HOLIDAY BASH 2022 where Swerve and his new assembled Mogul Affiliates destroyed Keith Lee, leaving him easy prey for Strickland to Swerve Stomp a cinder block on the chest of “Limitless”. It officially marked the end of Swerve In Our Glory, but it never felt like Keith Lee got his chance to right the wrong done to him. Sure he partnered up with Dustin Rhodes to swing at The Mogul Affiliates, and later was able to team with Darby Allin, Sting, and Orange Cassidy for a shot at The Mogul Embassy, a conglomerate of Swerve’s Affiliates and Prince Nana’s Embassy, but satisfaction was never achieved. 

Even when the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament forced the two men back together for one night, it didn’t lead to a resolution for Swerve’s betrayal, or Keith’s need to avenge it. They both continued their mutual business, Swerve building The Mogul Embassy up, competing in the Continental Classic while Keith Lee stepped to Samoa Joe, dealt with his past with Shane Taylor, and let it be known after his FINAL BATTLE 2023 victory that it was time for “him”. Initially the assumption was that the “him” to which Keith Lee kept referring was Shane Taylor, but he quickly put that notion to bed following the Taylor victory.

A confrontation with The Mogul Embassy, sans Swerve Strickland, made it quite clear who “Limitless” was talking about, and a victory over Brian Cage got the man one step closer to that goal of finally fighting Swerve one-on-one. Of course there was the matter of the Continental Classic, but Swerve’s loss in the Three Way Gold League Finals this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE left him free and clear for competition at WORLDS END, and he wasn’t going to wait any longer to settle this score.

So while Keith Lee left the contract, Swerve still had to put pen-to-paper, putting the ball fully in his court as to whether or not this bout would happen. It should come as no shock that after being frustrated in the Continental Classic Gold League Finals, after seeing the match slip away when Jon Moxley pinned Jay White, Strickland was looking for a fight. Thankfully Keith Lee is ready to give him that fight and finally put this issue to bed like he did the decade-old one with Shane Taylor.

As 2023 comes to its close, so too will the saga of Swerve In Our Glory, but only one of these two men can walk away with the victory…

A FIGHT…

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Andrade El Idolo

At ALL OUT 2023, after Miro defeated Powerhouse Hobbs, his wife CJ Perry emerged as Hobbs began a post-match assault. Perry delivered a relatively ineffective chairshot of her own to Hobbs, ineffective but providing Miro enough time to recover and smack Hobbs with a chair of his own. To say “The Redeemer” was surprised to see his “hot and flexible wife” would be an understatement, he half-thought she was a delusion come to taunt him for forsaking his God.

But CJ Perry was all too real, and if her husband was going to reject her as his manager, then she was going to find herself new clientele within the AEW locker room. Unfortunately Miro made sure that any competitor who even thought about taking on his wife as a manager paid a price for her consideration. Action Andretti, Ryan Nemeth, and Daniel Garcia all paid the price for showing interest in CJ Perry’s offers, but her most recent consideration was not one who’d easily suffer the same fate as those individuals.

Andrade El Idolo, heading into the Continental Classic, agreed to take CJ Perry on as his manager and even though she wasn’t allowed at ringside during those bouts, he excelled in the tournament with her working in that role. Three straight wins, nine points, and likely a fourth if Claudio hadn’t resorted to a low blow to get his victory; it announced to the world that Andrade El Idolo and CJ Perry were a combination to be reckoned with, but there is one man who wants that reckoning.

For “The Redeemer”, knowing his wife is overseeing the career of another individual has not sat well, and he clearly sees her presence as poisoning this well of professional wrestling. For Miro, that means expunging the poison from his life, i.e. removing Andrade El Idolo from the equation. No Andrade means no one for CJ Perry to manage meaning no reason for her to remain with All Elite Wrestling. That’s Miro’s logic going into this fight on Saturday night, with his mission to end the world as he knows it and begin something new where CJ Perry is not in the picture. 

ALL-STAR EXTRAVAGANZA…

Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, & Mark Briscoe

vs.

Brody King, Jay Lethal, Jay White, & RUSH 

What is there to say about this one? Eight of the best men in professional wrestling, all who fell short in the Continental Classic, battling it out on the final pay-per-view event of 2023! Some came within a blink of being in the finals, some left the field without a point to their name, but all are elite-level athletes who will unite this Saturday night in an all-star tag team battle! Will they all get along? Probably not, but victory is more important than the individual squabbles that may exist because of the Continental Classic, or perhaps existed before the tournament even started; either way, this is an all-star extravaganza of talent, and it can only be witnessed as part of WORLDS END!

ZERO HOUR

FTW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH/FTW RULES…

HOOK(c) vs. ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sL4V7e96a3Y?si=3mpl3EY4vevdQ07D&start=196

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER’S BATTLE ROYALE…

ONE-ON-ONE…

Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

WORLDS END emanates from the historic Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island this Saturday night, and live on pay-per-view around the world! Samoa Joe will challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship, former champion Riho will take on “Timeless” Toni Storm with the AEW Women’s World Title at stake, and TBS Champion Julia Hart defends against “The Living Dead Girl” Abadon! Plus, Christian Cage puts his TNT Title on the line against former best friend Adam Copeland in a No DQ Match, the FTW Title is up for grabs in a FTW Rules match between champion HOOK and challenger Wheeler Yuta, and the landmark Continental Classic comes to an end with ???? taking on ???? with the winner crowned the first Continental Champion, as well as ROH World Champion and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, to form the new North American Triple Crown!

With ZERO HOUR beginning at 7pm ET on the official AEW YouTube channel, WORLDS END starts at 8pm ET/7pm CT, so make a point to visit that YouTube channel to catch up on the latest happenings leading to WORLDS END, including the COUNTDOWN special, as well as highlights from this week’s edition of DYNAMITE, the CONTROL CENTER, and more! This pay-per-view event not only marks the end of AEW’s 2023, but will set the tone as we move forward into 2024 and the first event of the new year in Newark, NJ! 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EV-DRnjamZA?si=RD8yXylXeNWAlyCG

https://www.youtube.com/embed/V2wQUTjEBvo?si=8jdkwiqvYAQCyEZ9

The end of the year is upon us, and All Elite Wrestling intends to close 2023 with a bang! The celebration begins this Wednesday night in Orlando with the League Finals of the Continental Classic and a ROH World Tag Team Championship match with huge implications for both the WORLDS END pay-per-view event going down Saturday night, as well this entire Devil mystery that’s been looming over MJF, and by proxy anyone around him, for the last couple months!

The final DYNAMITE of 2023 begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, a wild HEY!(EW) with Danhausen, and more!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC LEAGUE FINALS…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/LU3wnm1bPS8?si=0FduJdMmtMZqim86

Final Standings

Gold League

Jon Moxley (12)

Swerve Strickland (12)

Jay White (12)

Rush (6)

Mark Briscoe (3)

Jay Lethal (0)

Blue League

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (10)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (9)

Andrade El Idolo (9)

Brody King (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (6)

Daniel Garcia (3)

BLUE LEAGUE FINALS

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson(10) vs. 

ROH World & NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston(9)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/j6aos9OJbgM?si=b9CqoTfFE790s3nU

There is a glee quite apparent in Bryan Danielson when he throws insults at Eddie Kingston, when he disrespects the ROH World Champion. It was there when he came out after Kingston’s extremely hard-fought victory over Andrade El Idolo, and it was there when Danielson provided his thoughts on the Finals after event ended. “Bum” is Danielson’s favorite label for the NJPW STRONG OPENWEIGHT Champion, and he intends to stomp that into the consciousness of the AEW faithful, as well as Eddie’s skull, this week in Orlando…

As for Kingston, he is the underdog, but he’s the one still standing, the one who is still here, and who takes pride in being “the king of the bums”. He is the man Bryan, as well as others, have judged harshly since the beginning of his career, and while some of that judgment has been warranted (Eddie himself is the first one to own up to his own mistakes), what those people have never done is accepted, or acknowledged, his growth as a person. They still see the same Eddie they met twenty years ago, not the man he’s become through his struggles and mistakes and problems, and thus they don’t see the fighter he has become inside the ring either. They don’t see the man who earned the ROH World Championship from Claudio, and won the NJPW STRONG OPENWEIGHT Championship over KENTA. They don’t see a man who, this year alone, beat Minoru Suzuki, Satoshi Kojima, beat SHINGO while competing in his first G1 CLIMAX tournament, fought in DDT Pro Wrestling alongside Jun Akiyama, and is the man responsible for Jay White being excommunicated from New Japan Pro Wrestling. Eddie Kingston is also the reason the winner of this tournament will walk away a Triple Crown Champion because he was brave enough to put his two championship titles into the mix…

With the Continental Classic Finals taking place as part of WORLDS END, all that remains is to determine the winner of each league, and this massive grudge match is all the remains of the Blue! Bryan Danielson has won all three of their previous singles matches, and was on the winning side of a 2009 Trios match that featured Bryan teaming with Claudio and Dave Taylor to take on Kingston, the late Brodie Lee, and Grizzly Redwood. Coincidentally, the only time the two men ever stood on the same side of the ring, Anarchy in the Arena at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022, they lost the battle when Danielson was choked out by The Jericho Appreciation Society. 

Suffice it to say there is a lot on the line with this battle, some of it going far behind the standard win and loss. It’s a berth in the finals at WORLDS END, it is Kingston’s status as the ROH World and NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, it’s the potential to challenge for the American Triple Crown, it is pride and respect and all the things that make professional wrestling the greatest sport on Earth!

GOLD LEAGUE FINALS

“Switchblade” Jay White(12) vs. Jon Moxley(12) vs. Swerve Strickland(12)

As the Gold League barreled towards its conclusion it became clear that Jon Moxley, due to the 12 points he carried into the last night of the points battle, would be part of the Finals taking place this Wednesday in Orlando. The only question was just who would Moxley be facing in the Gold League Finals, and what condition he would be in for that fight. The elusive concept of momentum was certainly on Mox’s side, he’d won four straight bouts in the tournament not to mention fourteen of his last sixteen one-on-one bouts, with two of those losses coming in AEW International Championship situations while the third was in a Three Way bout where Trent Beretta pinned Penta El Zero Miedo. 

Then the hammer fell in the fifth fight of the tournament, Jay White versus Jon Moxley, with Jay White’s tournament future hanging in the balance. If “Switchblade” lost, he was entirely dependent on Swerve Strickland falling to RUSH in order to have some hope of making it to the Finals, and even then he, Swerve, and RUSH would’ve been locked in a three way tie at nine points that wouldn’t have guaranteed White anything. So the end result of “King Switch” sliding out of a Paradigm Shift attempt to drill Moxley with a Bladerunner and score the pinfall victory was the perfect outcome for Jay White; it insured that he, at least, was tied with Moxley at 12 points while also holding a victory over the man. 

In the remaining match affecting the Gold League Finals, Swerve Strickland was able to rebound from his loss to Moxley the week prior and overcome RUSH, meaning Strickland was also part of the 12-point club, and forcing the League Finals to be contested as a Three Way bout. After all in the head-to-head battles, Moxley beat Swerve, Swerve beat Jay White, and White beat Moxley, meaning no one man had a definitive case for being selected ahead of the other as was the case in the Blue League where while Eddie and Andrade were tied in points, Kingston held the head-to-head victory on El Idolo. 

So that brings us to Orlando where Moxley, Swerve, and “Switchblade” will fight it out in a Three Way Bout to determine who heads to WORLDS END for the Continental Classic Finals! While the Blue League Finals are loaded with the personal issues between Danielson and Kingston, this fight is all about who will be the better wrestler on Wednesday night! It’s about the love of competition, the desire to be the best, and the grit to fight against all odds just to get one step closer to that American Triple Crown Championship awaiting the tournament winner on Saturday! This fight here, this entire tournament, is a testament to what professional wrestling can be and why so many strive to make it their profession. This is heart and love and passion and guts and glory all rolled into one tournament, and as it draws closer to its end, the world sees just who has the deepest well on the deepest roster of talented assembled under one roof!

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) & Samoa Joe (Substitute for Adam Cole)

vs.

???????

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MfbA8lbQrOI?si=3Mf4nYG_pjOza0aW

For three months a Devil has lurked among the locker rooms of the arenas where All Elite Wrestling has traveled, first announcing their arrival with an assault on Jay White at the close of the September 27th DYNAMITE, and most recently challenging MJF to put the ROH World Tag Titles on the line this Wednesday night in Orlando. The details between those two events is where the Devil’s mystery has lived, making a victim of individuals who align themselves with Maxwell Jacob Friedman (such as The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass) just as much as those who oppose the AEW World Champion (Hangman Page and Jay White), and apparently even MJF himself, though as Samoa Joe pointed out, the assault on Max just happened to be the only one not at least partially captured by cameras.

We’ve heard Roderick Strong and The Kingdom shout at the top of their lungs to all who will listen that it’s all just MJF pulling a ruse, that he himself is The Devil and simply using the tools at hand to pull the wool over everyone else’s eyes. They’ve got a group of masked individuals carrying out the attacks, they’ve yet to stand in the same space as MJF much less breathe the same air, and all interaction between the two has been over a video screen that could just be pre-recorded. It’s not impossible for MJF to pull this off, difficult yes, but not impossible, and the fact he’s spent the vast majority of his time in AEW being generally detestable also makes it a bit more reasonable he could be the man behind the mask.

Yet MJF is answering the challenge for a ROH World Tag Team title fight this Wednesday on DYNAMITE despite the impending AEW World Championship fight with Samoa Joe on Saturday, or perhaps, to be more accurate, that should read Samoa Joe is accepting a fight with The Devil (or his lackeys or both) on MJF’s behalf. Up until that moment last Wednesday, Samoa Joe had tried to be a voice of reason, a cooler head, while the AEW World Champ was running off taking every fight he presented, or picking ones he didn’t need . Yet in that moment, it was Joe who threw rationality out the window and accepted this tag title fight against a pair of unknown opponents, presumably to finally remove it as a distraction from the AEW World Championship fight ahead.

So will we all finally get to see what’s behind the mask of the Devil? Or will this be just another part of the game as it was last time Joe and MJF anticipated fighting their masked men? Will the final DYNAMITE of 2023 bring MFJ’s final night as ROH World Tag Champion, or the final night of The Devil’s games?

MARIAH MAY & RENEE…

While “Timeless” Toni Storm may be perpetually unaware of who Mariah May is, it is very clear that the fans of AEW know given their response to Mariah stating she’s medically cleared and her wrestling license is good to go. They are aware of her history with STARDOM, her work put in throughout England, and are eager to see what she brings to the table for All Elite Wrestling’s Women’s Division. It seems it is just a matter of time until Mariah May makes her debut, and maybe Toni Storm will even be in attendance for it, so perhaps there will be some answers to be head when Renee Paquette is joined by the former Goddesses of Stardom (Tag Team) Champion! Will we finally get a date for that debut match?

A FRIENDSHIP FRACTURED…

Kris Statlander vs. Skye Blue

They were friends, allies, at one point, but Skye Blue being affected by Julia Hart’s black mist changed all that. She and Kris Statlander have drifted ever since that date, despite efforts Willow Nightingale made to keep fences mended, but perhaps Skye’s failure to capture the TBS Championship on COLLISION, and watching it go to Julia Hart on FULL GEAR 2023, fully broke the woman and turned her to Julia’s side against Abadon.

Now these two former friends will clash once again, but the status quo of their relationship is quite different now, meaning this one is going to be a bit more violent than the others. There is animosity, betrayal, and disappointment, and now they can have it out before the end of 2023!

The last DYNAMITE of 2023 comes to you from Orlando, FL this Wednesday with the Blue & Gold League finals in Continental Classic as well as a ROH World Tag Team Championship match with potential ramifications on the AEW World Championship match at  WORLDS END this Saturday! We will see Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson fight for the top spot in the Blue League while Jon Moxley, Swerve Strickland, and Jay White battle for leadership of the Gold League! Plus Samoa Joe teams up with MJF one last time to defend the ROH World Tag Titles against…someone…from the Devil’s camp. Could it be the Devil himself? More masked men? We will see this Wednesday in Orlando, and perhaps the mask will finally come off! 

The night’s fights begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, just be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for all the highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFklO9-KTv4?si=YjU6p81ZgjjPcdzw

https://www.youtube.com/embed/lvEbPwNhroU?si=zOY43tJl6sK2-Nh7

Winter is coming to Arlington, TX this Wednesday night when All Elite Wrestling debuts at College Park Center! All roads lead to Long Island for WORLDS END on December 30th, but the way there is increasingly fraught with peril for everyone in the Continental Classic, as well as AEW World Champion MJF, his scheduled challenger Samoa Joe, and anyone else around the champ!

Three more matches in the Gold League will go down on Wednesday night with Rush facing Jay Lethal, Mark Briscoe battling Jay White, and the two unbeatens, Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland, putting that on the line in their first-ever meeting! Plus Ruby Soho takes on the returning Riho, Roderick Strong gets back in action with a fight against “Hangman” Adam Page, and we will hear from the #1 Contender to MJF’s AEW World Championship, Samoa Joe! DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to watch highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: GOLD LEAGUE..

https://www.youtube.com/embed/goyQaKfWv1o?si=8XBYDQZvl6NqZ81a&start=7

Standings

Jon Moxley (9)

Swerve Strickland (9)

Jay White (6)

Rush (3)

Mark Briscoe (0)

Jay Lethal (0)

Jon Moxley (9) vs. Swerve Strickland (9)

One would be hard-pressed to find a man on a bigger role right now than Jon Moxley, he’s won 13 of his last 15 singles matches, including that Steel Cage Match with Kenny Omega and being the one to end Orange Cassidy’s historic first AEW International Championship reign. His two losses were quite painful to be honest, losing that same championship to Rey Fenix and failing to reclaim it from “Freshly Squeezed” in their rematch, but Mox has rebounded spectacularly with this three victories in the Continental Classic: Gold League thus far. RUSH, Mark Briscoe, and Jay Lethal have all fallen at the hands of the 3-Time AEW World Champion and even though we’ve all heard it from the horse’s mouth just how he is hurting, Mox is going to keep fighting until there’s no breath left in his lungs.

Swerve is also on quite a roll of his own, winning nine of his last ten singles bouts, the loss in that situation coming at the hands of Bryan Danielson and there is absolutely no shame in losing to “The American Dragon”. Now Strickland might put that loss squarely on the shoulders of Hangman Page, but the reality is that all the former AEW World Champion did was prevent Swerve from cheating to win. Now the nature of this tournament removed the Prince Nana factor from the equation, but rather than be a hindrance, it has instead allowed Swerve to prove just how good he is without the assistance of The Mogul Embassy. Victories over Mark Briscoe, Jay White, and Jay Lethal have bolstered Swerve already massive go, but also demonstrated that he’s got the ability to be truly great on his own. And now it will be put to the test this Wednesday night when the only unbeaten men in the Gold League go head-to-head for the very first time!

Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley are both on the precipice of winning the Gold League, the only man that can possibly match them is Jay White, but he requires a lot of pieces to fall into place in order to make that happen, not the least of which is beating Moxley in their final League match. That’s a story for another week though, and another fight, this one will either set a definitive top dog in the Gold League with a three point victory, or leave things all tied up with a one point draw. One will have twelve points, or both will have ten, those are the only two ways this can go, and all eyes will be watching to see how it plays out.

Rush (3) vs. Jay Lethal (0)

With just three points to his name, “El Toro Blanco” is one of three men in this tournament on the outside looking in; mathematically speaking, there is no way for the head of La Faccion Ingobernable to move to the front of the line save both Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland forfeiting their last two matches. Even if two current leaders of the field went to a draw in their bout this Wednesday, and Moxley lost in his last bout to Jay White while RUSH beat Swerve in theirs, the best he could hope for is nine points to their ten. Still, stranger things have happened, and “El Toro Blanco” is fighting with the hope that one of those things takes place between now and the finals of the Gold League!

As for Jay Lethal, the “Franchise of ROH”, he has taken his zero point total very hard, and there was obviously not a whole lot for Jeff Jarrett or Sonjay Dutt to say about the matter. So while Lethal is eliminated from any possibility of winning this tournament, he can still score some sort of moral victory by winning at least one of his remaining battles, and in the case of Rush, he can do it with a win over a man he’s never beaten in RUSH. Their only singles encounter, a ROH World Championship match at the 19TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW in March 2021 ended with a RUSH victory, their one Four Corner Survival ended with neither as the victor, and their Eight-Man Tag ended with LFI having the upper hand. 

Coincidentally, before any of their matches against one another, there was a period of time in 2019 where the two men actually fought side-by-side, and even challenged for the ROH World Six-Man Titles together with Jeff Cobb. Yet now they stand as foes once again, Lethal’s first chance to redeem that 2021 championship defeat, and his second-to-last opportunity to put any points on the board before the Continental Classic comes to a close. Will Lethal be able to overcome his disappointing run so far, or will this be another night that drives him further towards the edge?

Jay White (6) vs. Mark Briscoe (0)

One month ago, just ten days before “Switchblade” Jay White fought MJF at FULL GEAR 2023 for the AEW World Championship, he went one-on-one with Mark Briscoe for the very first time. Now the two had some history dating back to Jay’s NJPW excursion spent with Ring of Honor, and even fought in a tag team affair as recently as June 2022, but that evening was their first singles bout, and after fourteen minutes, it went the way of Jay White. That sent “King Switch” to his championship match on a high note, not one that led to him claiming the title as his own, but a loss that has perhaps served to stoke White’s fires with this Continental Classic. 

With two victories under his belt, and two matches still to go, the possibility exists that Jay White could actually end up in a tie for the Gold League crown. He just needs to win out in this match, as well as in his final bout with Jon Moxley, and hope that, regardless of the Swerve/Moxley outcome, Strickland also blows his final match in the tournament against RUSH. The situation is possible, but it all hinges on “Switchblade” beating Mark Briscoe.

So knowing he’s completely eliminated from the tournament, what does Mark Briscoe stand to gain from these last two matches with Jay White and Jay Lethal? Well right here, with this “Switchblade” rematch, Mark has the opportunity to redeem his loss a month ago, and play spoiler for any hopes the head of BULLET CLUB GOLD has at winning the Gold League. If White loses this Wednesday night, all hope he had of snaking into a tie for the top spot will be so much dust in the wind thanks to the 13-Time ROH World Tag Team Champion! Can Mark do that? Can he find it within himself to score a win even though nothing is a stake save personal redemption? If there’s anyone in this tournament who has that heart, it’s Mark Briscoe!

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: BLUE LEAGUE…

Standings

Brody King (6)

Andrade El Idolo (6)

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson (6)

Claudio Castagnoli (3)

ROH World Champion/NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston (3)

Daniel Garcia (0)

Andrade El Idolo (6) vs. Brody King (6)

This Wednesday night the Blue League of the Continental Classic will come to DYNAMITE for the first time, and with it comes a battle of the two top men in standings! On paper there may be a three tie between Brody King, Andrade El Idolo, and Bryan Danielson, but the reality is that Bryan’s six points are the result of three matches in the Blue League while King and El Idolo have had just two thus far. That changes on Wednesday night when those two warriors collide in their third Blue League match, the halfway point of the tournament, and a rematch of their June 24th COLLISION bout that ended with a DQ victory for Andrade El Idolo after Buddy Matthews interfered on Brody’s behalf.

That will not be the case on Wednesday since, as we all know by now, outside interference in the Continental Classic will not be tolerated, a rule that thankfully has been obeyed by all parties involved thus far. That leaves the powerhouse of The House to deal with the man who had him dead to rights back in June when Buddy’s involvement was the only thing that saved Brody from tapping to the Figure Eight. Will DYNAMITE see Andrade finish the job that was so rudely interrupted at the beginning of the Summer, or will Brody King continue his monstrous run through the Blue League competition to ascend to the top of the mountain with nine points?

ONE-ON-ONE…

Roderick Strong vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uvJIgsR3Xb4?si=ao2NdrD3gtcsoHRt&start=7

Hangman hasn’t stepped into the ring since his unforgettable Texas Death match against Swerve Strickland, a fight he lost, but will forever be etched onto Adam’s soul as one of the most life changing he’s ever had. Where does he go now? It seems his mission is to insure Swerve never achieves his own championship dreams, but now there’s also a little bit of MJF in the mix because, quite frankly, the AEW World Champion is seeing the devil in everyone…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CaXu6XTFPZQ?si=sAhvoclUmKc4vbeX&start=7

Roderick Strong, since being (questionably) injured by Samoa Joe in the Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament finals back in September, has only fought twice, both just about a month ago, and spent most of his time being wheeled around by The Kingdom while yelling quite unnecessarily. One of those matches, the fight with Action Andretti, saw Strong land rather painfully on that neck that he’s been nursing for three months, giving him further excuses to not fight, but it looks like Roddy is finally putting himself back in the mix!

There’s a rich history between Roderick Strong and Adam Page, one dating back to the earliest years of Hangman’s career, and even saw Page serve as Roddy’s young boy in Ring of Honor when Strong was part of a group known as The Decade. It has been nine years since their last one-on-one fight, ROH’s FINAL BATTLE 2014 event to be exact, and seven-plus years since they last shared at ring at ROH/NJPW GLOBAL WARS 2016. So much has changed for both men, especially for Hangman whose stock has risen so much from those young boy days to that of a former AEW World and World Tag Team champion.

This Wednesday night their paths merge once more as each forges ahead with their careers into the great unknown. Is their future the AEW World Champion? Is it something else neither has found yet? Page still has Swerve in his focus, Roderick is still rather obsessive where it comes to anything around Adam Cole, but is that all there is for them?

VENGEANCE…

Ruby Soho vs. Riho

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WZZrFjUAxS4?si=aN91IEfpK7Br_e14&start=166

When we last saw Riho inside an AEW ring it was as another victim of The Outcasts, when they were a united trio, after they’d already beaten her and Skye Blue in a tag team bout. Following the match, Riho was assaulted, spray painted, and dropped with a Triple Powerbomb, never getting a chance to even the score with her assailants.

This past week on DYNAMITE though, after Toni Storm’s victory over Skye Blue, Riho returned to the AEW stage and went straight for the AEW Women’s World Champion! Though Toni may longer have an affiliation with The Outcasts, she was still part of the scenario that put Riho out of AEW action, and the fact Toni’s the reigning champion furthers the incentive for Riho to target her first.

But that doesn’t mean the other women involved are in store for their own comeuppance as well, and that begins this Wednesday night in Arlington when Riho goes one-on-one with Ruby Soho! It’s the first time these two warriors have gone to battle since Ruby eliminated Riho from the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, given Riho even more incentive to even the score with this Outcast! Will Riho manage to do that this Wednesday night, or will Ruby have Saraya at her side to tip the scales?

JOE! JOE! JOE!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gwmpZ6s4s8I?si=B2n_MeC_QDSZnzZa&start=7

Samoa Joe had promised to keep Maxwell Jacob Friedman intact heading into their AEW World Championship bout, but it’s hard to do that when the champion is doing nothing to keep himself safe. He’s already banged up from his title fight against Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023, but that hasn’t stopped MJF from continuing to pursue a fight at every opportunity, especially where this Devil and his masked men are concerned. 

That’s what led to Samoa Joe standing in the ring waiting for the arrival of his temporary partner, saw him stuck in the ring while a group of masked men surrounded it, and then just as abruptly left all by himself to watch a video of MJF laid out, apparently with bottle smashed across his head based on the wreckage left around him.

So where is Samoa Joe’s head at after all that, knowing he’s only a couple weeks away from WORLDS END, and MJF constantly in jeopardy of not being up for the fight? We will hear from the most dangerous man in professional wrestling this Wednesday in Arlington!

THE GOLDEN JETS…

Coming off a hard-fought victory over “All Ego” Ethan Page, Kenny Omega was laid out by Big Bill and left for dead on the COLLISION stage, a message to Omega and Chris Jericho as they sit with a guaranteed AEW World Tag Team Championship match in their pocket. Both Jericho and Omega have paid physical prices for earning that shot, though Omega may have paid a more personal one given that it came at the cost of beating his supposed best friends at FULL GEAR 2023, and this week on DYNAMITE we will hear from the #1 Contender’s regarding Ricky Starks and Big Bill! Will this be the day they call their shot, and name the site of their title match?

DYNAMITE debuts in Arlington, TX this Wednesday night at the College Park Center featuring three more bouts in the Gold League of the Continental Classic! We’ve got a battle of the 9-Pointers in Swerve Strickland and Jon Moxley, the winless Mark Briscoe fighting Jay White, and Rush taking on Jay Lethal as the latter tries to stay in contention! In addition, former ROH Women’s World Champion Riho returns to action against Ruby Soho, Roderick Strong is back in the fight opposite Hangman Page, and Samoa Joe will be in the house after watching his WORLDS END foe get laid out apparently by AEW’s Devil.

The bouts begin at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, just be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel for all the highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Si4lxrwy2NI?si=-Y3Jm9Fq2y8jxZck

Last week on DYNAMITE the AEW faithful bore witness to the next round of Gold League bouts in the Continental Classic, including Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland raising their point total to six as “El Toro Blanco” Rush scored his first three, leaving Jay White with three, while Jay Lethal, as well as Mark Briscoe, have zero to their name. In addition, AEW World Champion MJF was challenged by the devil-masked individual to unite with Samoa Joe for a tag team bout, and Toni Storm was informed she’d be putting AEW Women’s World Championship on the line in Montreal!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/pap7Jhl7xZ8?si=_GilxT19zHKIygmT

This Wednesday night, as AEW brings DYNAMITE to the Bell Centre in Montreal for the very first time, we will see the next three bouts in the Gold League, as well as two huge championship matches! Swerve battles Mark Briscoe, Jon Moxley takes on Rush, and Jay Lethal goes head-to-head with Jay White as some jockey for the top spot while others attempt to stave off mathematical elimination! “Timeless” Toni Storm will put her championship on the line for the first time in this third reign as she faces one of her most persistent foes in Skye Blue, and, in the face of 40-plus years of friendship, TNT Champion Christian Cage will face “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!

DYNAMITE kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, to get catch up on highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER!

AEW TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“The Patriach” Christian Cage(c) vs. “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland

It has been more than thirteen years since the last time Christian Cage and Adam Copeland stood across the ring from one another waiting for the first bell to ring that signifies the start of their one-on-one clash. The site of that fight was the Air Canada Center in Toronto, and it came to a conclusion with an Adam Copeland victory, just as it had sixteen other times over their twenty-six singles bouts on record. Though the two men would find their way back to a partnership for a handful of matches in 2011, the neck injuries that should’ve ended Adam’s career, and actually kept him out of the ring for nine years, ended their tag team bond.

Despite Copeland grinding through a grueling recovery, struggling and fighting to get back into the ring in January 2020, the two life-long friends only stood in the ring during a match one more time prior to WRESTLEDREAM in Seattle, and somewhat ironically that was a one night only affair as Christian Cage was forced to step away from in-ring activity in 2014 due to his own medical concerns, and not resuming his in-ring career until that first match for AEW on March 31, 2021.

So in addition to the friendship that begun some 40 years ago, in addition to all the wars they’d fought together as friends, as partners, and even as foes, Adam and Christian were also bonded by the pain of nearly losing their dream as a result of their bodies betraying them. But so too were they bonded by overcoming all odds and fighting their way back to making that dream a reality when there was no rationale reason for either man to still be competing, much less doing so at the highest of levels they are still doing at this point in their careers.

And yet here they are, despite all that connective tissue, standing as far apart as they have ever been with an seemingly insurmountable gap between their desires for AEW. Copeland came here with the dream of standing side-by-side with his best friend and finishing out their careers showing the world why they’ve long been considered one of the best tag teams of their generation, why they were such a game-changing force in tag team wrestling, and just being able to enjoy everything they’d worked so hard to accomplish.

Christian, on the other hand, came to AEW to get as much distance as possible between he and Adam and to establish himself as far away from any notion of the team they used to be once upon a time. He came to be his own individual, and Copeland coming to AEW only served, in Cage’s mind, to cast that shadow over his accomplishments since REVOLUTION 2021, not that great deal of Christian’s accomplishments deserves accolades. He betrayed Jack Perry and Luchasaurus, then turned Luchasaurus on Perry and made the former World Tag Champion into his lapdog, and even though he helped lead Luchasaurus to the TNT Championship, he didn’t even the man to hold his own championship while simultaneously claiming himself as the true TNT Champion. Then, when the opportunity came, Cage robbed Luchasaurus of the TNT Championship to officially make it his own.

He turned Nick Wayne against Darby Allin, as well as his own mother, humiliated Luchasaurus, robbed him of his name, rechristened the man Killswitch as an homage to himself, and threatened to break the neck of his supposed best friend after Adam Copeland came to AEW with a hopeful reunion in his mind. Christian disrespected Copeland’s family, a family that Adam considered him a part of, and has sacrificed both Killswitch and “The Prodigy” Nick Wayne in order to save his own skin. The fact that Christian Cage is proud of those accomplishments goes to show just what kind of man he’s devolved into since his arrival in AEW, it just took Sting shaking some sense into him for Adam Copeland to realize just who his supposed best friend truly was at heart.

So now this Wednesday night in Montreal, they will fight, and Christian’s prized TNT Championship will be on the line! Interestingly enough, though Copeland leads Cage in victories in their one-on-one collisions, it is Cage who has a razor thin edge when titles at stake. Nineteen times on record they’ve fought one-on-one over a championship, ten of those have been won by Christian Cage, but the last four by Copeland, although it has been a dozen years since the last of those championship contests.

While these men may be more familiar with each other than anyone else in AEW could hope to be, neither is dealing with the same man with whom they captured seven tag team titles together. Each has been changed by their experiences, experiences that should’ve brought them closer together than ever, but instead have seen them driven further apart than ever before. If there was ever any hope for this friendship to find a place of healing, it will likely be dashed Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. Some bridges can’t be rebuilt after the fire, some sins are not forgivable…

AEW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

“Timeless” Toni Storm(c) vs. Skye Blue

While “Timeless” Toni Storm may still be basking in the glow of becoming a 3-Time AEW Women’s World Champion, apparently recovering from Hollywood parties and hobnobbing with stars, the rest of the division has had their eye on being the first challenger to her throne, and it looks like Storm will have to deal with a familiar foe for her first defense!

Skye Blue has been a consistent thorn in the side of Toni Storm since the beginning of 2023, and there’s not a woman in AEW the defending champion has faced more in one-on-one matches. Five times they have gone head-to-head inside the squared circle, two of those in championship matches, and all five have gone in favor of Toni Storm. Even the Four Way Title match at HOUSE RULES: HUNTSVILLE over the summer, a bout that also involved Anna Jay and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, came to an end with Storm pinning Sky. In fact, in the nine total fights these woman have been involved in, Toni holds a 7-2 lead on her challenger, with both of Skye’s victories coming in tag team bouts, though neither conclusion saw Skye pin Toni to get the victory.

The last fight between the two woman went down two months ago on DYNAMITE, and once again it was Skye who fell in defeat, but her transformation over the last several months may be the key to Skye finally claiming, not just a victory over Toni Storm, but also her first AEW Women’s World Championship! Will fans see another Storm/Blue sequel laid out by “The Timeless One”, or will Skye Blue rewrite the script for a whole new take on their franchise? Tune in Wednesday night to see who claims the crown as best lead in the AEW Women’s Division! And just announced as a special guest:

CONTINENTAL CLASSIC: GOLD LEAGUE…

STANDINGS:

Jon Moxley (6)

Swerve Strickland (6)

Jay White (3)

Rush (3)

Mark Briscoe (0)

Jay Lethal (0)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/DezZSrkPAGE?si=7Vv15MYnamJfe5Fg

Mark Briscoe (0) vs. Swerve Strickland (6)

One is a man riding high with two consecutive victories and six points to his Continental Classic tally while the other is a man who has twice tasted defeated, meaning zero points on his record for this tournament. The former is Swerve Strickland, the latter Mark Briscoe, and this Wednesday night in Montreal, they will meet in their first-ever singles match and for just the second time in their careers!

That one previous clash between these two men took place a lifetime ago, and a continent away, when Shane Strickland teamed up with the late Ryan Smile at RevPro’s SUMMER SIZZLER 2017 event in a losing effort against Jay & Mark Briscoe. So much has changed for both these men in the six years since, especially for Mark as he forges forward into the world of singles wrestling after the tragic loss of brother Jay back on January 17th of this year.

Singles wrestling isn’t a foreign concept for Mark, after all he has been in the game for 23 years, years that including some hellacious singles matches against his own brother for one, but doing singles work exclusively, now that is uncharted territory for “The Sussex County Chicken” and perhaps why he is taking the losses as good as he can. Mark knows competing in this tournament isn’t the easiest path, that he’s faced with five of the best in the world in this Gold League, but that doesn’t mean he’ll back down or fold up shop. It’s motivation to get better, to keep pushing, and to continue fighting on for the Briscoe name.

Between Mox and Rush, Mark has already thrown down with two of the heaviest hitters in the Gold League, and now he’s got the red-hot Swerve on his plate who proved unquestionably with that Texas Death Match that he’s got the same grit as Mark’s previous two opponents. Getting those first three points out of this one is going to be a grind for Chicken, but that’s what he does and Swerve best not underestimate as he pursues nine points. After all, Mark is a cornered animal now, a loss here mathematically eliminates him from the competition, and you know what they say about cornered animals…

Jon Moxley (6) vs. Rush (3)

This one is going to hurt, and going to hurt both men involved even more than they are already hurting. We all heard it straight from Moxley himself in the interview embedded above, he is aching and sore and sick and tired, but sick and tired of being sick and tired but fighting is what he does, what he knows, and it’s Moxley’s way through the pain wracking his body.

Similarly, the AEW faithful witnessed Rush gut out a victory over Mark Briscoe last week despite clearly going through some intense leg pain throughout the contest. For a minute it seemed as if the doctor might stop the match, but “El Toro Blanco” fought to his feet, threw down with Mark, and found the way to his first three points in the Continental Classic.

Now these two hard-hitting forces will collide in a rematch of their AEW Interim World Title Match that took place at FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN 2022 on July 27th, as well as the Texas Tornado Tag from the 2/15/23 DYNAMITE that saw The BCC of Mox and Claudio defeat Rush and Preston Vance. Everyone knows the kind of fight these to men bring to the table, and how each seems to feed off getting hit by their foes, but as this tournament gets deeper, as their bodies break down further, and WORLDS END gets closer, will their strategies change? A win for Rush will tie him up with Mox at three points, one for the former 3-Time AEW World Champion could potentially put him at the top of the heap with nine depending on how Swerve’s fight plays out. Every win is crucial, but this week marks the halfway point, and no one can afford to take an “L”…

Jay Lethal (0) vs. Jay White (3)

This is one part Continental Collision contest and one part rubber match as, over the course of their careers, Jay Lethal and Jay White each hold a singles victory over the other. For Lethal, his victory over the future “Switchblade” came at ROH’s GLOBAL WARS 2017, NIGHT 2 event during Jay’s stateside excursion from the New Japan Dojo. There were other bouts involving the two, eight-mans and Three Way’s and Four Corner Survivals, even a trios bout in Korakuen Hall, but that October 13th fight in Pittsburgh was their lone singles until “King Switch” came calling five years later.

From December 2021 through April 2022, Jay White held what he called “The U.S. of Jay Open Challenge Series” during NJPW STRONG broadcasts, a five match series where he first battled Swerve, as well as Christopher Daniels, Chris Sabin, and “Speedball” Mike Bailey. In the second match of the series Jay Lethal answered the call, and on 2/19/22, fell before “Switchblade”.

That bring us to this Wednesday night, the halfway point of the Continental Classic with two matches in the rear view mirror and two waiting down the road, but only one of these two men is on the scoreboard. With a shady victory over Rush, but a loss to Swerve, “Switchblade” Jay White sits with three points while Lethal, following losses to Moxley and Swerve, has a zero beside his name.

So not only are these men fighting for the next three points, they are also fighting for dominance in their series of matches, and in the case of Jay Lethal, desperation to get on the board at all. Should Lethal lose again here, and if Moxley and/or Swerve win, well “The Franchise of ROH” will mathematically be eliminated from winning the bracket.

WHAT IS MJF THINKING…

AEW World & ROH World Tag Champion MJF and Samoa Joe

vs.

The Devil’s Masked Men

https://www.youtube.com/embed/6xW-341p1Y4?si=hirMWkgfh3WPV12j&start=50

Given his physical condition, the face that he’s got to fight Samoa Joe at WORLDS END in twenty-four days, and that he’s still carrying the ROH World Tag Team Titles on behalf of himself and Adam Cole, is it wise for MJF to enter into a fight this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, especially when he has no idea who whose foes actually are?

And what good is Samoa Joe’s promise to keep MJF intact for their fight on December 30th if the AEW World Champion isn’t taking care of himself? Perhaps that’s why Maxwell feels emboldened to take up this tag team fight against an unknown entity, perhaps he’s just lost the ability to use his common sense, whatever the case, this is certainly not the same MJF who spent most of his AEW career avoiding the fight as much as possible. After all, this is the guy who skated by with just six matches in 2019, two of those being Battle Royales, and may see more ring time this year than in the last two combined! Now MJF is running towards the fight, his physical health be damned, and it may fall on Samoa Joe to protect the man from himself if the former AEW World TV Champion hopes to actually see their scheduled World Title Fight in a few weeks.

If not underneath the guise of The Devil, will we all see who’s under the black masks this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE? Or will that be a mystery that continues to haunt Maxwell Jacob Friedman as struggles to keep the AEW World Champion in his grasp?

https://www.youtube.com/embed/E_UuH_f5_Cw?si=U9iMEtBCDrI9AkEt

DYNAMITE comes to Montreal’s Bell Centre for the very first time, and with it comes two massive championship fights, as well as the next three fights in the Gold League! We will see Swerve Strickland take on Mark Briscoe, Jon Moxley throw down with Rush, and Jay Lethal fight Jay White, plus “Timeless” Toni Storm defends her AEW Women’s World Championship against Skye Blue! And in one of the most anticipated fights in All Elite Wrestling, TNT Champion Christian Cage will fig “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland with his coveted title on the line!

The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, so drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel for all the highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!

Swerve Strickland vs. Jay Lethal!

Lethal clocked Swerve with a big right hand. They traded strikes on the ring apron. Lethal yanked on Swerve’s right arm. Lethal drove Swerve into the barricade after a tope suicida. Lethal followed up with a short arm lariat.

Swerve targeted the knee of Lethal with a basement dropkick. Swerve tied up Lethal’s legs and wrenched on them, putting all of his body weight on them. Swerve kicked Lethal’s leg and then chopped it!

Swerve sent Lethal flying with a German Suplex. Lethal rallied back with a shoulder breaker. They jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle, and Swerve brought Lethal down hard with a superplex. Swerve followed up with a flatliner and then a brainbuster for a near fall on Lethal.

Jay Lethal stunned Swerve with an elbow drop from the top rope worthy of a king. Swerve avoided a dropkick and applied a stretch muffler, but Lethal grabbed the bottom rope. Lethal cracked Swerve with a pump kick. Lethal went for the Lethal Injection but Swerve countered with a dropkick. Swerve hit the House Call and then the Swerve Stomp to score the pin on Lethal. Three points for Swerve!

Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, FTW Champion HOOK, & ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata!

Wheeler Yuta interrupted Orange Cassidy and mocked him, Hook, and Shibata. Yuta told Shibata that he’d be taking his championship back!

Up next: AEW World Champion & ROH Tag Champion MJF came out with his ROH Tag Champion partner Adam Cole!

MJF: “Cut the music. Now ladies and gentlemen, it appears the devil has arrived in Chicago. After I just freshly beat an undefeated Jay White. I learned in those 30 minutes that you are truly one of the best professional wrestlers in the world. Fact. However, nobody is on the level of the devil. Chicago, I’m just gonna say what we’re all thinking: you’re looking at the greatest AEW World Champion of all time. Now none of that is possible without my brochacho for life, Mr. Cole.”

Adam Cole: “Who’s ready for story time with Adam Cole, baybay? It’s great that me and Max are still your ROH World Tag Team Champions with a little help from Samoa Joe, as well. My ankle is in really bad shape. I’ve got a long road ahead of me. But I’m going to work my ass off every single day to make sure I can get back her in AEW to do what I love to do.

“Max, I’m really worried about you. I wish for nothing more than to be here by your side, but I can’t. It feels like you’ve got the entire world gunning for you.”

MJF: “You don’t gotta worry about me, Adam. To the man behind my devil mask, I’m going to find you and the hell I send you to is going to feel like heaven.”

Someone appeared on the screen wearing the devil mask, laughing, and then the feed disappeared!

Samoa Joe’s music played and out walked Samoa Joe to the ring!

Samoa Joe: “This is a time for celebration, Max. Two massive victories over a weekend. You stand here today AEW World Champion. But you know what else happened? Earlier in the night, MJF, you went out there with Samoa Joe and defended your ROH World Tag Championship for the simple price of giving me my rematch. So, I’ve come to Chicago to ensure that honorable men honor their deals.”

MJF: “Maybe you should take a couple of steps back because you have bad breath. And secondly, I thought long and hard about our deal. And I feel I’ve come up with a reasonable mature response. My response is no!”

Samoa Joe grabbed MJF by the throat, but Adam Cole begged Samoa Joe to stop and listen to him!

Adam Cole: “Thank you! Max, you can’t do this, man. The new MJF, he’s a man of his word. I get it, Joe is a killer. Max, that’s why you are who you are. They don’t just love you because you’re a great wrestler. They love you because when MJF says something is going to happen, damnit it happens. Max, be a man of your word.”

MJF: “You know what Joe, you want to face me for this belt? You wouldn’t be the first Ring of Honor legend I’ve beaten in Chicago twice! So how about Samoa Joe versus MJF right here, right now in Chicago!”

Samoa Joe: “Absolutely not. Let’s discuss what’s really gonna happen. You’re going to get on the Internet tomorrow and complain that you weren’t 100% and it wasn’t fair. Boo Hoo. No, Max, I want the best version of you, I want the fully healed Max. So, I say by World’s End, you should be nice and chipper to get in that ring and defend that title.”

MJF: “Let me get this straight. You want to wrestle MJF at Nassau Colliseum on December 30th at World’s End? You want MJF in the main event for the World Title? Is that correct?”

Samoa Joe: “That is correct, Max.”

MJF: “You’ve got yourself a deal, Joe. But let me explain something to you. Wrestling MJF in Long Island, that’s about as bright as copping head from an alligator. But based on the way you’re looking these days, I bet you don’t have many options.”

Samoa Joe: “I understand what this is and I’m really great at picking fights too, Max. But Max all this worrying you’re doing about the devil goes away today. Because you see from now on, you’re considered my property. And people don’t touch my property unless I say so. I’m going to deliver the very best MJF to Nassau Colliseum and then I’m going to take your World Championship in front of your family and friends and everyone you know and love!”

Trios Match!

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, FTW Champion HOOK,

& ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata

vs.

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard, “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker, & Jake Hager!

Before the match, Orange Cassidy said he had a Thanksgiving surprise. Very nice, very evil Danhausen made his return!

Hook hurled Menard overhead with judo throws. Hook sent Angelo Parker to the mat too! Hager hit Hook with a blindsided shot.

Parker clocked Hook with a running knee to the head. Hager nailed Hook with a Hager Bomb for a near fall. Hook fired back with a lariat to Angelo Parker, exploding out of the corner. Hook planted Parker with a T-bone suplex and then tagged out to Orange Cassidy.

Hager intercepted the Orange Punch from Cassidy and then planted him on the mat. Shibata tagged in and he and Hager traded forearms. Shibata pump kicked Hager. Shibata chopped down Hager in the corner. Shibata followed up with a running dropkick to Hager! Menard and Parker doubled up on Shibata. Hager went to powerbomb Shibata, but Danhausen jumped on the apron, distracting Hager with Hager’s purple hat.

Danhausen cursed Hager and Cassidy stunned Hager with a tope suicida. Shibata put the sleeper on Menard while Hook made Parker tap out with the Red Rum!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Adam Cole!

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom interrupted!

Strong: “I saw you were there on Saturday. I’m sorry I missed you. Friday, where were you? I was dropped right on my head.”

Cole: “Shut up! When are you going to get it through your thick skull that I am not your best friend anymore? Do me a favor. Back off and leave me the hell alone!”

Up next: TNT Champion Christian Cage rechristened Luchasaurus & Nick Wayne!

Christian Cage: “Now everybody knows a true champion is gracious in victory and humble in defeat. And as you all know this past Saturday at Full Gear, it didn’t exactly go as we planned. I can tell you that I did not lose that match. Nick Wayne did not lose that match. Luchasaurus lost that match! And that’s unacceptable to me.

“And I went home, and I thought, how do I get rid of this stench of losing. And it hit me like a ton of bricks. Since you’re both my children, it’s time that I recreate you both in my image. Luchasaurus, take a knee. I said take a knee. I’m not sure what you’re not understanding about this you moron. Take a knee right now!

“The name Luchasaurus to me will forever be associated with me with being a loser. I thought long and hard about your name and I came up with a name of strength. A name of toughness. A name that means certain victory. A name that has served me well throughout my career. You are my finisher. This Saturday on Collision you will have the chance to prove that you are worthy of this moniker because from here on out you will be known as Kill Switch!

“Nick Wayne, get on your feet. You don’t ever get on your knees for another person, do you understand me? You’re different, Nick. You’re special. You are my golden boy. I see things in you that I’ve never seen in another person. You are me. I love you, Nick. Nick, you are a golden boy, and you will be known as ‘the Prodigy, Nick Wayne.’”

Nick Wayne’s mother walked to the ring.

Christian Cage: “What the hell are you doing here anyway? You are a terrible mother! Maybe you love Nick unconditionally but that isn’t good enough. This kid is a prodigy. It’s a good thing that your husband is dead because Nick would have disowned his father because he knows his father was never as good of a wrestler that I am. So do me a favor and get the hell out of my ring!”

Luchasaurus stepped between Nick Wayne’s mom and Christian Cage and stared at Christian!

Christian Cage: “Get back on your knees! I didn’t stutter. Get on your knees Kill Switch!”

Christian Cage slapped Luchasaurus in the face!

Christian Cage: “Get on your knees or I’ll make you take off that mask!”

Christian shoved Luchasaurus, who inadvertently fell back against Nick Wayne’s mother, knocking her to the mat!

Nick Wayne left the ring and looked under it. Nick Wayne pulled out a steel chair and slid it into the ring. He pulled out a second chair and slid it into the ring. Shanna Wayne’s head was placed onto one of the steel chairs. Christian held up the second steel chair and handed it to Luchasaurus. “Be the Kill Switch! Be the finisher!”

Luchasaurus held up the chair and contemplated what he had just been ordered to do. Adam Copeland sprinted to the ring and speared Nick Wayne! Copeland booted Luchasaurus in the face! Copeland had the chair and looked at Christian Cage, but Luchasaurus pulled Christian out of the ring to safety. Copeland speared Nick Wayne a second time and then nailed him with the Impaler! Copeland propped Nick Wayne’s head on one of the chairs. Copeland cracked Nick Wayne with the steel chair, right in front of Nick’s mom!

Renee Paquette was backstage with Anna Jay, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Jake Hager!

Matt Menard: “Renee, I don’t know what’s going on around here. Garcia with his dancing, Parker with his little girlfriend, someone tell me what’s going on!”

Hager: “And Danhausen with the hat!”

Anna Jay: “Stop, this is about me! I just want to wrestle. I am so tired of the losing, the infighting, and I don’t know if you guys are here to help me or hurt me.”

Parker’s phone rang and it was Ruby Soho calling.

Anna Jay: “Really? You’re in my corner tonight, right?”

Parker: “Anna, of course. It’s family first. You got this!”

Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!

LFI’s Rush vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White!

Rush and Jay White locked horns, with Rush backing Jay into the corner. Rush dropkicked Jay White and then stomped on him. Rush splashed Switchblade in the corner and followed up with a beautiful dropkick.

Rush rammed Jay White into the barricades. Rush pulled a cable out from beneath the ring. Ref Paul Turner threatened to disqualify Rush, so Rush dropped the cable. Rush wrecked Jay White with more chops to the chest.

Jay White suplexed Rush right into the turnbuckles. Rush took Jay White off his feet with a flying forearm. Rush cracked White with a massive elbow strike and followed up with a brainbuster for a near fall.

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Jay White dodged a senton from Rush. Jay White nailed Rush with a brainbuster for a near fall! Jay White gouged the eye of Rush, but Rush answered with a rising knee strike. White fired back with a uranage for a two-count.

Rush escaped the Blade Runner attempt. Rush staggered White with a German Suplex. Jay White took down Rush with a dragon screw leg whip. Rush hurled Jay White with a belly-to-belly suplex into the turnbuckles. Rush went for the Bull’s Horns but White countered and tried for the Blade Runner. Rush escaped, shoving White, who inadvertently connected with the ref. As the ref had his back turned, Jay White hit Rush with a low blow and then pinned Rush after the Blade Runner! Jay White gained three points!

Footage was shown from after this past Saturday’s media scrum, with AEW World Tag Team Champs “Absolute” Ricky Starks and Big Bill attacking Chris Jericho, targeting his injured arm!

RJ City and Renee Paquette were on the ramp to present AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm with her championship!

Mariah May presented Toni with the title.

Toni Storm: “I didn’t have anything prepared. I would first like to thank Mr. Anthony Khan and the wonderful people at Warner Discovery. I would like to thank whoever trained me, and the little Toni Storms out there who want to be me. This is my spot. You will not take it. You will not make it. So, stay in school. Thank you!”

The celebration was interrupted as Skye Blue made her entrance for the next match.

Three-Way Match!

Ruby Soho (with Saraya)

vs.

Skye Blue

vs. Anna Jay (with Matt Menard & Angelo Parker)!

Parker and Ruby smiled at each other. Anna Jay rolled up Skye for a near fall. Skye took down Anna with a shoulder tackle. Ruby Soho suplexed Skye Blue, planting her on the back of her head.

Skye Blue took down both members of the opposition at once with creative offense. Anna Jay cracked Ruby with a thrust kick, after Ruby was flirting with Angelo Parker. Skye Blue connected with a diving cross body press onto Anna and Ruby.

Skye Blue rocked Ruby with two knee strikes. Skye Blue pump kicked Ruby off the ring apron, sending Ruby right into the arms of Angelo Parker! Anna Jay stunned Skye with a pump kick of her own! Before Ruby and Angelo kissed, Saraya pulled Ruby away from Angelo.

Blue escaped the Queen Slayer and followed up with a thrust kick. Skye Blue scored the pin after the cutter on Anna Jay! Saraya and Ruby argued with one another after the match.

Renee Paquette was backstage with Wardlow!

Wardlow: “The world doesn’t revolve around MJF. The downfall of the devil is going to happen on my time.”

AR Fox interrupted. “Hey man, I see what you’re doing here. Putting the blame on everybody else. I get it. I was doing the same to Darby.”

Wardlow: “Listen, I don’t need advice from anyone.”

Wardlow headbutted AR Fox and laughed.

Main Event Time!

Continental Classic Match—The Gold League!

Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley vs. Mark Briscoe!

Mox and Mark slugged it out in the center of the ring. Briscoe used his redneck kung fu, chopping Moxley in the throat. Moxley chomped down on Briscoe’s head. Briscoe nailed Moxley with a neck breaker off the apron and onto the arena floor!

Moxley smashed Mark in the mouth with a big boot! Mark was busted wide open. Moxley spiked Briscoe with a piledriver for a near fall. Briscoe tossed Mox with a suplex. Moxley applied an arm bar on Mark, but Mark got his boot on the bottom rope to force the break.

Moxley nailed Mark with the Paradigm Shift, but Mark got right up and dropkicked Moxley! Briscoe used a Death Valley Driver to set up the Froggy Bow, but Moxley kicked out at two! Moxley escaped a J Driller attempted and planted Mark with the Death Rider for a near fall!

Moxley hit Mark with a half and half suplex. Moxley curb stomped Briscoe and pinned him after a second Death Rider! Moxley earned three points!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN!

Special Programming note: this Saturday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 7/6c and then COLLISION at 8/7c on TNT from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

AEW presented Full Gear live from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!

It’s Saturday and you know what that means!

The Zero Hour portion of the show kicked off!

Your announce team for Zero Hour was Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness.

ROH World Championship Match!

Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. Jay Lethal (with Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, & Satnam Singh)!

Stokely Hathaway joined the broadcast booth for this match.

Kingston clotheslined Lethal over the top rope, sending Lethal crashing onto the arena floor. Back in the ring they traded stiff chops. Lethal pulled Kingston out of the ring and sent the champ headfirst into the steel ring post. Lethal took Kingston down with a snap suplex. Lethal followed up with a beautiful overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Lethal executed the Lethal Combination. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection with a suplex.

Karen Jarrett distracted the ref while Lethal crawled towards Jeff Jarrett’s guitar. Ortiz appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the guitar and smashed it over Dutt’s head. Kingston countered the Lethal Injection again and then pinned Lethal after a spinning backfist!

Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli

vs.

House of Black’s Buddy Matthews!

Buddy Matthews went right after Claudio right out of the gate. Claudio blasted Buddy with a European Uppercut outside the ring. Buddy rocked Claudio with a rising knee and Claudio answered with a lariat. Buddy tried for a meteora, but Claudio caught him and countered with the Big Swing!

Buddy employed the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Claudio deadlifted Buddy into a cutter. Claudio accelerated into an uppercut. Claudio planted Buddy with the Ricola Bomb and then placed Buddy in the sharpshooter, forcing Buddy to tap out!

ROH World Tag Team Championship Match!

MJF (c.) & Samoa Joe vs. The Gunns—Austin & Colten!

MJF stomped Colten in the corner. MJF hit the Gunns with a double clothesline. Samoa Joe tagged himself in. Samoa Joe wiped out the Gunns with a tope suicida. Joe connected with a senton on Colten. Joe jabbed away at Colten.

Colten swiped MJF with a clothesline as the ref was distracted. Austin Gunn grabbed a tag and kicked MJF in the back. The Gunns employed quick tags and worked over MJF with tandem offense.

Samoa Joe tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns. Samoa Joe powerslammed Austin for a near fall. Samoa Joe was setting up Austin for a muscle buster, but MJF tagged in. MJF went for a muscle buster of his own on Austin but Colten dropkicked MJF. The champ fired back with a double DDT on the Gunns. MJF was looking for the kangaroo kick, but Samoa Joe tagged himself in. The Gunns escaped muscle busters from MJF and Samoa Joe. The Gunns nailed Samoa Joe with the 3:10 to Yuma. MJF broke up the pin attempt.

Adam Cole came out and walked down the ramp on crutches. As the Gunns were distracted, Samoa Joe finished off Colten with a submission. MJF and Adam Cole hugged outside the ring.

After the match Samoa Joe got in MJF’s face. Samoa Joe and MJF shook hands, with MJF being a man of his word. Samoa Joe is now in line for a shot at the World title, as he helped MJF defend the ROH Tag titles tonight. Samoa Joe left and then the Gunns blindsided MJF in front of Adam Cole. Colten held down MJF while Austin cracked MJF in the leg with a steel chair! Adam Cole was forced to watch helplessly on crutches. Ref Paul Turner called for Doc Sampson to check on MJF who was writhing in pain.

MJF was stretchered out of the ring by the AEW medical team. MJF was loaded into an ambulance, and he yelled at Adam Cole, “Promise me you won’t let them take my championship!”

“How can Adam Cole live up to that promise, a man with one leg,” wondered Nigel.

The main portion of Full Gear began.

Trios Match!

“Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland, Darby Allin & Sting (with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair)

vs.

TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, & Nick Wayne!

Nick Wayne cracked Darby Allin with a cheap shot. Darby grappled Nick Wayne to the mat. Darby followed up with two deep arm drags. Sting tagged in and threw Nick Wayne through the ropes and to the floor. Sting whipped Nick Wayne into the steel barricade.

Copeland tagged in and Christian Cage immediately tagged out to Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus charged at Cope with a clothesline. Cope escaped a chokeslam attempt. Darby tagged in but ate a right hand from Luchasaurus. Luchasaurus choke slammed Darby over the top rope and onto the ring apron.

Christian Cage stomped on Darby and then tagged out to Nick Wayne. Nick punted Darby in the shoulder. Luchasaurus entered the ring and slammed Darby, and then Nick Wayne followed up with a senton for a near fall. Darby nailed Nick with a Code Red from the top turnbuckle. Christian Cage crawled under the ring, popped up on the other side, pulled Copeland down and rammed him into the ring post! Christian taunted Darby, telling him to make the tag. Christian poured on the punishment.

Adam Copeland entered the match and unleashed hell on Luchasaurus. Copeland rocked Luchasaurus with an Impaler. Copeland threw Wayne over the top rope at Luchasaurus. Darby rocketed out of the ring with a tope at Nick Wayne and Luchasaurus!

Sting and Copeland hammered Luchasaurus. They hit Luchasaurus with a tandem Scorpion Death Drop. Luchasaurus battered Copeland with a lariat to the back of the neck. Christian Cage taunted Ric Flair and Flair chopped Christian. Christian connected with a low blow. Christian Cage tried to hit Copeland with the championship belt, but Copeland ducked, and Cage inadvertently hit Luchasaurus. Christian Cage abandoned his team. Sting splashed Luchasaurus and then Copeland hit the spear! Darby nailed Luchasaurus with the Coffin Drop and then Copeland pinned Luchasaurus!

Tony Schiavone was on the ramp with ref Bryce Remsburg and called out representatives of Bullet Club Gold—The Gunns. Instead “Switchblade” Jay White came out. “Tell them old man,” said Jay White.

Tony Schiavone: “I hate to say this, but unfortunately MJF is injured and will not be able to defend the title tonight. The match tonight between MJF and Jay White has been cancelled. And now by default, your new AEW World Champion is Jay White—”

Adam Cole’s music hit!

Adam Cole: “Jay, there is not a shot in hell you’re leaving the KIA Forum with Max’s championship. I made a promise to my friend, and I had a talk with Tony Khan and if MJF can’t defend his title tonight, I will do it for him, one leg or not. Tonight’s main event will be Jay White versus Adam Cole baybay!”

Jay White: “Let me refresh your damaged memory. I took you out once before. If you want to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ll take you out once and for all!”

AEW International Championship Match!

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (with HOOK)

vs. Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley (with Wheeler Yuta)!

Taz joined the broadcast booth for this match.

Moxley sent Cassidy onto the announcers’ table. Mox hoisted up Cassidy and dropped him across the barricade. Moxley chopped at Orange and taunted him. Moxley drove Orange to the mat with a Bossman slam.

Orange rocked Mox with a diving DDT. Moxley was busted wide open. Orange flew out of the ring with an elbow suicida to Moxley. Orange hit Mox with another one! Orange cracked Mox with a third elbow suicida, right on the jaw!

Orange countered a Death Rider with a Stun Dog Millionaire! Mox grounded and pounded Orange Cassidy and then transitioned into a bulldog choke on Orange! Orange jumped on Mox’s back and applied the Red Rum! Moxley was able to get to the ropes, forcing the ref break. Moxley stunned Orange with a cutter and then a Gotch style piledriver for a two-count!

Orange dropkicked Moxley and Moxley collided headfirst into an exposed turnbuckle corner. Orange pulped Mox with three Orange Punches! And then a fourth! And then a fifth Orange Punch! And a sixth Orange Punch! Orange followed up with the Beach Break and pinned Jon Moxley!

It was announced that Tony Khan made the match official for tonight’s main event: “Switchblade” Jay White vs. Adam Cole for the AEW World Championship!

Additionally, Mark Briscoe was announced as the next participant in the Continental Classic, which begins this Wednesday on Dynamite!

AEW Women’s World Championship Match!

Hikaru Shida (c.) vs. “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Luther the Butler)!

Storm and Shida exchanged forearms. Shida stormed Toni with a running knee strike. Mariah May was watching on a monitor backstage. Shida chopped Storm in the chest. Toni backed Shida into the corner with rapid fire chops. Storm pounced on Shida with a running bulldog.

Luther handed Toni two shoes. The ref saw one of the shoes and pulled it away, but Storm had a second shoe hidden in her trunks. Storm cracked Shida in the head with the shoe while the ref had her back turned. Shida fired back with a Strong Zero. Shida hit the question mark kick and then a Falcon Arrow for a near fall on “Timeless” Toni Storm!

Storm avoided a meteora and Shida’s ankle buckled on the landing. Storm applied an ankle lock. Shida reached the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Storm pulled off one of Shida’s boots. Shida grabbed a kendo stick, but Luther tried to pull it away. Shida wrecked Luther with the kendo stick.

Storm walloped Shida with a German Suplex. Storm had a metal tray in her trunks. Storm bashed Shida with her hip attack and pinned Shida!

And new AEW Women’s World Champion… “Timeless” Toni Storm!

Mariah May walked out and handed Toni Storm a bouquet of flowers.

Renee Paquette was backstage with ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston!

Eddie Kingston said he had his eyes on the Continental Classic. He said he wanted to up the game a little bit. “I want to put the New Japan Strong Openweight Championship and the ROH World Championship on the line in each of my matches in the tournament. Let’s make this the biggest and best tournament in pro wrestling.”

AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match!

Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks (c.)

vs.

FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood

vs.

LFI—Dralistico & Rush

vs.

Kings of the Black Throne—Brody King & Malakai Black!

Dax starched Malakai with a right hand. Malakai knocked a ladder into Dax’s mouth. Rush and Cash whacked one another with nasty shots, forearms and elbows. Cash threw his body through the ropes at Brody, Rush, and Big Bill! Dralistico jumped over the top with a tope con hiro and took out the pile!

Ricky Starks climbed to the top, but Malakai knocked him off his perch. Malakai moonsaulted out of the ring and onto the pile! Dax superplexed Starks out of the ring and onto the men outside!

“There are bodies everywhere on the outside. You knew it was going to be physical,” said Taz.

Big Bill and Brody King collided with one another in the center of the ring, exchanging wild, clubbing shots. Rush and Dax rammed them with ladders. Dax threw his ladder at Rush. Dralistico dropkicked Dax, who had his head in between rungs of the ladder. Dralistico staggered Cash with a corkscrew kick. Dralistico climbed the ladder, but Cash shoved the ladder down!

Cash powerslammed Rush, catching Rush midflight. Cash started climbing the ladder, but Malakai pulled Cash down. Black slingshotted a ladder into the face of Wheeler.

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Cash Wheeler spiked Black with a piledriver on a ladder! Brody attempted a tope suicida, but Big Bill pulled up a ladder and Brody crashed into it. Starks speared Dralistico and then speared Rush. Starks drilled Dax with a swinging DDT. Starks sent Black overhead with a suplex into a ladder.

Brody King cannonballed Dax, who was against a ladder that was propped against the turnbuckles. Brody began to climb the ladder toward the titles, but Big Bill yanked the ladder out from beneath Brody. Dralistico lunged off the ropes with a lung blower to Big Bill. Rush rammed Big Bill with a ladder, sandwiching Big Bill in the corner. Rush rocked Big Bill with the Bull’s Horns, kicking a ladder into Bill’s face!

Starks and Rush climbed opposite sides of the ladder. Dax grabbed a taller ladder and began the climb towards the titles. Cash grabbed another ladder, but Brody backdropped him. Dralistico planted Brody with a poison rana. Brody decimated Dralistico with a Gonzo Bomb on a ladder that was propped up between the ring and the guardrail!

Cash Wheeler climbed to the top rope and splashed Brody on the ladder, sacrificing his own body. Dax climbed up a ladder toward the titles, but Ricky Starks met him up top. Black pulled Dax down and connected with the End. Starks grabbed the titles and the champions retained!

TBS Championship Match!

Kris Statlander (c.) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue!

As Skye Blue was making her entrance, she removed her baseball cap, stomped on it, and put a crown on.

Kris body slammed Julia and then body slammed Skye. Skye Blue rolled up Kris from behind for a near fall. Julia jumped on Statlander’s back, but Statlander shucked her off. Skye Blue clocked Kris with a knee strike. Statlander double suplexed Skye and Julia on the arena floor, reversing their attempt on Statlander.

Skye Blue offered her hand to Julia and Julia accepted it…and then began to bounce Skye Blue’s head off the mat repeatedly. Blue mounted Julia and began to pound her with shots. She followed up with the PK to Julia. Kris charged at Skye and Julia with knee strikes.

Skye nailed Kris with a neck breaker. Julia rallied back with an elbow to Skye Blue. Julia took Statlander off her feet with a lariat. Skye Blue rocked Hart with a thrust kick. Julia moonsaulted Skye Blue but Statlander pulled Julia off Blue to break up the pin attempt. Statlander powerslammed Julia on the arena floor. Skye Blue blasted Kris with a Code Blue for a near fall!

Julia applied the Heartless Lock to Skye Blue, but Kris grabbed Julia and sent her overhead with a German Suplex! Then Kris sent Skye flying high with a German Suplex. Kris crushed Skye with the Saturday Night Fever and went for the pin, but instead Julia knocked Kris away, covered Skye, and won the match!

And new TBS Champion…Julia Hart!

“Man, she stole that win and it was perfectly done,” said Taz.

Tony Schiavone was in the ring for the blockbuster contract signing!

“Ladies and gentlemen let’s bring in the newest member of All Elite Wrestling,” said Schiavone.

Will Ospreay walked down to the ring!

Will Ospreay signed the contract and made it official!

Ospreay: “It feels great! Listen up. I’m happy to be a part of the team, but I am not going to come in just yet. When I was 22 years old, I was part of New Japan Pro Wrestling. I’m 30 years old now, so I’m begging all of you, let me finish up, and then I’ll be on the road to Revolution. And then I’ll be all yours, but more importantly, I am All Elite, bruv! Mr. Tony Khan, do us a favor. Line up the best that you got, especially for Wembley Stadium, because I’m going to show ‘em all what elite really looks like, bruv!”

Texas Death Match!

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!

Page cleaned Swerve’s clock with a Buckshot Lariat right at the bell. Hangman taped Swerve’s wrists together. Hangman had a staple gun and began stapling Swerve’s body! Page plastered Swerve in the side of the head with a steel chair!

“Hangman Adam Page is completely unhinged,” said Excalibur.

Page grabbed a steel chair wrapped in barb wire. Page swung it at Swerve, but Swerve saved himself by kicking Page between the legs. Prince Nana had scissors and cut Swerve free of the tape.

Swerve pulled the staple gun and stapled Page right between the eyes. Swerve sent Hangman headfirst into the barbed wire wrapped steel chair.

“I feel like I’m back in Philly. This is wild!” said Taz.

Swerve pulled a cinder block out from beneath the ring. Hangman and Swerve brawled on the ring apron. Swerve spiked Hangman with a Death Valley Driver on the cinder block!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Swerve delivered a piledriver on top of the guardrail! Back in the ring, Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam. Page sent Swerve flying with another fallaway slam. Page wrapped barbed wire around Swerve’s head. Page trapped Swerve’s arm against his body by wrapping the barbed wire around him. Page hit another fallaway slam. Page moonsaulted off the post and landed on Swerve with the barbed wire wrapped steel chair!

“This is hard to watch,” said Nigel.

Swerve intercepted the Buckshot Lariat attempt. Swerve booted the chair into Page’s head. Page reversed a tombstone and dropped Swerve onto the barbed wire wrapped steel chair with a tombstone piledriver of his own!

“This goes beyond pro wrestling. This is evolutionary,” said Nigel.

Swerve power bombed Page onto the barbed wire wrapped chair and followed up with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve grabbed a black bag from beneath the ring. Swerve spilled the bag onto Page’s back. It was full of broken glass. Swerve connected with a 450 splash onto Page, who had glass all over his bag. Swerve followed up with the JML Driver!

Swerve placed a board covered with barb wire and bridged it between two chairs in the ring. Page chomped down on Swerve’s forehead. Page planted Swerve with a fallaway slam off the top and followed up with a Dead Eye on the barbed wire!

Page wrapped the barbed wire around Swerve’s head and face. Page blasted Swerve with a Buckshot barbed wire lariat! Prince Nana pulled Swerve out of the ring to break the ref’s count. Brian Cage ambushed Page from behind and power bombed him! Brian Cage pulled out a table and set it up on the arena floor. Page cracked Cage with a barbed wire wrapped rolling elbow. Adam Page almost broke Nana in half with a Dead Eye through the table! Swerve shattered the cinder block on Hangman Page!

Swerve wrapped a chain around Page’s throat, and then Swerve yanked on the chain after it was draped across ring post. Page couldn’t answer the ten count and Swerve was declared the winner!

“By the grace of God, this one is over,” said Nigel.

Tag Team Title Opportunity vs. Tag Team Break-up!

The Golden Jets—Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega

vs.

The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson!

Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.

Chris Jericho and Matt Jackson chain wrestled. Jericho chopped at Matt and then Omega tagged himself in, allowing Matt some time to step away from Jericho and his swarm of chops. Matt mauled Omega with a flurry of shots to the back of the head. Omega answered with a hurracanrana. Omega launched himself with the Terminator Dive and landed on Matt Jackson!

Chris Jericho slid into Nick Jackson with a baseball dropkick. The Bucks went to work on Jericho’s arm, trying to take out the arm Jericho uses for the Judas Effect. Jericho dropkicked Nick Jackson from the middle rope and then tagged out to Omega.

Omega took Matt down with a snapdragon suplex. Omega wiped out both Bucks with his offense. Omega moonsaulted out of the ring and onto Matt Jackson. Omega followed up with a crossbody press to Nick, but Nick countered by rolling through for a near fall. Omega smashed Nick with a knee strike.

Jericho lionsaulted onto both Young Bucks! Jericho was looking for the Walls, but Matt Jackson kicked Jericho in the injured arm. Nick Jackson connected with a rolling roundhouse to Jericho. Matt was looking for a rana, but Jericho put the brakes on and sat down with the Walls of Jericho. Matt used the heel of his boot to kick Jericho in the arm and escape the hold.

Matt Jackson sent the Golden Jets flying with double Northern Lights Suplexes. Jericho lawn darted Matt Jackson’s face into the mat. Matt held Jericho while Nick connected with a senton. Nick Jackson kicked Jericho between the legs. The ref admonished Nick and while she had her back turned, Matt kicked Omega between the legs!

Nick Jackson rocked Jericho with the Judas Effect! The Bucks bashed Jericho with the BTE Trigger. Somehow Jericho kicked out of Matt’s pin attempt. Nick Jackson superkicked Jericho on the injured arm. Omega tagged in and stunned Nick with a V Trigger. Omega lifted off Nick for a One Winged Angel, but Nick reversed it with a rana. Matt planted Omega with a One Winged Angel and Nick covered Omega, but the Cleaner kicked out!

The fan chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Omega drilled Matt Jackson with a German Suplex. Nick Jackson starched Omega with a superkick. Jericho ate a superkick from Matt Jackson. Omega clocked Matt with a V Trigger and then finished him off with the One Winged Angel to score the pin!

“And now Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho can challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Titles anytime they choose,” said Excalibur.

Nick Jackson was furious at the loss and began tearing apart the announcers’ desk. Omega extended his hand to the Bucks, but the Bucks stormed off.

Main Event Time!

AEW World Championship Match!

Originally scheduled as: MJF (c.) vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White!

Adam Cole came to the ring on crutches.

Jay White was introduced and walked to the ring with the Gunns by his side.

Justin Roberts announced Adam Cole as representing MJF.

“This is going to be a massacre,” said Taz.

Before the bell rang, an ambulance driven by MJF pulled into the back of the arena. MJF hobbled to the ring!

MJF slapped Switchblade in the face, but Switchblade went right to work on MJF’s injured left leg. Jay White diverted the attention of the ref while the Gunns stomped on MJF outside the ring. The ref eventually saw the Gunns interfering and ejected them from ringside.

MJF turned the tables on Jay White and chomped down on White’s forehead. MJF fired up and hit the kangaroo kick on Switchblade. Jay White dropkicked MJF in the bad leg. Jay White spiked MJF with a DDT. Jay White planted MJF with a uranage for a near fall.

“I hate to say it, but I think the presence of Adam Cole at ringside is distracting MJF,” said Excalibur.

MJF gouged at Jay’s eyes and then DDT’ed him on the floor. MJF slammed Jay White onto the announcers’ desk. MJF dropped an elbow from the top turnbuckle right onto Jay White on the arena floor!

The fans chanted “He’s our scumbag! He’s our scumbag!”

Back in the ring, Jay White employed a dragon screw leg whip on MJF. Jay White tied up MJF in the Tree of Woe. Jay White climbed to the top, but MJF yanked White down to the mat. Jay White climbed back up and nailed MJF with an avalanche uranage for a two-count!

MJF countered the Blade Runner with a spinning elbow. Jay White answered with a release German Suplex. MJF spiked White with a tombstone piledriver. MJF jumped over the top rope and caught Jay White with a cutter, planting him on the arena floor!

“We are witnessing MJF take risks like he never has in his entire career,” said Excalibur.

Back in the ring Jay White went back to work on MJF’s injured leg. Jay White spat at Adam Cole and then applied the figure four to MJF. Adam Cole had a towel and was contemplating throwing it into the ring to end the match. MJF reversed the figure four. Jay White made a desperate dive and grabbed the bottom rope to force the break. Adam Cole had his ROH Tag Title and was thinking about using it against Jay White, but Jay White grabbed it away and smacked MJF in the head with it! Jay White covered MJF but MJF kicked out at two!

Jay White was yanking on MJF’s leg, but MJF shoved him away, with White colliding with the ref and knocking him down. Adam Cole slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring into the ring, but before MJF could retrieve it, Jay White grabbed it. MJF hit White with a low blow before White could use the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF slipped the Dynamite Diamond Ring on his hand. The Gunns ran down and MJF clocked them! Jay White was looking for the Blade Runner, but MJF cracked Jay with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and pinned Switchblade!

And still AEW World Champion…MJF!

Missed what the entire wrestling world is buzzing about? Order the replay of the historic AEW Full Gear 2023! It’s available on all traditional cable and satellite providers in the United States and Canada, Bleacher Report, Fite International, PPV.COM, and more! See AEW Full Gear 2023 for yourself!

Catch the fallout from Full Gear on AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3P-p5lEqdhs?si=Of6MmM_xF1yKwKik&start=153

All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view this Saturday night, November 18th, for FULL GEAR 2023 live from the fabulous KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA! AEW’s return to the West Coast has already been an exciting endeavor, and now it comes to a head with multiple championship bouts, epic grudge matches, strained friendships, and the top shelf professional wrestling the world has come to expect from the athletes of All Elite Wrestling! Click here for all the details on how the AEW faithful around the world can watch our November tradition, then sit back, strap in, and get ready for a rocket ship of a ride in Cali!

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) vs. “Switchblade” Jay White

https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9_OyE5_z-E?si=IqJsvOfoNbN6znCY&start=61

On November 1st, just four days after beating Kenny Omega on COLLISION, Maxwell Jacob Friedman became the longest reigning AEW World Champion in AEW’s history, surpassing the 346-day marker set by “The Cleaner” between WINTER IS COMING 2020 when he beat Jon Moxley and FULL GEAR 2021 when he lost to Hangman Page. One week later, on the November 8th DYNAMITE in Portland, MJF defeated Daniel Garcia in a World Championship defense, thereby tying the mark of 9 successful defenses set by Moxley during his reign from REVOLUTION 2020 where be bested Chris Jericho to the aforementioned WINTER IS COMING 2020 loss.

These are two huge milestones in the history of All Elite Wrestling, as well as in the professional career of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, not to neglect his fifth consecutive victory where the Dynamite Diamond Ring is concerned, but unfortunately MJF has had to celebrate both this championship milestones without his precious Triple B, the AEW World Championship title. For weeks now “Switchblade” Jay White has been parading around with the physical title belt and using his possession of it to proclaim himself the real AEW World Champion. While White is certainly championship material, his status as a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is testament to that, he is not the AEW World Champion regardless of his physically holding the title belt.

While he’s not champion, what “King Switch” has been is a thorn in MJF’s side that he’s been unable to remove, a foe Max has been unable to get a leg up on, and man surrounded by three other men willing to get their hands dirty in order to lend “Switchblade” an assist when it is need. Jay White is also one of just two people who’ve pinned MJF’s shoulders to the mat since he returned to the fold at ALL OUT 2022, the other being Dax Harwood the night Better Than You BayBay challenged FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. To say Jay White has the psychological edge heading into this fight would be an understatement, and though initially it seemed the Devil-masked individual, and their gang of black clad thugs, that have encircled this bout was MJF’s balance to everything White had done, it became clear after White’s victory over Mark Briscoe that they (a) The Devil was not MJF and (b) they were not on the side of the World Champion either. Even though their initial arrival on the scene was at the expense of Jay White, this time around they left The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass laying, even chucking Anthony Bowens through a window.

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So after everything that has gone done between MJF, his allies, Jay White, and BULLET CLUB GOLD, the two men will finally go one-on-one for the AEW World Championship! It’s MJF’s chance to become the most successful champion in AEW history by breaking Mox’s record, it’s Jay White’s opportunity to ascend to the throne in All Elite Wrestling just as he did in New Japan, and it plays out this Saturday night live on pay-per-view from the legendary KIA Forum!

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Toni Storm

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bm5ZuEKY_S8?si=c-rfPF4V4B66t-JG&start=79

Though it’s been a little more than ten years since the very first time Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida stepped into the ring with one another, that fight from the REINA promotion is their lone fight away from All Elite Wrestling and a tag team one won by Storm and her partner.

It would be nine years before Storm and Shida saw each other inside the squared circle again, only now they were working as partners on DARK: ELEVATION #74, teaming with Willow Nightingale as their third to top Emi Sakura, Marina Shafir, and former AEW Women’s World Champion Nyla Rose. The two women would actually team up several more times in 2022, actually proving quite successful both as a team and a trio, but the AEW Women’s World Championship would enter the picture.

At ALL OUT 2022, with the title having been vacated as a result of Thunder Rosa’s injury, Toni Storm bested Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, Jamie Hayter, and Shida to win her first title, acquired by pinning Hayter, and since she was not the woman pinned, lining up Shida for a title fight of her own. That first singles bout between the women would go down on TITLE TUESDAY 2022, and end with Toni Storm still the reigning champion.

The two women would go their separate ways, reconnecting in May 2023, but unlike Shida who had stayed true to the side of angels, Toni Storm had aligned herself with Ruby Soho and Saraya to form The Outcasts. The alliance-turned-rivalry would blossom into a Women’s World Championship match at the 200th episode of DYNAMITE and that fight would end with “The Shining Samurai” becoming a 2-Time World Champion. Sadly it was a short-lived title reign as Saraya would bring it to an end just 25 days later at ALL IN: LONDON, though not by pinning Shida, but rather by putting down Toni Storm to claim the victory. That pinfall on Toni would prove a breaking point for Storm’s role in The Outcasts as she began to spiral out into the woman we see now, and the Women’s World Champion defeating Toni at GRAND SLAM 2023 completely broke the camel’s back.

The Women’s World Championship would end up back in Shida’s possession after TITLE TUESDAY 2023, making her the first 3-Time champ in the division, but as for Toni Storm, a week prior to Shida’s win at DYNAMITE: 2023 ANNIVERSARY, we all witnessed Toni spiral out on RJ City before making her “Timeless” declaration.

Now lost in this “Timeless” Hollywood starlet delusion, Toni has declared this year’s FULL GEAR event as her “Hollywood Homecoming” and “Quest for the Gold”, heaping a great deal of the blame for her woes on Shida’s lap despite it being The Outcasts, Toni’s former friends, who caused much of that misfortune. As for Shida, while Toni has been experiencing this break from reality, she has posted three successful title defenses against Ruby Soho, Willow Nightingale, and that unforgettable Fright Night Fight with Abadon on COLLISION. Meanwhile Storm has not been inside the ring since an October 7th victory over Kiera Hogan, which means she may be well-rested and healed up from any nagging issues, but heading into FULL GEAR 2023 is she ready for a fight, especially the type of fight Hikaru Shida will undoubtedly bring?

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The defending Women’s World Champion does not want this third reign to end as abruptly as the second, and thus she will throw every bit of her arsenal at “Timeless” Toni Storm to insure this go-round isn’t a repeat of the second. While she may hold the spot as longest-reigning Women’s World Champion of all-time at 372 days, so too does Shida hold the position for shortest with that 25 days reign, and if Toni beats her on Saturday night, she’ll also have the second shortest time with the title as well. That’s not the history Shida intends to make…

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Jon Moxley

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OtJlr9pU-cw?si=IXvunlHsxf70l7ki&start=135

After 326 days and 31 championship defenses, Orange Cassidy had the AEW International Championship ripped from his waist by former 3-Time AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at ALL OUT 2023. It was a violent bout, one in which Cassidy was brutalized like never before in his career, but it was a beating that earned him the respect of Mox, not an easy thing to acquire by any means.

Unfortunately for Moxley, his time as International Champion did not come close to touching the records set by Cassidy during his reign because on his fourth defense of the title, just 17 days in, Rey Fenix dropped Moxley hard, and wrested the championship from The BCC member’s grasp. It was a shock to be certain, a win many considered an upset despite Fenix’s championship pedigree, and one that actually put Mox on the injury list for several weeks as far as AEW was concerned, though that didn’t stop the man from fighting for OTT in England and Ireland, for NJPW in Osaka, and at NJPW STRONG’s event at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, the home of FINAL BATTLE 2023.

Meanwhile, during the month that Moxley was kept on the sidelines before his OTT trip, Orange Cassidy had the opportunity to challenge Fenix for the International Championship, a one-on-one rematch of their 11/2/22 Three Way title fight early in Orange’s reign, and just like that fight, it ended with “Freshly Squeezed” getting his hand raised in victory. So not only was OC the longest-reigning International Champion in that title’s short life, not only is he the most successful champion in all of AEW history with those 31 defenses, but now he is also the only 2-Time Champion in the history of the International Title.

Seeming somewhat lost after losing the title to Mox, Cassidy seems rejuvenated by his reclamation of the championship, as if it helped salve the lingering injuries he’d sustained over those 326 days, and reinvigorated him for this second run atop the division. He’s already bested John Silver and Mox’s BCC brother Claudio Castagnoli in championship defenses, but this Saturday night at The KIA Forum, he’s got to get back into the fight with the man who battered him not that long ago.

It’s obvious that Cassidy wants this fight, why else would he have shoulder-bumped Mox after the show of respect Moxley gave him after their fight, provoking the man, almost rubbing it into his face that OC had taken the belt back from the man who beat Moxley. The situation began to blow up this past Wednesday on DYNAMITE as The BCC of Moxley and Yuta met Cassidy and HOOK in a tag team battle, and not only did The BCC defeat championship pair when Yuta pinned HOOK, but Moxley ate a straight shot from an Orange Punch and did not even go down to a knee! It very clearly shook OC to see his primary weapon have no effect on the man he’s got to fight on Saturday night; will we see the same reaction if Cassidy scores with an Orange Punch in the championship match, or can it actually put the 3-Time AEW World Champion and former International Champion down?

Moxley says FULL GEAR 2023 will be a course correction, a moment where he shows the world that Cassidy is actually who Jon Moxley says he is, and he puts the 2-Time International Champion back in his place. Will this be the case when the final bell rings, or will Cassidy do what he has done repeatedly since coming to All Elite Wrestling and show Jon Moxley he is as real as The BCC?

TEXAS DEATH…

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jh3N9P-YOMQ?si=vzX6o3gxVyyvefob

Swerve Strickland came into this entire ordeal with former AEW World Champion Hangman Page with the intent of proving he was worthy of a top spot in the AEW pantheon. A former AEW World Tag Champion, just like Hangman, Swerve has relentlessly pursued that top tier status ever since violently parting ways with Keith Lee and nothing has deterred those aspirations, not even being locked in a coffin by Darby Allin and Sting.

So when Page and Swerve went into battle at WRESTLEDREAM, Strickland viewed it as his opportunity to snatch the spot while Hangman saw it as his moment to get back on track with his own career after spending a great deal of 2023 wrapped up in Elite business with Blackpool Combat Club and then, surprisingly, winning the ROH World Six-Man Titles from Swerve’s allies in The Mogul Embassy. But instead of Swerve proving his merits on his own, he resorted to an assist from Prince Nana and his crown to defeat Hangman, and shortly thereafter, when the opportunity arose to fight Bryan Danielson for a shot at TNT Championship, Swerve tried the same tactic. Thankfully Hangman was on the spot to stop that crime from being committed, but that only served to escalate the issues, and next thing Hangman knew, Swerve and Prince Nana were breaking into Page’s house.

That disturbing scenario is best left untouched, suffice to say that Swerve committed the heinous sin of dragging family into this issue that started as a professional jockeying for position, making it as personal as any issues experienced in All Elite Wrestling. We heard Hangman speak his mind about this, tearing Swerve down to the core with every bit of personal drama Strickland has experienced, and capping it all off by assaulting Nana since the two Texas Death combatants were forbidden from any physical content on DYNAMITE.

But that rule doesn’t extend beyond the borders of AEW…

At Pro Wrestling Revolver’s UNREAL event, as Swerve and Nana stood in the ring talking about the FULL GEAR 2023 fight, Hangman attacked out of nowhere, and promised that he would beat Swerve’s ass this Saturday night. Swerve chose to make this personal, messing with a man’s family, so much so that it led others like Penta El Zero Miedo to fight the him, but once Hangman chose to oblige Swerve and join him in the muck and mire, it was bound to get ugly. Fans have seen the former AEW World Champion in Texas Death before, he’s undefeated in that stipulation here in AEW, and that’s because he’s willing to get uglier and dirtier than anyone else when the fight comes.

Swerve led this into ugliness by his actions outside the ring, will he be able to get that ugly when the bell rings on Saturday night?

TRIOS MATCH…

Adam Copeland, Darby Allin, & Sting vs. TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, & Nick Wayne

https://www.youtube.com/embed/juHc9XJTbo4?si=L6rDvnovRBbJpaKn&start=153

It was a huge moment at WRESTLEDREAM when “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland arrived on the scene in All Elite Wrestling and stood side-by-side with Sting and Darby Allin in opposition to TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and sadly also Nick Wayne. In the weeks since then, we have heard Sting announce to the world that he would bring his legendary career to its end at REVOLUTION 2024, we heard Copeland repeatedly say he would not fight his best friend, we saw Ric Flair come into the equation to ride this home stretch out with “The Icon”, and we’ve watched Christian Cage continue to be a horrible human being.

But after hearing Cage after being attacked by Cage’s “sons”, after hearing Christian threaten to break his neck, Adam Copeland has agreed to ride into battle alongside Sting and Darby Allin this Saturday night at FULL GEAR 2023! We witnessed these three men get their first reps in as a trio against The Righteous and Lance Archer, and though they looked very solid in action, they are still new to the idea of working with one another. In truth, it’s not all that different from the situation with Christian’s Patriarchy, much like Darby and Sting, Christian and Luchasaurus have spent a great deal of time together and formed their own dynamic, and much like Adam Copeland, Nick Wayne is a new ingredient to that formula. Unlike the Darby/Sting/Copeland trio though, The Patriarchy all fall under the direction of Christian Cage, they do not think for themselves, they follow the direction of their erstwhile father figure, and only his direction.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/hGfLifmY6z0?si=HFu6-Iscu1i8Vz4F&start=201

Their opponents are individuals, allies, friends; it’s not a case of Darby falling into a subordinate role just because of Sting and Copeland’s seniority or being led by their direction. This will be a trio operating on the same page but making use of their varied levels of experience, pooling their assorted resources and knowledge, and applying each other’s best attributes to the fights. There is obviously a concern about the history between Christian Cage and Adam Copeland, how all that friendship, those roads traveled together, those championships held as a team, the time spent with each other’s families, how will all that play into this Trios fight at FULL GEAR 2023? All of it has to be nagging at the back of Copeland’s skull, but will it effect his ability to fight? We will all see this Saturday night…

TAG TEAM BATTLE…

The Golden Jets (Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

***TAG TEAM TITLE OPPORTUNITY VS. TAG TEAM BREAK-UP***

https://www.youtube.com/embed/d3hoOkxd5YQ?si=b-NQTJ04s3kP99tB&start=61

It was at WRESTLEDREAM that The Young Bucks earned a future shot at the AEW World Tag Team Titles at a moment of their choosing; they did so by defeating The Lucha Brothers, The Gunns, as well as the team of HOOK and Orange Cassidy. Since that PPV event, we’ve seen Nick Jackson lose to AEW International Champion Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks & Hangman Page lose the ROH World Six-Man Championship back to The Mogul Embassy after just one successful defense, and watched The Young Bucks completely lose their cool after that championship defeat.

Over the last few months we’ve also seen Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho form one of the most unlikely pairings in AEW’s history, brought together by their mutual issues with Don Callis and his Family, putting aside their own sordid history in order to fight against Callis’ relentless onslaught. Clearly this is not a situation that sits well with the brothers Jackson; call it jealousy over the relationship with Jericho or call it caution given that the history between Jericho and The Elite created Stadium Stampede, either way it is driving a rift between Omega and The Young Bucks.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nC_dQ89iNi0?si=AnpJRE7S0EgkGe8u&start=381

Now we now from history that The Young Bucks do not deal well with their friends having other friends, we witnessed it many moons ago with Adam Cole and reDRagon, but when it’s a man such as Jericho with whom there was so much bad blood from the first year of AEW, it’s got to be infinitely worse. That is why this match is going down, after all when there’s an issue between professional wrestlers the best place to settle it is inside the squared circle, and why not amp up the stakes when both teams have something to lose?

And what are those stakes? If The Young Bucks win, then the existence of The Golden Jets comes to an end. There will be no more team of Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, no more fighting the good fight together against a common foe, they will just be quits as soon as that bell rings. But if The Golden Jets win, then Matt and Nick will have to say goodbye to the World Tag Team Championship match they earned at WRESTLEDREAM! That opportunity will belong to The Golden Jets, no Young Bucks championship match on the horizon, just Jericho and Omega maintaining their dynamic to challenge whoever wins Saturday night’s Ladder Match. And what of the relationship between Omega and The Young Bucks? Well it has survived a great deal, and it has endured, but they haven’t been at this point before where so much hostility has put them at odds.

Previously that was Hangman with Omega trying to keep the peace as best he could for as long as he could; only now there is no cooler head trying to prevail, just four men looking to fight, and we shall see if the friendship between The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega can survive the ordeal.

TBS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Kris Statlander(c) vs. Julia Hart vs. Skye Blue

Kris Statlander is a breakneck pace as the TBS Champion; in the span of 174 days, Stat has successfully defended the title on 16 occasions against fourteen different women. For perspective, by that point in her historic TBS Championship reign, the longest title reign in AEW history across all divisions, Jade Cargill had only defended the title eight times while Orange Cassidy, the most successful champion across all divisions in AEW, was also heading towards his 17th defense against Dralistico.

This Saturday at FULL GEAR 2023, Statlander heads into her 17th defense against two foes she’s already beaten in one-on-one contests, but who she now must contend with in a Three Way situation. To make matters more intriguing, there is an entire other dynamic between Julia Hart and Skye Blue that has little to do with Statlander. Ever since Hart misted Skye, the latter has taken a turn towards the dark, so much so that there was absolutely a concern she’d walk through the doors of The House of Black and be lost to her friends forever. Though Skye would repeatedly rebuke the handshake of help of the TBS Champion, when the moment came between choosing between Willow Nightingale and Julia Hart, Skye turned and sprayed her own blue mist into the face of The House of Black’s Hart.

So with each woman’s position set, the light of Statlander, the dark of Julia, and the chaotic middle of Blue, they will now collide on Saturday night with the TBS Championship on the line! This will mark the first defense for Stat that’s involved multiple challengers, will that be the ticket to ending this potentially historic reign? Or will the strife between Julia Hart and Skye Blue be the key to the champion retaining her championship?

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH…

Big Bill & Ricky Starks(c) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. LFI (Dralistico & Rush) vs. The House of Black (Brody King & Malakai Black)

A Ladder Match, only one other time in the history of AEW have the World Tag Team Titles been at stake in a Ladder match, and that was the night The Young Bucks beat Jurassic Express to start their defenseless 28-day second reign, as well as the night Christian Cage first stabbed Jack Perry in the back.

But four teams fighting to climb the rungs to championship status? That is a whole new ballgame, and one likely to end up in plenty of pain, suffering, and punishment! Just yesterday the AEW faithful witnessed the chaos that erupted between these eight men, especially Dax and Rush as they battled to a No Contest, now put that into a situation with no rules, the freedom to use weapons, and with a title at stake. This will be an intensely physical situation, and even though Ricky Starks is the one who laid the stipulation on the table, not necessarily the best one for the champions to retain their titles. They may not have to worry about a pinfall or submission happening to someone else to lose their status, but Big Bill and Ricky Starks constantly have to be concerned about stopping someone else climbing the ladder. There are six bodies besides theirs all with the same goal, but only one has to ascend to the top of the ladder and pull down the belts.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/MJWEFWa96Xo?si=Y6I9IAqzW7_FxyFT

Can the defending champions survive six other opponents, as well as the Ladder itself, or will they be hoisted on their own petard?

FULL GEAR: ZERO HOUR

ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Eddie Kingston(c) vs. Jay Lethal

ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) & Samoa Joe vs The Gunns (Austin & Colten)

ONE-ON-ONE…

Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli vs. House of Black’s Buddy Matthews

https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIUYRmccbWw?si=9neyQvr0H6nC-USo&start=326

All Elite Wrestling is back on pay-per-view this Saturday night with FULL GEAR 2023 coming to you live from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles! This PPV experience is loaded with multiple championship bouts, including a Four Way Ladder Match for the AEW World Tag Titles, as well as huge grudge matches, and all the elite class professional wrestling fans expect from an All Elite Wrestling pay-per-view! All the details on how to watch FULL GEAR 2023 can be found here, so if you can’t be there in-person, you have to join us through your preferred method for the greatest PPV experience professional wrestling has to offer! And don’t forget to join us for the FULL GEAR: ZERO HOUR prior to the start of the PPV where the ROH World Title and the ROH World Tag Team Titles will be defended!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/dtmF8EmydgE?si=mKnW65FrncexeWag&start=201

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!

Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Friday night and you know what that means! Friday night’s alright for fighting!

To kick off the show Tony Schiavone was in the ring with TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne!

Christian Cage: “It’s lucky for you that tomorrow night at Full Gear, not only do you get to see Sting’s last match you Los Angeles, you’ll get to see Sting’s last match ever. I’m sick of people calling him an ‘icon.’ Tomorrow night Sting, it’s all gonna be over.

“And what’s interesting to me is what’s going to happen to Darby Allin when he loses that mentor of his. Hey Darby, if you ever find yourself in need of some fatherly guidance, you know who to turn to. And Ric Flair, I know you’ll be ringside tomorrow, but if you stick your nose in our business tomorrow, it’ll be your literal come to Jesus moment.

“Adam Copeland, if you haven’t already, after Full Gear tomorrow you’re going to regret signing that contract with AEW. You came here to try to steal my spotlight. Here’s the thing, Adam, I am not the same person I was back when. I am Christian Cage, the patriarch of AEW. While you were the golden boy, I was in the trenches, clawing and scratching for every inch. And Beth, keep the girls up late and keep them close to the TV, because Adam I’m going to guarantee you that I will break your neck.

“As the TNT Champion, the powers-that-be want me on the program every second I can. So, I’ll be in action tonight in the four-way. After the four-way tonight, I’m going to keep running things here in AEW. I don’t work within the system. I am the system.”

Lexy Nair was backstage with the AEW World Tag Team Champions Big Bill and “Absolute” Ricky Starks!

Big Bill: “Ricky or myself do not have to be pinned or submitted tomorrow to lose the tag team titles. So, Ricky went and spoke with Tony Khan.”

Ricky Starks: “Tony is a fair man and he allowed me to pick a stipulation in our favor. I am selecting a ladder match. That’s right, a very short climb for Big Bill here. Tomorrow at Full Gear, when we walk out of L.A., we’re walking out as champions, we’re walking out in style, and most importantly, we’re walking out at the greatest tag team champions you’ve ever seen.”

“The Redeemer” Miro vs. Daniel Garcia!

Miro snatched Garcia and threw him overhead with a suplex. Miro stomped on Daniel Garcia in the corner. Miro followed up with another suplex. Miro smashed Garcia with a short arm lariat. He suplexed Garcia yet again!

Miro turned his back for a moment and Garcia charged at him. Garcia jabbed at Miro with right hands. Miro stopped a cross body and planted Garcia hard on the mat. Garcia backed up Miro with strikes after a chop block. Garcia dropkicked Miro. “The Redeemer” clobbered Garcia with a big boot to the face!

Garcia hit a belly to back suplex on Miro. Garcia was about to dance, but Matt Menard ran to the ring, jumped on the apron and told him not to dance. Miro charged at Garcia, but Garcia moved. Miro collided into Matt Menard. Garcia applied a cross face to Miro, but Miro escaped. Miro then muscled his way out of a sharpshooter. Miro locked on the Game Over submission hold and Garcia was out. The ref stopped the match and awarded the victor to Miro!

CJ Perry and Andrade El Idolo were backstage with Lexy Nair!

Andrade: “I’m so happy.”

CJ Perry: “Andrade is the best wrestler in my opinion. And that’s why I have entered him into the Continental Classic.”

Andrade: “You spoke with Tony?”

CJ Perry: “Yes, and if you win, you’re going to get an extra bonus.”

CJ whispered into Andrade’s ear. “Are you sure?” he asked. CJ nodded. Andrade said, “I trust you,” and they shook hands.

Kings of the Black Throne—Malakai Black & Brody King

vs.

The Boys—Brent & Brandon!

Malakai Black applied a wrist lock to Brent. Black blasted Brent with a spinning back elbow. Brody King tagged in, and Brent tagged out to his brother Brandon.

Brent grabbed Brody’s leg and Brandon charged at Brody. Brody backdropped Brandon out of the ring. The Kings finished off Brent with Dante’s Inferno and pinned him.

Trent Beretta vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage vs. Komander!

The winner receives a TNT Championship match tonight during Rampage.

Penta El Zero Miedo got in Brian Cage’s face, but “The Machine” knocked him right down. Komander and Penta nailed Cage with thrust kicks, knocking Cage out of the ring. Komander followed up with a tornillo. Trent hit Penta with a back elbow.

Trent and Penta traded chops in the middle of the ring. Trent cracked Penta with a knee strike and then sent him flying with a half and half suplex. Komander walked the top rope, but Cage shook the ropes and knocked Komander down. Cage suplexed Komander out of the ring and down onto Trent and Penta on the arena floor!

Brian Cage whipped Trent into the steel guardrail. Cage sent Penta in the guardrail. Cage planted Komander on the ring apron. Penta and Komander teamed up to hit Cage with an assisted cannonball. Trent nailed Komander with a high angle German suplex. Trent rocked Penta with German suplexes. Trent took down Cage with a poison rana, but Cage got up and clobbered Trent with a lariat.

Penta punted Cage in the head. Penta drilled Trent with a thrust kick. Penta walloped Cage with a sling blade. Penta got a near fall on Trent after hitting him with the Made in Japan! Penta jumped off Komander’s back and flew out of the ring with a tope con hiro on Cage. Trent crushed Komander with the Strong Zero and pinned him!

Lexy Nair was backstage with Don Callis and Powerhouse Hobbs!

Don Callis: “Paul Wight is out on the shelf. Done! Powerhouse Hobbs slammed a 450 pound giant, a living legend, through the windshield of a car, and broke him.”

Hobbs: “Anyone can get it! I took out a giant. A multiple time world champion. I’m big, I’m black, I’m jacked. Paul, I know you’re resting away. But stay away because anyone can get it.”

Wardlow vs. Evan Daniels!

Wardlow rushed his opponent and power bombed him! Wardlow followed up with a swanton off the top. Wardlow hit the powerbomb symphony. The ref stopped the match as Daniels was unable to continue.

“Wardlow has only one thing on his mind: MJF,” said Tony Schiavone.

FTR’s Dax Harwood (with Cash Wheeler)

vs.

LFI’s Rush (with Dralistico, Preston Vance, & Jose the Assistant)!

AEW World Tag Team Champion “Absolute” Ricky Starks joined the broadcast booth for this match. His tag partner Big Bill stood behind him.

Rush rocked Dax with a shoulder tackle. Dax dodged Rush and nailed him with a flying forearm. They brawled outside the ring, with Rush running Dax into the steel guardrail. Back in the ring they traded chops to the chest.

“They’re just wearing the leather out of each other!” said Nigel.

Dax drilled Rush with two German Suplexes. Rush shoved Dax as Dax was on the top turnbuckle. Dax lost his balance. Rush superplexed Dax Harwood for a near fall.

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Both men blasted the other with open palm strikes until they knocked one another down! Rush rocked Dax with a belly to back suplex for a two-count. Dax spiked Rush with a piledriver for a near fall!

Rush got out of the ring and shoved Ricky Starks! Rush was about to go for the Bull’s Horns, but Starks jumped into the ring and speared Rush! The match was declared a no-contest.

Cash Wheeler ran down to the ring and began to brawl with Big Bill. The Kings of the Black Throne came down the ramp. Brody King and Big Bill tried to pull a ladder out from beneath the ring, but Cash flew out onto them. Security ran down to break up the melee!

Lexy Nair was backstage with Action Andretti!

The Kingdom and Roderick Strong interrupted Andretti as he was trying to give a medical update on Darius Martin.

Mike Bennett: “He’s got a bruised ego and a weak neck.”

Roderick Strong: “Fellas, I found my next victim.”

Matt Taven: “Who is it?”

Roderick Strong: “Action!”

Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta vs. The House of Black’s Buddy Matthews!

Wheeler dropkicked Buddy and sent him out of the ring. Buddy hip tossed Yuta into the steel guardrail. Buddy blasted Wheeler with a pump kick to the face.

Both men fought on the ring apron. Buddy hurled Wheeler off the apron, sending Wheeler colliding with the announcers’ table. Back in the ring, Buddy unleashed an array of kicks. Yuta connected with a wild swing.

Wheeler tried for a German Suplex, but Buddy broke loose. Buddy walloped Wheeler with a back kick. Yuta grabbed a near fall after a German Suplex. Wheeler rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida. Buddy picked up Yuta and dropped him across the turnbuckles. Wheeler jumped off with a double ax handle to the back of Buddy’s neck and back. Buddy connected with a running powerbomb and then curb stomped Yuta, grabbing the pin!

Buddy Matthews grabbed a steel chair after the match, hoping to continue the punishment. Claudio Castagnoli sprinted to the ring to protect Wheeler.

Claudio: “If you want the attention of the Blackpool Combat Club, you don’t have to cut some spooky promo. All you have to do is ask. You’ve been pissing me off for a few weeks now and honestly, I like to make my challenges here in the light. What do you say if it’s you and me right here tomorrow at Full Gear?”

Buddy Matthews nodded and said “Okay.”

Collision Main Event Time!

AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida & TBS Champion Kris Statlander

vs.

The Outcasts—Ruby Soho & Saraya!

Shida hit Ruby with a throwaway slam. Kris tagged in and swept out Ruby’s legs. Saraya grabbed a tag, but Kris shoulder tackled her for a two-count.

Julia Hart was watching Kris with a keen eye backstage on a monitor.

Statlander double suplexed Saraya and Soho. Shida tagged in and knocked down Saraya and Soho with a cross body from the top rope.

Skye Blue was watching backstage on a monitor.

Angelo Parker was sitting in the front row, cheering on Ruby Soho.

Kris connected with a spinning discus lariat on Soho. Kris followed up with a running knee to Ruby Soho. Statlander hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Ruby for a near fall. Saraya tagged in and she and Ruby tried a double suplex on Shida, but Shida blocked it. Saraya and Shida traded forearms.

Shida wiped out Saraya with a running knee strike. Shida jumped off the top rope, but Saraya countered with a thrust kick. Angelo Parker jumped over the barricade to check on Ruby Soho. Saraya didn’t like what she saw, as she was left alone to fend for herself. Kris Statlander speared Angelo Parker on the arena floor. Meanwhile, in the ring, Shida wiped out Saraya with the Katana and pinned her!

Earlier in the day, Tony Schiavone had a sitdown interview with AEW World & ROH Tag champ MJF!

MJF: “I made a promise and I intend to keep it. As much as I know Austin and Colten Gunn are ugly, they’re very talented. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win during Zero Hour. Because I told my best friend Adam Cole that these ROH Tag titles will be waiting here when he comes back from injury. And let’s be honest, I’m responsible for him being injured.

“When Jay White stole my belt, I realized Jay White is insecure. He stole that belt not to prove anything to the world, but he’s trying to prove something to himself. The championship doesn’t make the man. The man makes the championship. That’s why tomorrow you’re going to lose because nobody is on the level of the devil.

“When you ask me about the likelihood about beating the Gunns and Jay White all in one night, I’d say slim to none. But unfortunately for Jay White and all my detractors, I just so happen to like those odds.”

The Rampage portion of the evening kicked off!

“The Ocho” Chris Jericho joined the broadcast table for Rampage.

TNT Championship Match!

Christian Cage (c.) (with Luchasaurus & Nick Wayne)

vs.

Trent Beretta!

Trent flew over the top rope with a huge crossbody to Christian on the arena floor. Nick Wayne grabbed Trent from behind and Christian charged at Trent, nailing him with a cheap shot. Trent speared Christian through the ropes.

Trent went for a spinning DDT, but Christian dodged it. Trent blocked a DDT from Christian. Trent hit a hurracanrana on Christian for a near fall. Christian moved out of the way of Trent’s crossbody press. Trent countered a spear with a knee strike and then spiked Christian with a tornado DDT for a near fall.

“Trent has the momentum here. Christian is on the run,” said Jericho.

Trent clobbered Christian with the Strong Zero for a two-count! Luchasaurus distracted Trent. Christian Cage seized the moment and blindsided Trent. Christian Cage crushed Trent with the Kill Switch and pinned Trent!

After a commercial break, Chris Jericho had a message for the Young Bucks!

Jericho: “Matt and Nick seem to have an issue because I stole their buddy Kenny. I didn’t steal anyone. The Golden Jets are going to beat the Bucks tomorrow and become the number one contenders. See you tomorrow kids!”

“Timeless” Toni Storm (with Luther the Butler) vs. Emi Sakura!

Toni tried to hand Emi a script, but Emi ripped it up. Emi chopped at Toni Storm. Toni knocked Emi out of the ring with her hip attack. Toni stood up on the apron and Emi fired back with a cross body press.

Toni rocked Emi with a running bulldog. Toni was looking for a hip attack, but Emi countered with a Tiger Driver for a near fall. Emi followed up with a backbreaker across the knee for a two-count. Toni dodged a moonsault from Emi.

Toni rammed Emi with a hip attack. Toni planted Emi with a piledriver and pinned Emi!

“Tomorrow is Toni’s Hollywood homecoming as she faces AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida,” said Tony Schiavone.

Renee Paquette was backstage with Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh. Standing across them was ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston!

Jay Lethal: “I’ve asked for this time because I wanted to make things crystal clear for Eddie Kingston. You have one day left as the ROH World Champion because we have spoken to Stokely, and he has made it official. Tomorrow night at Zero Hour it’s going to be Eddie Kingston versus Jay Lethal for the ROH World Championship. Ever since you lost in that Memphis Street Fight against Jeff Jarrett granting me a shot at your championship, you’ve done nothing but duck and hide from us the whole time.”

Eddie Kingston: “Look at me. You know me. Why are you speaking like them? You know what I can do. And I know what you can do, but not with them. You have become a coward just like them.”

Kingston turned around and Ortiz showed up and nodded at him.

Rampage Main Event Time!

Roderick Strong (with The Kingdom—Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

vs.

Action Andretti!

Strong charged at Action as Action entered the ring. Action hit back with a dropkick to Roderick Strong. Action Andretti chopped Roderick in the chest. Roderick cracked Action with a backbreaker.

Action rocked Roderick with a spinning neck breaker. Action countered a sunset flip with a suplex. Action blasted Roddy with a back elbow. The Kingdom checked on Roddy outside the ring. Action wiped out the Kingdom with a running kick. Action hit a Spanish Fly on Strong.

The fans chanted “Neck Strong!”

Roddy got to his feet! Roddy finished off Action with the End of Heartache and pinned Action Andretti!

Renee Paquette had a sitdown interview with “Switchblade” Jay White!

Jay White: “Who is the devil? In my mind, all you have to focus on is that the AEW World Championship is with someone that lives up to the E in All Elite Wrestling. Remember MJF isn’t going to even make it to the main event with me because the Gunns will take care of him first during Zero Hour.

“MJF is trying to brainwash everyone and make them think MJF belongs in the same breath as J-A-Y. When things go my way, you’re going to get more of the Bang Bang Gang.”

MJF stormed onto the scene and attacked Jay White! “Switchblade” begged Max to stop. Juice Robinson blindsided MJF and then threw MJF into Jay White’s locker room! MJF smashed the TV monitor over Juice Robinson’s head!

MJF chased Jay White to the ring. MJF grounded and pounded Jay White! The Gunns sprinted to the ring to try to help Jay White, but MJF took them down too! MJF picked up his belt and kissed it! MJF was about to bash Jay White with the belt, but the Gunn Club hit MJF from behind! Bullet Club Gold triple teamed MJF and ripped the belt out of his hands! The Gunns held back MJF as Jay White was about to ram the belt into MJF’s head when Samoa Joe ran to the ring!

Bullet Club Gold retreated!

“It looks like MJF has found a tag team partner,” said Nigel.

“But has he?” wondered Tony Schiavone.

Samoa Joe stared at MJF and extended his hand. MJF accepted!

“Joe will team with MJF tomorrow!” said Tony Schiavone.

“The AEW World Champion has made a deal with the devil,” replied Nigel.

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!

This Saturday witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW FULL GEAR 2023 from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!

Watch AEW Full Gear Zero Hour at 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT on YouTube, hosted by Renee Paquette, RJ City, and Stokely Hathaway!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy & FTW Champion HOOK

vs.

Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta!

Cassidy and Hook ran into the crowd to get the jump on Mox and Yuta! The fight broke out onto the arena floor with all four men brawling! Moxley stomped on Orange. Yuta and Hook got in the ring and the match was officially underway!

Yuta body slammed Hook. The FTW Champ threw Yuta with the El Camino. Moxley tagged in and ate an elbow strike from Hook. Moxley held onto Hook and Yuta dropkicked Hook after a tag. Hook t-boned Moxley and tagged out to Orange Cassidy. Orange planted Mox with a diving DDT! Orange was holding his ribs.

Cassidy was looking for a DDT, but Mox held onto him, and Yuta rushed in with a lariat to Orange. The BCC were working beautifully as a team. Moxley taunted Orange with kicks and slaps. Orange fired back with a dropkick.

Hook tagged in, as did Yuta. They traded strikes in the center of the ring. Hook backed Yuta into the corner with a headbutt and followed up with a Northern Lights Suplex. Yuta tossed Hook with a German Suplex. Yuta followed up with a rolling elbow strike. Moxley ran in and nailed Hook with a blindside shot.

Hook leveled Yua with a lariat. Moxley ran in and stunned Hook with a cutter. Orange blasted Moxley with the Orange Punch and Moxley simply absorbed it, eating it for lunch. Hook tried to apply the Red Rum, but Yuta hit Hook from behind. Moxley impaled Hook with the Death Rider and Yuta pinned Hook with the seatbelt rollup!

“We just saw the FTW Champion get pinned by Wheeler Yuta!” said Excalibur.

“You ain’t pinning Hook and walking away. This is just getting started. I promise you,” added Taz.

Mox: “Orange Cassidy, you are nothing, you ain’t never been nothing, this weekend at Full Gear, I’m gonna grind you into dust and walk out International Champion and there’s not a damn thing you can do to stop me!”

Ahead of their Texas Death Match this Saturday at FULL GEAR, Swerve Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page had a face-to-face with Tony Schiavone in the ring!

If the two men attack each other tonight, both will be banned for the rest of 2023.

Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana came to the ring first. “Hangman” Adam Page came out next, and he marched straight to the ring, his eyes locked with Swerve.

Hangman Page: “Why did Swerve go into my house? Because you are a coward. You are a fraud. You are a worthless waste of human life. You told me two months ago that you wanted to be World Champion, but I can look at you and you don’t have it in you. You can’t cut it. You are not the man that you think you are. Look at me! You’re the one who wanted to make this personal!

“You surround yourself with ‘yes men’. And if you weren’t so dumb, you’d realize Nana is just here to use you. Swerve, Prince Nana makes his living off of your back. Look at me! You are not a man at all. You are a child. I worked with kids for a long time, and I taught them a lot of lessons, and this Saturday I teach you the last lesson of your pathetic life. You should never have come into my house. We don’t need lawyers or cops because at Full Gear I am your judge, jury and executioner.

“And Swerve, one thing I forgot to mention. Tonight’s stipulation was that you and I couldn’t lay hands on one another. But Nana, they didn’t say anything about us!”

Hangman Page jumped on Prince Nana and grounded and pounded him! Security separated Page from Nana and Page nailed the security team, blasting one with the Buckshot Lariat!

Lexy Nair was backstage with Roderick Strong and the Kingdom!

Roddy said he knew who the devil was and needed to call his best friend, Adam Cole. They called Adam Cole over Skype. “It’s definitely Max!”

Adam Cole: “Max is not the devil! With all the accusations, maybe you’re the devil, Roddy.”

Adam Cole hung up.

“Why will he not listen to me?” asked Roderick Strong.

TBS Title Eliminator Match!

Red Velvet vs. Skye Blue

The winner moves on to the TBS Title Match at Full Gear on Saturday.

Red Velvet grabbed a wrist lock on Blue but Blue escaped and countered with a hammer lock. TBS Champion Kris Statlander was watching the match from backstage.

Red Velvet swept out Skye’s legs and hit her with a standing moonsault. Red Velvet boxed Blue in the corner. Skye Blue rocked Red Velvet with a DDT on the apron. Blue whipped Red Velvet into the steel guardrail.

Skye Blue cracked Red Velvet with a thrust kick. They exchanged rollups and then knocked each other down with simultaneous thrust kicks. Red Velvet nailed with double knees to the back. Skye Blue hit the Skye Fall on Red Velvet for a near fall! Red Velvet countered a rising knee from Skye Blue with a powerbomb for a two-count!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Skye Blue countered the Just Desserts with a thrust kick. Red Velvet returned first. Skye Blue intercepted a corkscrew and pinned Red Velvet after the Code Blue!

Julia Hart was seen watching from backstage.

“The Redeemer” Miro had words for CJ Perry!

“My eyes have been open for awhile now. Truth is, CJ doesn’t just bring out the worst in herself. She brings out the worst in me too. Let the Redeemer give you a piece of advice Daniel Garcia. I don’t pray to God anymore, but you should start. This is the word of the Redeemer!”

Mariah May was backstage with RJ City, waiting to meet Toni Storm!

Mariah knocked on the door and the butler let her in. Toni Storm was on a couch, resting. Toni Storm didn’t give much time for Mariah, and then told Luther to have him contact Tony Khan to book her a tune-up match for Friday.

Samoa Joe vs. Jon Cruz!

Samoa Joe jabbed at Cruz. Samoa Joe splashed him in the corner. Samoa Joe leveled Cruz with the lariat and then won via tap out!

Samoa Joe: “My name is Samoa Joe. And I come from Southern California. So MJF, since you’re in my hood, once again I extend my offer of friendship. And trust me, the time is limited Max, because you’re going to find out whether you have my friendship or not, because I am Samoa Joe and I am inevitable!”

The Young Bucks—Matt & Nick Jackson

vs.

Penta El Zero Miedo & Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)!

Komander and Nick Jackson traded a flurry of fiery offense. All four men entered the ring and the Bucks superkicked their opponents, while Penta and Komander had the same idea with thrust kicks. The Bucks shook the hands of their opponents and then superkicked them!

“The Bucks firing on all cylinders here tonight,” said Excalibur.

Komander connected with a crossbody on Matt Jackson. The Bucks were there waiting though and hit Komander with their tandem offense. Komander took down Nick Jackson with a step up hurracanrana. Komander did the tightrope walk into a hurracanrana on Nick, and then sent Nick flying onto Matt Jackson on the arena floor!

Penta flipped over the top rope and crashed onto Nick with a tope con hiro! Penta blasted the Bucks with thrust kicks. Komander nailed the Bucks with a double DDT off the shoulders of Penta. Penta rocked Matt with a Made in Japan for a near fall!

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Matt Jackson tossed Komander and Penta with a double Northern Lights Suplex! The Bucks were looking for a Meltzer Driver, but Komander sent Matt crashing into Nick. Penta destroyed Nick with a Fear Factor on the apron! Komander surprised Matt with a hurracanrana for a near fall!

“That was super close!” said Taz.

“I’ve seen things here in this match that I’ve never seen before,” replied Tony Schiavone.

Matt Jackson and Penta El Zero Miedo traded shots in the center of the ring. Penta stunned Matt with a thrust kick, but then Matt fired off a superkick. Nick Jackson tagged in and scored with a superkick. Komander springboarded but Nick Jackson cracked him with a low blow and followed up with the Judas Effect! The Bucks bashed Komander with the BTE Trigger and scored the pin!

“I’ve seen the Bucks stretch the rules before but never blatantly kick a man between the legs when the ref’s back was turned,” said Tony Schiavone.

“Will this be a taste of what the Golden Jets get on Saturday at Full Gear?” wondered Excalibur.

Lexy Nair was backstage with the Young Bucks after a commercial break.

Kenny Omega approached them and questioned why they cheated during their match tonight.

Nick Jackson: “Our heat is not with you. It’s with Jericho.”

Chris Jericho: “Don’t waste your time with these jackasses. We’ve got a match to win tonight.”

Matt Jackson shoved Chris Jericho and security had to separate them.

The Gunns—Austin and Colten Gunn (with Juice Robinson)

vs.

Peter Avalon and Jacoby Watts!

The Gunns made a statement win with the 3:10 to Yuma, quickly winning the match!

Colten: “Max, that match was two on two, so imagine at the pay-per-view when it’s two on one. Those titles are about to be gone!”

“Who will MJF find? Will he turn to Samoa Joe to tag with him this Saturday to defend the ROH World Tag Team Championship? Or will it go to Bullet Club Gold?” asked Excalibur.

A highlight package aired of Wardlow!

“Max, as God as my witness, I’m going to make the devil my b—ch!”

Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight!

Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, & Paul Wight

vs.

“The Machine” Brian Cage, & The Don Callis Family—Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, & Powerhouse Hobbs!

Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.

The teams began to brawl on the ramp! Jericho hit Fletcher with his baseball bat. Hobbs went right after Paul Wight. Paul Wight choke slammed Fletcher off the stage and through a table!

Takeshita hit Ibushi with an elbow strike, but Ibushi absorbed it. Omega jumped in the ring and face planted Takeshita. Paul Wight smacked Hobbs into a car outside the arena. Jericho rattled Cage with a crate over the head!

Takeshita whipped Omega headfirst into a sign! Ibushi rode a bike down the ramp, but Cage struck him with a lariat! Hobbs body slammed Paul Wight onto the hood of a car! Takeshita swung the bike around the ring and hit Jericho, Omega, and Ibushi. Takeshita nailed Ibushi with a brain buster on the bike!

Omega pulled a table out from beneath the ring and set it up. Takeshita and Jericho brawled out to the VIP Club area of the arena. Cage and Fletcher isolated Omega in the ring. Cage and Fletcher suplexed Omega onto a pallet in the ring! Omega connected with a jumping knee strike and followed up with a snap dragon suplex on Cage. Omega had a bottle in his hand and smashed it on Fletcher’s head!

Takeshita jumped off a refrigerator, but Jericho sprayed a fire extinguisher at him and then nailed him with the Judas Effect. Hobbs charged in the ring and nailed Omega and Ibushi with double clotheslines. Hobbs drove Omega down with the World’s Most Dangerous Slam! Brian Cage superplexed Omega out of the ring and through the tables on the arena floor! Hobbs planted Ibushi with a spinebuster!

Hobbs splashed Jericho in the corner. Fletcher rocked Omega with a snap dragon suplex. Fletcher grabbed Ibushi and spiked him with a piledriver off the apron and through a sign that was propped up on steel chairs!

Omega connected with a rising knee strike to Hobbs and Jericho followed up with the Judas Effect! Jericho and Omega taped Hobbs to the ropes! Omega smacked Hobbs with a glass bottle! Cage drove Jericho down into the mat and then tried for a Drill Claw on Omega. Omega escaped and spiked Cage with a reverse hurracanrana! Omega fired off the V Trigger on Cage and then on Hobbs. Omega pinned Cage after spiking him with the One Winged Angel!

AEW World Champion & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF had some strong words after last week’s brutal attack on the Acclaimed and Daddy Ass!

MJF: “It’s become very apparent to me that no matter how hard I try to outrun my past, it’s going to catch up with me. And every time I try to open myself up, those people get hurt. So, what I’d like to say to the Acclaimed is the same thing I said to Adam Cole—I’m sorry that you got hurt and I hope you feel better.

“Ever since I could remember all I wanted to be was a World Champion and I have spent every moment of my life trying to make that happen. I am proud to say that I have made it to that mountain top. The air up here is thin. And as I look down this mountain, I see men climbing with the only intention to shove me off the top.

“And I’m afraid I could lose everything I worked for in the blink of an eye. And I’m afraid I’m going to let you guys down. The old me in this situation would have tucked and ran. But I’m done letting the past dictate my future. Yeah, I’m afraid, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my spot at the top of the mountain. You’d better send a whole damn army up that mountain to knock me down!

“Jay White, November 18th at Full Gear, you have a chance to take my spot. But I don’t think you can. I don’t think anyone can because my name is MJF, and I am better than you and you know it! And a message to the man who stole my devil mask who hired those goons. I am going to find out who you are and when I do there will be hell to pay!”

“Switchblade” Jay White walked onto the ramp!

Jay White: “Max, you’re going to make me sick so just stop. Drop the act because you are embarrassing yourself. You’re trying so hard to be the hero and that’s not who you are. You are the villain. Always have been, always will be. And you’re not fooling anyone. You’ve told us time and time again, you are the devil. You’re not the hero, Max. You’re not these peoples’ hero.

“Max you should know better. You should know how quickly they will drop you because you mean nothing. You haven’t changed. I know that you know that I am speaking truth right now. And I know that you know your days as the AEW World Champion are numbered. You know at Full Gear you will bleed with the Switchblade. And if you’re not down with that I have two words for you: get him.”

Bullet Club Gold jumped into the ring. Max was able to fend off the Gunns for a bit but then Juice Robinson blasted MJF with his infamous left hand punch. The Gunns spiked MJF with the 3:10 to Yuma. Switchblade rocked MJF with the Blade Runner and mockingly pinned him for the three count!

Samoa Joe was watching on a monitor backstage.

“That offer still stands, MJF. You might want to take Joe up on it,” said Taz.

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL!

Special Programming note: this Friday tune in to AEW COLLISION at 8/7c and then RAMPAGE at 10/9c on TNT!

This Saturday witness history live on pay-per-view and order AEW FULL GEAR 2023 from the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, CA!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s special episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Moda Center in Portland, OR!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Tony Schiavone was backstage with AEW World Champion MJF to kick off the show!

MJF: “Congratulations Jay White, because you are not going to pin me again like you did last week!”

MJF’s phone began to vibrate, and it was Adam Cole calling.

MJF: “Adam, what’s going on?”

Adam Cole: “Hey man, I’m really worried about you man. It kills me that I can’t be there with you, but I have to tell you this as your best friend. Full Gear is coming up. This match against the Gunns and I know you really don’t want to hear this but if you want to win this match, I think you’ve gotta take Samoa Joe up on his offer.”

MJF: “Again with this? You’ve been telling me all week. It’s not happening, and I don’t need him. I can defend our titles and that’s a promise. I’m going to handle Bullet Club Gold after I handle Daniel Garcia.”

Daniel Garcia interrupted MJF by walking onto the set with Matt Menard and Angelo Parker!

Garcia: “You’re going to handle me, huh?”

MJF: “You want to have a chat? Why do you think I agreed to this World title shot tonight? Do you think it’s because of your perfect win-loss record? Nah, I don’t think so. It’s because I believe in you. It’s because I see a little bit of myself in you back when I would listen to quote-unquote veterans, trying to tell me how to run my business. I’ve proven it’s talent over tenure. So, tonight am I getting Danny Garcia the sports entertainer or am I getting the professional wrestler?”

Garcia: “Tonight, you get a professional wrestler.”

Roderick Strong and the Kingdom rolled onto the set.

Roderick Strong: “Yo, Max, I know you already know this, but I am a wrestling legend, and I could easily give you some tips, dude.”

MJF: “You know what’s funny? You were a wrestling legend. You have turned into a complete joke. Adam, I’ve gotta go wrestle. I love you.”

Roderick: “Adam, don’t you see that. That’s exactly what the devil would do, dude. He would walk away.”

Adam Cole hung up.

Roderick: “It’s time to remind everyone exactly who the hell I am!”

AEW World Championship Match!

MJF (c.) vs. Daniel Garcia (with Matt Menard & Angelo Parker)!

MJF locked up with Garcia and then taunted Garcia by doing Garcia’s dance. Garcia grappled MJF to the mat. MJF offered his hand to Garcia as a sign of sportsmanship. Garcia slapped it away and MJF thumbed Garcia in the eyes.

MJF began to work over Garcia’s arm, concentrating his offense there. Garcia fired back with a flurry of forearms and strikes. Garcia followed up with a high release German Suplex. Garcia nailed MJF with a brainbuster for a near fall.

MJF double stomped on Garcia’s elbow. MJF rocked Garcia with a shoulder breaker. MJF stunned Garcia with a DDT for a near fall.

“Garcia deserves a lot of credit kicking out of that hammer lock DDT because that was nasty,” said Taz.

Garcia dodged a Panama Sunrise from MJF and then chopped the champ down with kicks to the legs. Garcia spiked MJF with a piledriver for a near fall. Garcia locked in the Dragon Tamer! MJF countered and transitioned with the Salt of the Earth arm bar, forcing Garcia to tap out!

MJF offered his hand to Garcia as a sign of respect. Garcia reached for it, but Angelo Parker and Matt Menard pulled Garcia away.

Darby Allin & Sting vs. The Outrunners—Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum!

The Outrunners double teamed Darby in their corner of the ring. Sting tagged in and he and Darby chopped Turbo Floyd. Sting knocked Turbo over the top with a lariat. Truth pulled Darby out of the ring and whipped him into the barricade. Sting clubbed the Outrunners with lariats. Sting applied the Scorpion Death Lock and won via tap out!

Earlier in the day there was a sit-down interview between AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida & “Timeless” Toni Storm, conducted by Tony Schiavone!

Shida: “What happened to you Toni Storm? You want this title? I don’t think so. You want attention paid to your silly acting!”

Toni Storm: “You happened to me, darling. I was meant to walk into Wembley with that title, and then you happened. You don’t happen anymore. I happen. I couldn’t make history, so I became history. You may have that title, but you will never have the spotlight.”

Shida: “You know what? What will happen is what always happens. I will beat you at Full Gear.”

Toni: “Very well. There’s a saying in showbusiness. Chin up, t!ts out, and watch for the shoe!”

Shida knocked the shoe away and Shida and Toni glared at one another.

Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes)!

“Hangman” Adam Page was banned from ringside for this match.

Swerve nailed Penta with a diving European uppercut. Swerve wrenched down on Penta’s fingers. Penta El Zero Miedo and Swerve traded chops. Swerve stomped on Penta’s fingers.

Penta planted Swerve with a backstabber. Swerve rolled out of the ring, Penta ran for the tope suicida, but Swerve countered with a European Uppercut. Swerve dropped Penta on the steel ring steps. Penta jumped over the top rope with a tope con hiro on Swerve!

Swerve blocked the Made in Japan. Swerve was looking for the JML Driver, but it was blocked. They knocked each other down with lariats, each man having the same idea! Penta hit two sling blades on Swerve. Penta hit a driver on Swerve for a two-count.

Penta El Zero Miedo blasted Swerve with a destroyer on the apron! Penta connected with diving foot stomps for a two-count on Swerve.

“What a match! Holy smokes,” said Tony Schiavone.

Swerve stomped Penta over the top rope, landing on Penta’s ribs! Swerve climbed to the top turnbuckle and attempted a 450 splash, but Penta dodged it. Penta snapped back on Swerve’s arm! Penta crushed Swerve with the Made in Japan but Swerve kicked out at two!

Penta punted Swerve on the arm. Penta tried for the Fear Factor, but Swerve escaped. Swerve drove Swerve down hard and then stomped on Penta’s arm. Swerve stomped, crashing down on Penta and pinning him for the victory.

After the match, Swerve began to pull at the mask of Penta El Zero Miedo, but “Hangman” Adam Page ran into the ring with a steel chair. Page chased Swerve out of the ring and waffled Swerve in the back with a steel chair!

“Hangman is like a man possessed! He’s crazy,” said Tony Schiavone.

Hangman jumped off the stage with Swerve, spiking him through a table with the Dead Eye!

Alex Marvez was backstage with Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White, Juice Robinson, and the Gunns!

Jay White: “I am here with the Bang Bang Belt. We took a vacation, but I still turned in to Collision and what did I see? After I pinned MJF last week on Dynamite, he said, ‘Hey Jay, what don’t you go compare our names on some graph chart on the internet. Max, you want me to play along? I’ll indulge you. Maybe the graphs are like that because you spend all your time searching your name hoping one day, you’ll see those graphs in a way that will appease all those insecurities of yours.

“Jay White will always be better than you and everybody knows it. I am truly elite, and I will show that tonight against Mark Briscoe. MJF you just sit back, watch, and breathe.”

Renee Paquette interviewed the Golden Jets—Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega, ahead of their Dynamite match against The Don Callis Family that’ll be taking place next Wednesday.

Jericho: “I think when Don proposed this match, he didn’t think that Kota Ibushi and Paul Wight would have our backs and be our partners. You see, we’ve got some good friends.”

The Young Bucks—Matt and Nick Jackson, walked onto the set and interrupted.

Matt Jackson: “You know, we actually set up camp with the extras in the broom closet. Because there’s no space in our locker room. Chris’ bag is so big. Hey, but I like what you’re doing here. This whole tag team thing? Sweet promo. I even heard you had a really cool, new name. The Golden Jets! I bet you came up with that, huh, Chris?

“You know another cool name? I remember one. The Elite. The guys who started this whole damn place. That’s a cool name too.”

Jericho: “That’s so funny, you didn’t have Kenny’s back when Will Hobbs was beating the hell out of him a few weeks ago with a steel chair. I remember essentially it was the four of us starting AEW, who helped get this company off the ground.”

Matt Jackson: “You would say that. You would put yourself up on the pedestal with us. Because the way I remember it, we created the revolution and you just waltzed in and cashed another big check, didn’t you Chris?”

Jericho: “I want you to remember who you’re talking to here. You’re talking to Kenny F’n Omega and Chris Jericho. We’re two of the greatest to ever do this in the history of pro wrestling. So even though you might be the greatest tag team in the world, I’ll give you all the credit for that. I still think that Jericho and Omega can beat you.”

Nick Jackson: “Can beat us? There’s a big show coming up.”

Matt Jackson: “The light bulb just went off. I don’t think you guys are booked either. It’s called Full Gear. How about Kenny Omega, our best friend, and Chris Jericho, against Nick and Matt Jackson, the Young Bucks, the best damn tag team of all time. You said it yourself.”

Chris Jericho: “Well, uh, I kinda like that idea. But let’s put a little more steam on it. How about when Jericho and Omega beat the Young Bucks at Full Gear, and we will beat you, that guaranteed title shot that you’re sitting on, goes to us.”

Matt Jackson: “I like the way you’re thinking here Chris. How about when we beat you, and we will, right in the middle, clean as a whistle, how about this whole Golden Jets thing is no more. And we can start doing the Elite again, how about that Kenny?”

Kenny Omega: “Look, if this is about who is the greatest tag team of all time, it’s you. I don’t want to wrestle you guys. But if you’re asking me, do I think I can beat you? We’ve been down that road. I’ve done it before. You want to talk about Ibushi? You want to talk about Hangman? Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho can rise to the challenge. We can do it. So, if you guys really want to face us, we’ll do it. And then maybe you’ll clean up your act and then maybe you’ll start acting like real adults instead of sissy, bitchy children. I think you had to hear it from someone like me. So, see you in L.A. at Full Gear.”

Jericho: “Bucks, I’ll be happy to take you to the woodshed and beat your little spoiled brat asses. And by the way, I have my own dressing room.”

ROH World TV Championship Match!

Samoa Joe (c.) vs. “Limitless” Keith Lee!

Samoa Joe and Keith Lee locked horns like two massive bulls. Samoa Joe took a side headlock on Keith Lee. Joe gouged Keith’s eyes and then dropped him with a running shoulder block.

Keith Lee fired back with a shoulder tackle of his own. Keith Lee pounded Joe in the corner with big hooks. Samoa Joe chopped at Lee and then began to work over Lee’s body with jabs, pounding him down in the corner.

Keith Lee came back with a cross body to Samoa Joe. The champ hoisted up Keith Lee and dropped Lee with a knee breaker. Samoa Joe began to stomp Keith Lee.

Keith Lee got back up to his feet, but Samoa Joe took him down with a dragon screw leg whip. Joe followed up with a Manhattan drop. Keith Lee countered the senton with a German Suplex to Samoa Joe!

Keith Lee blocked a lariat from Samoa Joe. Keith Lee smashed Samoa Joe with a pop up powerbomb for a near fall. Samoa Joe slipped behind Keith Lee, locked in the hooks for the rear naked choke, and the ref stopped the match. Samoa Joe was awarded the match as Keith Lee faded.

Samoa Joe: “What stands before you is the greatest Ring of Honor Television Champion of all time. But I did not come here to merely be your television champion. I said hunger is what defines the greats. Well consider me officially hungry.

“As of tonight, I vacate the ROH Television Championship. Because the next gold that is going to be on my shoulder will be the AEW World Championship whether you like it or not, Max!”

AEW International Champion “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy and FTW Champion HOOK were backstage!

Orange Cassidy: “Jon Moxley, you must have lost your mind, saying that I overlooked you, that I don’t respect you. You are the only person that I have been thinking about since you left me in a pool of my own blood in Chicago after taking my International Championship. And I’m sorry that when the opportunity knocked, I didn’t pick up the piece of Rey Fenix, I picked up the pieces of the International Championship that you dropped. And now holding it, it doesn’t feel the same. Because I need to beat you. I have to beat you in order to be the International Champion that I know I am. And at Full Gear, I will beat you.”

The Gunns—Austin & Colten (with Juice Robinson)

vs.

The Bollywood Boyz!

The Gunns quickly hit the 3:10 to Yuma and won the match, right out of the gates!

Colten: “Hey Max, you are a liar. You have been lying to these people for years. You are not a generational talent. You’ve been telling sob story after sob story. That’s not what a generational talent does. Me and Austin, we were made for TV. We’ve been doing this for three years. We are former AEW Tag champs. We are about to be ROH Tag Champs because we are generational talents.”

Austin: “Max, you’re an embarrassment as a champion. For the past three months, you’ve defended the ROH Tag titles one time! Now the only friends you have left are on the other side of this guardrail. And I pray to God you pick one of them as your partner for Full Gear so we can send them on a ride on the 3:10 to Yuma. Max, Full Gear, November 18th, the ROH Titles go back in the hands of a real tag team!”

AEW World Champion and ROH Tag Team Champion MJF was watching on a monitor backstage when Samoa Joe approached him. MJF walked away.

Jon Moxley was backstage with Wheeler Yuta!

Moxley: “We heard what Orange Cassidy had to say and I knew it! I’ve been getting calls all week to let Orange off the hook. I knew that Orange knew exactly what he was doing. It’s about the laws of nature. This business is a jungle. And the BCC are a dominant pack of predators. What kind of example would I be setting for young Wheeler if I didn’t beat the piss out of you, Orange? What kind of example would you be setting for Hook? Teaching him he can just do and say what he wants, and it’ll be fine? You don’t even deserve to get to Full Gear. So, the minute we land at LAX, it’s on. Gang warfare. You and whoever you want to bring.”

Wheeler: “Hook, you might think you’re some tough guy, but I guarantee you, you crossed the wrong crew. See you in Cali, pretty boy.”

The House of Black’s Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet!

Julia shoved Red Velvet into the turnbuckles. Red Velvet rolled up Julia Hart for a pin attempt. Red Velvet used an arm drag to take down Julia Hart.

Red Velvet hammered Julia in the corner with body strikes. Red Velvet splashed Julia Hart with double knees and then a standing moonsault press for a two-count. Red Velvet pulled Julia off the top turnbuckle with an iconoclasm.

Julia stomped on the ribs of Red Velvet. Julia smashed Red Velvet with a moonsault and pinned Red Velvet! Julia locked in Heartless after the bell.

Skye Blue came down to the ring and had a stare down with Julia Hart. TBS Champion Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale walked to the ring. Willow checked on Red Velvet. Julia glanced over at Kris Statlander and then left.

RJ City was backstage to introduce the newest AEW signing…Mariah May!

Mariah May: “I’m so excited to be in AEW. I’ve wrestled all over the world. I just came from Stardom in Japan and I’m so excited to be a part of the AEW Women’s division. And I’m a big fan of your work. Toni Storm is the reason I’m here. I went to Japan because Toni went to Japan. Toni’s in AEW so I’m in AEW.”

RJ: “Maybe next week I could introduce you.”

Mariah May: “You’re going to introduce me to Toni Storm?!”

Main Event Time!

“Switchblade” Jay White (with Bullet Club Gold) vs. Mark Briscoe!

The Full Gear 2023 title shot is on the line here.

Mark Briscoe spiked Jay White with a side suplex. He followed up with a vertical suplex for a two-count on Jay White. Mark knocked Jay White out of the ring with his redneck kung fu. Mark jumped off the apron with a running elbow to Jay White on the arena floor!

Juice Robinson diverted the attention of the ref while the Gunns grabbed Mark Briscoe’s boot. Jay White dodged Mark Briscoe and planted Mark with a DDT!

Jay White pretended his knee was injured. The ref turned to check on Jay White while Bullet Club Gold stomped on Mark Briscoe outside the ring.

Mark Briscoe tried to build some momentum with a dropkick off the top rope. Mark and Jay White traded shots in the center of the ring. Mark hammered away with chops and elbow strikes. Mark Briscoe nailed Jay White with a neck breaker for a near fall.

Mark Briscoe hit a fishermen’s buster on Jay White for a two-count, Jay White just barely escaping. Jay White gouged at Mark’s eyes. Jay White connected with a dragon screw on Mark’s leg. Mark fired back with a Death Valley Driver. Mark climbed to the top for the froggy bow, smashed Jay, and covered him for a near fall!

Jay White rocked Mark Briscoe with a uranage. Jay White planted Mark with the Kiwi Crusher for a two-count! Jay White chop blocked Mark Briscoe. Mark escaped the Blade Runner with an exploder suplex. Mark walloped Jay with a lariat. Mark called for the Jay Driller, but Jay White backdropped his way out of it. Jay White targeted the neck of Mark with a sleeper suplex. Jay spiked Mark with a brainbuster.

Mark countered the Blade Runner with redneck kung fu. Jay served up with sleeper suplex and then spiked Mark! Jay White finished off Mark with the Blade Runner and pinned Mark Briscoe!

After the match, MJF snuck into the ring and cleaned house on Bullet Club Gold with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Only Jay White was left in the ring with MJF! “Switchblade” Jay White retreated out of the ring!

MJF: “Look at me Jay White. I hope you’ve had fun playing dress up as top guy. Because pretty soon play time is almost over. Because you’ll have to get in the ring with the real World champion. With a generational talent. With MJF! When I won that title, I made a promise to myself that I was going to go down as the greatest AEW World Champion of all time or die trying. And that’s what you’ll be dealing with Jay.

“You’ll have to kill me to beat me. I’m not fighting just for me anymore. For the first time in my life, I’m fighting for everyone who has been on this journey with me since day one. I am fighting for Adam Cole. I am fighting for you watching at home. I am fighting for everyone in this arena! ‘Cause I’m not just a scumbag. I’m their scumbag! So, I got one question Jay. Full Gear, will the leader of the Bang Bang Gang, will you be able to be the first man to pull the trigger?!”

The arena lights went out! Footage played from backstage of masked men attacking the Acclaimed and Billy Gunn!

“It seems like whoever helps MJF is in harm’s way,” said Excalibur.

The footage scrambled and then a person wearing a devil mask appeared on the screen for a split second!

The lights turned back on in the arena and MJF was standing in the ring alone. MJF sprinted to the back to check on the Acclaimed!

Samoa Joe approached MJF backstage. “Looks like you’re running out of friends, champ,” said Samoa Joe, as he laughed and walked away.

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA!

Special Programming note: This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE live at 10/9c on TNT!

Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/EsV-iRW6TTk?si=S-oTV5YMUO87UXV8

Last week was another exciting one in the world of All Elite Wrestling, and it all began with AEW World Champion MJF teaming with AEW World Trios Champions Daddy Ass & The Acclaimed to take on BULLET CLUB GOLD in a wild eight-man tag! Unfortunately for the World Champ, the bout ended with Jay White pinning his shoulders to the mat, but at least it bonded the one Max with the other, and garnered the World Champ with some friends besides Adam Cole. Then on Saturday night at COLLISION, the World Trios Champs got to celebrate 69-Day in a fashion only they could, and capped off their 69th day as champions with a record-setting victory over Dalton Castle & The Boys!

We also saw FTR and LFI defeat the AEW World Tag Champions and The Gates of Agony in their own 8-Man Tag on COLLISION, watched Darby Allin and Lance Archer go to battle in a fight lost by Archer, but one in which he and Jake “The Snake” Roberts garnered new allies in The Righteous. Willow Nightingale defeated Emi Sakura, The Kingdom continued to deliver their #NeckStrong message with a “miracle” for Roderick Strong, and much more as AEW barrels towards the Fabulous Forum for FULL GEAR 2023!

AEW is returning to Portland, OR but this time it’s with DYNAMITE and marking our debut at the Moda Center, the home of the Portland Trailblazers! We’ve got MJF, with FULL GEAR 2023 getting closer, defending his AEW World Championship against Daniel Garcia as well as ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe acecpting the challenge of “Limitless” Keith Lee! Plus Swerve versus Penta, Julia Hart versus Red Velvet, and Mark Briscoe battling Jay White; the action begins at at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, and at AEWPlus.com for international fans. Be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from last week’s DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, plus so much more!

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

MJF(c) vs. Daniel Garcia

Prior to last Friday night’s edition of RAMPAGE, Daniel Garcia had not competed in an AEW match that wasn’t a tag, trios, or multi-man since the Four Way International Championship match at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, with his last one-on-one encounter being in a top-shelf fight with Dax Harwood only seen by those in attendance for HOUSE RULES: TUPELO on June 2, and his last televised being a loss to Roderick Strong on the May 24th edition of DYNAMITE. As a man whose AEW resume includes victories over Brody King, Ricky Starks, and Bryan Danielson, it has clearly been frustrating for the former ROH Pure Champion, and the interpersonal issues he and his friends have been experiencing since walking away from The Jericho Appreciation Society have not helped matters.

Perhaps that is why Garcia, after his victory over Trent Beretta, chose to grab the microphone and shoot his shot by challenging Maxwell Jacob Friedman to put his AEW World Championship on the line. Clearly Garcia is tired of fighting with his friends, both inside and outside the ring, and tired of feeling overlooked despite being one of the best technical wrestlers in the game today. In Daniel’s eyes this is a fight that should’ve happened a long time ago, not MJF specifically but rather a World Championship opportunity, and he just had to take it upon himself to breath it into existence.

To MJF’s credit (it still somewhat bristles to write that), despite coming off that COLLISION clash with Kenny Omega and the 8-Man bout on DYNAMITE that saw him pinned by Jay White, he still plans to face Daniel Garcia this Wednesday night and to put the AEW World Championship on the line! That means, by the end of DYNAMITE, fans could see the entire face of the FULL GEAR 2023 championship match change! We could end up with Mark Briscoe taking on MJF, or Mark Briscoe versus Daniel Garcia, as well as the possibility of Jay White versus Daniel Garcia, in addition to the scheduled White/MJF bout. There could be a shake-up on the horizon for All Elite Wrestling, but should MJF survive the night with the championship still…well…not in his possession…but at least attached to his name, then he will tie the 9-defense record set by Jon Moxley during his first reign, making FULL GEAR 2023 the night Maxwell could add “most successful” to the “longest reigning” credit in his championship bio.

Can Garcia step up to that next level of competition and conquer AEW’s own devil? Or will Maxwell Jacob Friedman survive another day as champion and be able focus his sights on the KIA Forum, Jay White, and FULL GEAR 2023? The challengers are circling all-around…

ROH WORLD TV CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Samoa Joe(c) vs. Keith Lee

When the calendar turned from Wednesday November 1st to Saturday the 2nd, Samoa Joe officially became the longest-reigning World Television Champion in Ring of Honor history, surpassing Jay Lethal’s record that had stood since October 23, 2015, and with no seeming end in sight. When Samoa Joe walks into Portland on Wednesday night, he will stand with 575 days as champion to his resume, a number that actually puts the ROH Legend just 71 days away from breaking his own 645-day record as ROH World Champion, maintaining Joe’s status as the longest-reigning champion across all titles in ROH’s nearly 22-year history only now with the Television Championship rather than the World.

Though Samoa Joe felt he’d cleared out all challengers after putting down former TV Champion Rhett Titus on the October 28th COLLISION, and has thus devoted a good deal of his focus on MJF’s AEW World Championship, there was a man willing to step up to that challenge this past Saturday night, someone with a bit of ROH experience of their own, but who has never shared the ring with Samoa Joe: “Limitless” Keith Lee!

Though he’s only made one ROH appearance in the new era of honor, that being at FINAL BATTLE 2022, Keith Lee first competed in Ring of Honor, alongside Shane Taylor, on the May 29, 2015 event known as ROAD TO BEST IN THE WORLD 2015: NIGHT 1. Though never title holders, The Pretty Boy Killers (as Keith and Shane were known) did face top teams like The Briscoes, War Machine, and the All Night Express before Keith Lee left Shane Taylor in February 2017 following UNDISPUTED LEGACY. That’s a whole other issue, one Taylor and Lee still need to sort between each other, merely brought up to show that ROH is not unfamiliar territory to Keith Lee.

That bring multiple questions to bear regarding this fight set for Wednesday’s DYNAMITE: will we see Keith Lee return to Ring of Honor as a champion? Can Samoa Joe continue his run as the “King of Television” and press own towards breaking his own championship record come January 19, 2024? Though both men have issues beyond this title fight, Joe with MJF and Keith with Shane Taylor, they will no doubt be focused on the battle at hand, a battle pitting two of the biggest behemoths in All Elite Wrestling or Ring of Honor against one another!

ONE-ON-ONE…

Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe

***FULL GEAR 2023 TITLE SHOT ON THE LINE***

Once upon a time in 2016, a young lion named Jay White left the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo and traveled to the United States on excursion. This is a common happening among the young men coming out of the NJPW Dojo, though the destination is not always the same, and in the case of Jay White it was a year-long voyage to Ring of Honor. Yes he spent time in promotions like RevPro in the UK, fought in American indies like PWG, IWC, and House of Glory, but Ring of Honor was his home until October 28, 2017.

During that time, Jay White would find allies in a group known as Search and Destroy that consisted of White, The Motor City Machine Guns, Lio Rush, and Jonathan Gresham, and with that unit would end up in a several battles with two pillars of Ring of Honor: Jay and Mark Briscoe. One of White’s earliest matches in ROH was a 20-Minute draw with Jay Briscoe, and he would first collide with the brothers from Sandy Fork on the 9/3/16 edition of ROH WRESTLING with Lio Rush at his side. Though that S&D team was unsuccessful, Jay White would find success against The Briscoes at ALL-STAR EXTRAVGANZA VIII when he, ACH, and KUSHIDA defeated Jay, Mark, and Toru Yano in the inaugural World Six-Man Title Tournament and again when he, Lio, Sabin, and Shelley bested Jay, Mark, Silas Young, and Jay Lethal in an 8-Man tag.

As the young lion in those situations, Jay White took his beatings even in victory, and it all helped him prepare for the inevitable birth of “Switchblade” that came with his return to NJPW in November 2017. Jay and Mark would clash with White on one more occasion in May 2022, after “King Switch” had ascended to the head of BULLET CLUB and brought a young man named Chris Bey into the fold, but as it was in their only other straight-up tag match, The Briscoes claimed victory over Jay White and his partner.

All that being said, with that history lesson on the relationship between Mark Briscoe and Jay White, it’s a brand new day and both men are now members of the All Elite Wrestling family. Jay White and his BULLET CLUB GOLD brethren have absconded with MJF’s AEW World Championship title belt, leaving “Switchblade” to walk around AEW and claim himself the true champion. The old saying goes “possession is 9/10ths of the law”, but it’s tantamount to “finder’s keepers, losers weepers” here with Jay White, and Mark Briscoe has decided to put his foot down on the shenanigans he’s watched unfold over the last several weeks.

That is what has led the former 13-Time ROH World Tag Champion to challenge Jay White to this fight on DYNAMITE, a fight in which White’s FULL GEAR 2023 World Championship opportunity will also be on the line! Mark Briscoe’s got nothing to lose and everything to gain with this one, and in just his second match back from injury he could be the next challenger to either MJF or Daniel Garcia. Mark will likely have to contend with the full Bang Bang Gang contingent in Jay’s corner, but perhaps someone in the back with their own BC GOLD issues will be watching Briscoe’s back.

PARA LA FAMILIA…

Swerve Strickland vs. Penta El Zero Miedo

Alex Abrahantes could not have made it more clear; this fight is about something greater than just the match itself. Much like Mark Briscoe standing up for what he sees as wrong, this challenge made to Swerve Strickland on Penta El Zero Miedo’s behalf is also about what the latter sees being done wrong by the former.

After watching what Swerve did at “Hangman” Adam Page’s home, that complete violation beyond the pale of professional wrestling, Penta was disgusted and as a man who cherishes his family, decided to do something about it. So for the first time in AEW, and for the first time since December 2018, Swerve Strickland and Penta El Zero Miedo will go one-on-one on DYNAMITE! History tilts in the favor of Strickland, three previous meetings and all won by the boss of The Mogul Embassy, but this week Penta fights with his family in mind, with Hangman’s family in mind, and that’s the kind of motivation that will push a man to some dark deeds.

Then again, Swerve seems to thrive in those dark deeds as well based on his invasions of both Nick Wayne’s and Hangman Page’s private spaces, and clearly has no issues about crossing the lines decent human beings won’t, and certainly not in the name of a professional wrestling contest. Whose darkness is going to win out in this one-on-one clash?

SINGLES MATCH…

Julia Hart vs. Red Velvet

The last time Julia Hart was inside the squared circle was a month ago at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 after Kris Statlander bested her in their TBS Championship bout. Not only was that night a championship loss for The House of Black member, it was also the loss that snapped a 28-match win streak that Julia had built since May 2, 2022. The other night when The House of Black returned to the COLLISION stage in full force, so too did Julia Hart arrive, and with them the AEW landscape shuddered.

The last time Red Velvet appeared inside an AEW ring was on the February 1st edition of DYNAMITE when she fell to Jade Cargill in their TBS Championship bout, suffering an injury in the process that has kept her out of action for the last nine months.

That marks two things these women have in common, a TBS Championship loss in their last match, and some time off following that fight. Obviously for Velvet it was a far less of a choice to remain away from the ring, where as with Hart it was more of a regrouping alongside The House.

This Wednesday night the path of these two women will intertwine once more, the first time since their bout on the July 19, 2021 edition of DARK: ELEVATION, a match won by Red Velvet on her road to fighting Dr. Britt Baker for the AEW Women’s World Championship on the very first episode of RAMPAGE.

While Velvet has never contended with this dark, twisted version of Julia Hart, neither has Hart dealt with the Red Velvet of today who learned so much from her time as a Baddie, her challenges for the TBS and Women’s World Titles, and the motivation of long-term injury recovery. What will each bring to the table this Wednesday evening, and whose eyes will be watching it go down?

TAG TEAM TUSSLE..

Darby Allin & Sting vs. The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/AL-tv2XIWKk?si=poR8ke5FEWiRhekU

Ahead of their COLLISION trios bout where Adam Copeland will join Darby Allin and Sting to fight Lance Archer and The Righteous, Darby and “The Icon” will be in tag team action against a team who’s been very impressive in their AEW outings to date: The Outrunners!

The Outrunners, Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd, have been in the ring with The Acclaimed, Butcher & Blade, The Kings of The Black Throne, Aussie Open, and The Gunns, just to name a few of their AEW opponents, and they’ve managed to impress in their losses.

This Wednesday night they’ve got a huge opportunity when they square off with Darby Allin and Sting on the home stretch of The Icon’s career! This could be the biggest night in the lives of The Outrunners, can they take advantage of the situation, particularly all the damage done to Darby by Lance Archer?

HAVE A SEAT WITH TONY, TONI, & SHIDA..

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UVOiTX_eaQc?si=jzUDbIiju8IVbFAp&start=263

Last week, following Hikaru Shida’s AEW Women’s World Championship defense against Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm made her way to the DYNAMITE stage and stole the spotlight from the champ for the third time. This time Shida had had enough, and as Storm rolled about on the stage, the 3-Time Champion came charging up the ramp, knocking down Luther, and delivering a solid knee strike to Toni’s face.

Storm went scurrying away with Shida in pursuit, but there will be no running this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when both women, ahead of their FULL GEAR 2023 title fight, sit with Tony Schiavone for a chat! Will tempers flare up and turn this interview into a disaster not seen since THE ROOM?

AEW is back in Portland, OR this Wednesday night for DYNAMITE and our debut at the home of the Portland Trailblazers: the Moda Center! The AEW World Championship will be on the line, as well the ROH World Television Title, plus Swerve Strickland takes on Penta El Zero Miedo, Red Velvet is back in action for the first time in nine months to take on Julia Hart, Mark Briscoe and Jay White clash, and plenty more on top for AEW’s flagship! The night gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, and at AEWPlus.com for international fans so make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel to catch-up on highlights from recent episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s special episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Renee Paquette interviewed AEW World Champion MJF to kick off the show!

MJF: “I’ve got a list of everybody on the roster and hopefully there are three who aren’t complete A-holes. In the meantime, I’ve got my brochacho for life, Adam Cole, on the video chat for some advice.”

Adam Cole: “You know what makes me happy? The fact that you are officially the longest reigning AEW World Champion of all time. At this point you’re the greatest AEW World Champion of all time and that’s something to be really proud of. I wish I could be there right now because it feels like the entire world is gunning for you. I think you should at least consider Samoa Joe’s offer.”

MJF: “The last time I wrestled that guy he almost broke my neck. But listen I gotta go and find three partners for tonight. And just so you know, I promise you I’m going to successfully defend our ROH Tag Titles at the Full Gear pay-per-view. I’ll see you around.”

Roderick Strong rolled up in his wheelchair with the Kingdom!

Strong: “Can you believe Max leaving mid conversation? You know I’d never do that to you, right? But also, serious question, are we still pretending that he’s obviously not the devil? Like, because he seems like the devil to me.”

Adam Cole lost his connection.

Strong: “Adam! Adam!”

The transmission was interrupted by an image of someone wearing the devil mask!

AEW International Championship Match!

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.)

vs.

Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli (with Wheeler Yuta)!

Claudio Castagnoli hoisted up Orange and planted him. He followed up with a body slam to the champ, and then a double foot stomp. Claudio began to tenderize the body of Orange with multiple knee strikes and then an uppercut forearm.

Claudio countered a cross body press off the top rope with a back breaker on Orange, and then switched to a gut wrench rib breaker. Orange Cassidy rolled out of the ring, trying to play head games with Claudio, but Claudio ran around the ring and clubbed Orange with a forearm.

Orange shoved Claudio into the steel ring post and followed up with a tope suicida. Orange went for a second attempt, but Claudio caught Orange and dropped him across the top of the steel barricade.

FTW Champ HOOK walked to the ring, but the referee ejected both HOOK and Wheeler from ringside!

Claudio rocked Orange with a delayed vertical suplex back into the ring! Claudio charged at Orange, but Orange dodged him. Claudio collided into the steel ring post. Orange jumped out of the ring and caught Claudio with a DDT on the arena floor.

Orange cracked Claudio with the Stun Dog Millionaire. Orange went for a DDT, but Claudio countered with the Giant Swing! Claudio applied the Sharpshooter. Orange tried to escape but Claudio transitioned into a cross face! Claudio cracked Orange with a European Uppercut for a near fall.

Claudio put Orange in a sleeper hold. Orange began to fade. Orange escaped and clocked Claudio with the Orange Punch! Orange smashed Claudio with the Beach Break but Claudio rolled out of the ring, showing off his tremendous instincts and ring awareness.

The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”

Orange began to stomp Claudio. Orange clobbered Claudio with a running PK. Orange pulped Claudio with a DDT for a two-count. Orange got a hurracanrana on Claudio, grabbed his legs, and pinned him!

After the match, Jon Moxley came down to the ring! Orange charged at Mox, but Mox slammed him right down and began to ground and pound him!

“Orange is getting battered alone!” said Excalibur.

“This is an assault were watching right now,” replied Tony Schiavone.

MJF was knocking on Kenny Omega’s door!

Chris Jericho answered the door.

MJF: “Is Kenny in there?”

Jericho smiled and then slammed the door in MJF’s face.

As MJF was walking away, Wardlow shoved MJF against the wall!

Wardlow: “You took everything away from me! Now I’m going to take everything from you when you least expect it.”

Wardlow let go of MJF and MJF huffed away. As MJF turned the corner, The Acclaimed were waiting for him.

Max Caster: “Why don’t you team with us?”

MJF walked away, clearly frustrated.

After a commercial break, Jon Moxley was backstage!

Moxley: “I showed you respect, Orange, when no one would. I let you walk out on your own power in Chicago. I did not have to do that. Did you just write me off like everybody else did? Right now, I’m not doing too good so maybe this isn’t about you.

“Maybe you’re just the wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. It doesn’t matter either way, Full Gear, I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life with my bare hands. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Just because I can.”

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match!

“Hangman” Adam Page & The Young Bucks (c.)—Nick & Matt Jackson

vs.

The Gates of Agony—Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona, & “The Machine” Brian Cage!

Hangman was fighting this match with revenge on his mind. The Bucks dropkicked Cage and Liona. Hangman jumped off the turnbuckles with a lariat to Kaun. Matt Jackson splashed Kaun with a cannonball in the corner. Nick Jackson smashed Kaun with a senton!

Page hit Toa with a discus lariat. Hangman knocked Toa over the top rope with a lariat. He followed up with a pop-up powerbomb on Bishop Kaun. Page was about to go for the Buckshot Lariat when Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana walked onto the ramp!

Swerve: “Who’s house? As a matter of fact, last week I was at your house!”

Page got a look at Swerve and sprinted up the ramp toward him! Nana and Swerve retreated backstage as Hangman charged after them.

The Bucks were left alone with a three on two situation. Nick Jackson superkicked Bishop Kaun. Brian Cage ate a superkick from Nick Jackson. Cage battered Nick with a lariat and then a suplex from the apron and back into the ring!

Matt Jackson peppered the head of Bishop Kaun with right hands! The numbers were catching up with the Bucks. The Gates of Agony spiked Matt Jackson! Brian Cage shoulder blocked Nick Jackson.

“The odds are against the Bucks right now,” said Tony Schiavone.

“They’re doomed,” added Taz.

Cage powerbombed Nick Jackson and then cracked him with a knee strike. The Gates planted Nick and then Bishop Kaun pinned Nick Jackson.

And new ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions…The Mogul Embassy!

Backstage, Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page had to be pried apart by AEW security!

After the match, Matt Jackson went berserk, hitting a steel chair against the ring post over and over!

“This is about coming after somebody’s family,” said Excalibur.

After a commercial break, MJF’s pursuit to find tag partners continued.

MJF was about to knock on Samoa Joe’s locker room door but thought twice about it. MJF walked down the hall instead. The Acclaimed were there waiting for him. Caster said, “Pick us!” MJF stormed off.

Up next: Tony Schiavone interviewed the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland in the ring!

Adam Copeland: “Last week Sting got in my face. He also said we go a long way back. And we do. Because Sting and I have had a lot of the same injuries. So, we’ve been a sounding board for one another, and I respect the hell out of that man.

“I also respect Darby Allin because I think he is one of the lynch pins of this company and of this industry going forward. But Tony, I know you want answers. What am I going to do? Am I going to team with Sting and Darby Allin at Full Gear?”

TNT Champion Christian Cage came out onto the ramp with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne!

Christian Cage: “Adam, before you give your answer, I just want to paint a little picture for you. I am going to retire Sting at Full Gear whether he likes it or not. And also, you haven’t seen Darby Allin around much lately, and if you have, you’ve noticed he has a gimp arm that’ll never be the same after I dumped him on the stairs at WrestleDream.

“Now I don’t think I need to remind you, Adam, or anybody else of your neck problems. And I’d hate for this fairy tale of yours to turn into a nightmare so I’m going to suggest you back down from me right now. If you know what’s good for you, Adam, you’ll back down from me or else I’m going to snap your neck and leave you in a wheelchair. You used to be somebody, but I can also see this isn’t sinking in. So, guys give him a little preview!”

Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne charged at Adam Copeland in the ring!

Copeland fought off Wayne and Luchasaurus. Christian Cage was in the ring alone with Adam Copeland. Luchasaurus ambushed Copeland as Copeland was staring down Cage. Nick Wayne connected with the Wayne’s World on Copeland!

Sting came to the ring! Sting cracked Nick Wayne with a shot to the face. Darby Allin ran down like a bat out of hell and drilled Christian Cage!

Christian Cage turned things around and began to stomp and kick Darby. Adam Copeland was primed and ready and speared Christian Cage!

Copeland: “You want to snap my neck?! I’m going to beat your ass! It is on! Sting, you were right. Sting and Darby, you want a partner at Full Gear? I’m your man!”

Up Next: An Important Announcement from AEW CEO, President & GM Tony Khan!

Tony Khan was standing next to Nigel McGuinness.

Nigel: “Tony, from what I understand you have a huge announcement for all our fans all over the world.”

Tony Khan: “It’s been a great year for AEW. And now, all over the world, Christmas trees are going up all over the world. It’s the start of the holiday season. I can’t think of a better gift to give to the wrestling fan, your family, your friends, your loved ones, than a ticket to next year’s AEW ALL IN coming August 25th, 2024. Tickets are on sale one month from now, December 1st. But you don’t have to wait until December 1st. You can sign up right now. Get the best tickets early.”

Nigel: “Tony here is my scoop. If you want access to the best tickets before the general public, you can sign up now at Ticketmaster.co.uk/aewwembley2024. Priority and early access presales begin November 27th, with details being emailed to everyone that has registered.”

“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard & “Cool Hand Ang” Angelo Parker (with Jake Hager)

vs.

Golden Jets—Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega!

The Don Callis Family stood behind the broadcast booth as Don Callis sat in on commentary for this match.

Jericho chopped away at Menard and Parker. Omega tagged in. Omega and Jericho hit a tandem suplex on Menard. The Golden Jets followed up with a double shoulder block on Parker.

Jericho dropkicked Menard and then connected with the Code Breaker on Parker. Omega hit the terminator dive on Hager! Menard smacked Jericho in the face with a bat as the ref was distracted. Parker covered Jericho but Jericho kicked out. Parker swung at Jericho with the baseball bat. Jericho dodged it. Jericho decimated Parker with the Judas Effect and pinned him!

Don Callis: “I’ve got something to say! I’ve gotta give you credit, guys. Takeshita destroyed Kenny. Hobbs broke Jericho in two. And you guys are still back! You’re like cockroaches. You’re hard to get rid of. So maybe we have to take it up a notch.

“Maybe this doesn’t get finished in a wrestling match. Maybe this gets finished on the streets. So, if you’ve got the guts to face the greatest family in professional wrestling in a street fight in Ontario, California on Dynamite, then step up to the plate, you dummies!”

Jericho: “He just called us dummies, Kenny. What are we going to do?”

Omega: “You just said the magic word. You want a street fight. None of this was ever about playing by the rules. None of this was about winning matches. It was all about hurting me and hurting Chris. It was all for you. You want a street fight? Yeah, we accept it, but we’re not going to accept it alone. You want to bring your family along, well trust me, we’ve got an extra spot for Ibushi on our side.”

Callis: “You know I’m not a dummy, so I know by my math you’re still a man short.”

Omega: “I’m all out of ideas, Chris, can you help me?”

Jericho: “I look at Will Hobbs right here, the man that annihilated me a few weeks ago. And Hobbs is a big, big man, but I’ve got a friend who is even bigger.”

Callis: “No one is bigger than Will Hobbs!”

Jericho: “Maybe not a normal man, but as big as Will Hobbs is, he’s not a giant.”

Paul Wight walked onto the ramp! Paul Wight knocked out Kyle Fletcher with one punch!

Excalibur: “A match made! Dynamite in two weeks, the street fight in Ontario, California!”

After a commercial break, Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho!

Jericho: “In two weeks, the Don Callis Family has to face the Golden Jets, Kota Ibushi, and the biggest man in pro wrestling, Paul Wight!

The Young Bucks were in the locker room. Matt Jackson interrupted.

Matt Jackson: “Kenny, we’re friends, right? What was the whole point of the Elite getting back together if none of us have each other’s backs anymore. Who invited Jericho into our locker room?”

Jericho: “Don’t take it out on me because you lost your Trios titles. You weren’t good enough tonight. Watch your mouth when you talk to me.”

Omega: “Like Chris, hate Chris, he is aligned with us against the Don Callis Family.”

Matt Jackson: “Him and Don are cut from the same cloth. He’s going to screw you over just like Don did. Enjoy our locker room. Just clean up when you’re done!”

AEW Women’s World Championship Match!

Hikaru Shida (c.) vs. Willow Nightingale!

Willow rolled up Shida for a near fall. Willow followed up with a shoulder block and then a low cross body for a two-count. Shida charged at Willow and rattled Willow with a knee to the back of the head. Shida followed up with a diving cross body to the outside.

Shida suplexed Willow. Shida booted Willow in the face. Willow answered with a high boot of her own. Willow cracked Shida with a spinebuster for a two-count.

Shida dropkicked Willow off the turnbuckles. Shida hit an avalanche falcon arrow, but Willow kicked out immediately! Willow pounced the champion! Willow smashed Shida with the Death Valley Driver for a near fall! Shida cracked Willow with the knee strike. Shida unsheathed the shining katana and pinned Willow!

“Three defenses in seven days. That is an impressive streak for the AEW Women’s World Champion,” said Excalibur.

Willow and Shida hugged after the match, showing mutual respect for one another.

“Timeless” Toni Storm came out onto the ramp after the match! Shida sprinted up the ramp and blasted Toni with a knee strike! Shida chased Storm backstage!

The arena lights went dark! When the lights turned back on, Julia Hart was in the ring, standing behind Willow! Julia offered her hand to Willow. Skye Blue jumped into the ring and got in between Julia and Willow. Skye stared at Julia.

Julia nodded at Skye Blue. Skye turned around, looked at Willow, then turned back around and sprayed mist into Julia’s eyes!

“I think Skye Blue is going to pay for that,” said Taz.

Backstage, MJF was sitting on the floor when the Acclaimed approached him!

Daddy Ass: “Still no luck finding partners?”

Bowens: “Max, no one likes you except for Caster. I don’t know why you haven’t picked us in the first place because everyone loves the Acclaimed.”

Caster: “That’s right and if you team with us, you gotta scissor us and just wear what’s in this bag.”

MJF: “No, we will never tag! Do you understand me? And jokes on you, I’ve got one more group on my list.”

MJF turned around and he should be standing there? Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh, laughing!

Jeff Jarrett: “Max, we’re here to help.”

Renee Paquette was backstage when she was interrupted by Roderick Strong and the Kingdom!

They dialed Adam Cole on speakerphone. Roddy said Cole had to hear this.

Adam Cole: “Hello?”

Strong: “Adam! Hey, can you believe Max didn’t even attempt to ask us to be his tag team partners tonight? Especially after I’ve been so nice to him. What a jerk, huh?”

Cole: “Roddy, shut the hell up, man.”

Cole hung up.

Main Event Time!

8-Man Tag Match!

AEW World & ROH World Tag Champion MJF & Three Mystery Partners

vs.

Bullet Club Gold’s Austin & Colten Gunn, “Switchblade” Jay White, & Juice Robinson!

The Acclaimed came out to team with MJF!

MJF made his entrance in Acclaimed-inspired gear!

MJF charged at Jay White but White ducked out of harm’s way and hid behind Bullet Club Gold. Bowens and Juice tagged in. Juice connected with a shoulder block. Bowens clubbed Juice with an elbow.

Daddy Ass and Austin Gunn faced off. Austin jabbed at his father. Daddy Ass fired back with a big right hand. Jay White tagged in and chopped Daddy Ass. But Daddy Ass dropped Jay White with a chop.

Bowens connected with Scissor Me Timbers on Colten Gunn. Colten stomped Caster in the corner. Switchblade cracked Caster with a knife edge chop. MJF tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns and Juice Robinson! Bullet Club Gold got bounced all over the ring, but Jay White ran out of the ring!

MJF chased Jay White around the ring. Jay White jumped into the ring and MJF followed, but Austin chop blocked him. MJF countered the 3:10 to Yuma with a DDT to Colten! MJF connected with the kangaroo kick on Austin and Juice! Jay White snuck behind MJF and drilled the champ with the Blade Runner! Jay White pinned MJF!

“He just pinned the World Champion!” said Taz.

Jay White was going to hit MJF with the belt after the match but The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass jumped in to save him. They chased Bullet Club Gold out of the ring. MJF was prone and Jay White was still in the ring. Jay White wanted to waffle MJF with the title belt, but Max Caster came in and took the bullet for MJF!

“Max Caster pushed MJF out of the way to save him from that blindside shot from Switchblade Jay White,” said Excalibur.

After the match, MJF, the Acclaimed, and Daddy Ass had a four-way scissor party!

This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT featuring:

AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo

vs.

Penta El Zero Miedo

vs.

AAA World Cruiserweight Champion Komander!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Moda Center in Portland, OR!

Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, KS!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

Following the Massive Success of “AEW: All In London,” AEW Returns to Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 25

— Tickets for “AEW: All In London” On Sale Friday, Dec. 1; Pre-Registration Available for Early Access —

November 1, 2023 During tonight’s live episode of “AEW: Dynamite” from Louisville, Ky., AEW CEO Tony Khan announced that tickets for the second “AEW: All In London” will go on sale to the general public on Friday, Dec. 1, at 9 a.m. BST via Ticketmaster.co.uk. The highly anticipated event will take place at iconic Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024.

Fans can pre-register now for early access to purchase tickets for AEW’s return to Wembley Stadium by visiting www.ticketmaster.co.uk/AEWWembley2024. Pre-registered access and priority presales will take place beginning Monday, Nov. 27 just prior to the general on sale. Ticket information will be sent via email to registered fans only.

AEW’s return to the UK comes on the heels of its spectacular debut of “AEW: All In London” this past August, when more than 80,000 fans from over 70 countries converged on Wembley Stadium to witness a thrilling night of match-ups featuring the biggest names in wrestling today. With 81,035 tickets sold, the epic show shattered the world record for the largest ever paid attendance at a professional wrestling event.

“‘AEW: All In London’ permanently etched AEW in the history books, setting the world record for most tickets sold for any show in the history of professional wrestling,” said Tony Khan. “Wembley Stadium also holds a special place in my heart as I’ve now been there as part of three different sports properties, and have witnessed over 80,000 fans in the stands for all three. In addition to Fulham earning two promotions with playoff wins at Wembley Stadium, and the Jaguars winning our ninth ‘home’ game there a few weeks ago, I’ll remember the thunderous cheers from the crowd during ‘AEW: All In’ for the rest of my life.

“Stay tuned for more updates this month ahead of the general public on sale on December 1, and reminder to pre-register on November 27 for access. I can’t wait to return to Wembley Stadium for our second London show next August, which will be even bigger and more spectacular for fans in attendance and those watching around the world.”

“AEW: All In London” will feature the biggest names in professional wrestling from a roster that includes stars such as Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, “Hangman” Adam Page, Adam Copeland, Saraya, Christian Cage, Adam Cole, FTR, Bryan Danielson, Kris Statlander, Orange Cassidy, Miro, Dr. Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs and many more. Additional information and matches will be announced in the near future. The event will be produced in conjunction with Live Nation Entertainment.

“AEW: All In London” continues the legacy of Khan family properties enjoying signature moments in the iconic venue. Shahid Khan is Chairman of Fulham Football Club, which earned promotion to the English Premier League with playoff wins at Wembley Stadium in both 2018 and 2020. He is also owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have regularly hosted a home game at the stadium since 2013 and will return once again in 2024 for the franchise’s tenth home game overall at Wembley.

About AEW

Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in 2019, AEW is a red-hot professional wrestling promotion featuring a world-class roster that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry. “AEW: Dynamite” airs every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TBS, “AEW: Rampage” airs every Friday from 10-11 p.m. ET on TNT, and “AEW: Collision” airs every Saturday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes “Being the Elite,” a weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, and “AEW Unrestricted,” a weekly podcast series. For more info, check out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AEW; YouTube.com/AEW; Facebook.com/AEW

About Live Nation Entertainment

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/83MiJcWtEOc?si=ZTlIs0hiMA7ELgqv&start=168

Saturday night’s edition of COLLISION brought the AEW faithful an epic World Championship match between Kenny Omega and Maxwell Jacob Friedman that saw the defending champion top his challenger to not only retain, but to also cement his status as the longest-reigning AEW World Champion of all time. As of Wednesday November 1st MJF has officially hit the 347-day mark of his reign atop the mountain, thus surpassing Kenny Omega’s record, and leaving him with one World Championship record left to break, that being Moxley’s nine successful defenses. A win over Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023 would tie that marker, but Max still has a ways to go before he gets to The KIA Forum, and part of that is his fight with The Bang Bang Gang on DYNAMITE!

Also last Saturday, Hikaru Shida continued her third reign as AEW Women’s World Champion by defeating Abadon in a Fright Night Fight, the aforementioned BULLET CLUB GOLD was successful in picking up two victories in their Saturday night fights, and Samoa Joe continued his march towards breaking Jay Lethal’s 567-day record reign as ROH World TV Champion with his victory over Rhett Titus!

DYNAMITE is stacked for AEW’s debut in Louisville, KY at the KFC YUM! Center with MJF possibly taking on the entirety of BULLET CLUB GOLD by himself, Hikaru Shida facing Willow Nightingale’s challenge, the AEW International Championship on the line, and more! The night begins at at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so swing by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from last week’s DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, an unforgettable COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

EIGHT-MAN TAG MATCH…

AEW World & ROH World Tag Champion MJF, ???, ???, & ???

vs. BULLET CLUB GOLD (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White, & Juice Robinson)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qlIAH9PxiTo?si=mI0WGdh9CfXavtxo&start=168

As of Wednesday, after topping Kenny Omega in their epic COLLISION bout, Maxwell Jacob Friedman has officially become the longest-reigning AEW World Champion in history, surpassing Omega, with the only record associated with that championship left to break being the most championship defenses. That record is currently held by Jon Moxley during his first title reign, holding steady at nine, with MJF having the potential to tie it at FULL GEAR 2023 when he faces “Switchblade” Jay White in his next title defense. The fact that Jay has physical possession of the MJF’s prized Triple B is meaningless to the actual lineage, just merely a tool for “King Switch” to use to antagonize the actual champion as long as the belt sits in the BC GOLD camp.

Clearly the issue is getting to Max as he attempted, despite having that match with Omega on his plate later in the night, to reclaim the title belt following Jay White’s victory over AR Fox. Once again unsuccessful in his attempt, MJF now has to take on the whole of The Bang Bang Gang this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE if wants to get the Triple B back from Jay White. There’s only one problem, Max has essentially told everyone willing to help him out to kick rocks, not The Kingdom, not Roderick Strong, not The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass, and as far as Samoa Joe’s offer, well Max didn’t scream Joe’s name for help, but he didn’t say no either.

So who will it be? Will it even be anyone? Is there anyone MJF will accept help from, or who will even be willing to stick their neck out for him? After all, despite his recent titling towards the side of the angels, this man is still The Devil who perpetrated a great deal of pain and suffering on many individuals throughout All Elite Wrestling, and why anyone would trust him is generally beyond logic. Yet here is Joe offering a hand, albeit with that championship caveat, and Max Caster searching for friendship based on their shared history at the Create A Pro Academy, while The Kingdom and Roderick Strong are doing it to stay in Adam Cole’s good graces.That’s a lot of firepower that could be on Max’s side, but he doesn’t want a part of any of it, even with the full power of BULLET CLUB GOLD standing in front of him. There’s brave, and then there is foolhardy, and it is very clear which of the two that the AEW World Champion is choosing…

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli

On Wednesday night in Philadelphia, Claudio Castagnoli pinned AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy to win the bout for the Blackpool Combat Club. Unfortunately that victory came at a cost to “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson as Claudio detailed Saturday night on COLLISION. Whether it was The Rainmaker Clothesline or The Orange Punch, the end result was Danielson suffering a fracture to his orbital bone. So while Claudio had the thrill of pinning a champion, he also had the agony of knowing his BCC brother was down at the hands of their opponents.

For Claudio, there can at least be some solace knowing that he can get revenge for Danielson in short order because, as a result of pinning Cassidy on DYNAMITE, the former 2-Time ROH World Champion will challenge for the AEW International Championship! This marks the first time Castagnoli, a former 2-Time ROH World Champion, will challenge for a singles title in All Elite Wrestling, with that recent AEW World Tag Title loss to Big Bill & Ricky Starks being Claudio’s only other AEW title fight.

Orange has proven he won’t back down from any fight, he even had the gumption to shoulder into Jon Moxley unprovoked which nearly led into a brawl of its own at BATTLE OF THE BELTS VIII, and he has stated his intention to move forward in his second reign as International Champion just like he did with the first. That means defending at every opportunity against every opponent who wants an opportunity, despite the physical and mental toll it took on the man. It was obvious, and OC didn’t hide it, that losing the title shook him to the core and he lost some sense of identity without it around his waist. Reclaiming it, albeit from Rey Fenix rather than Mox, restored some of that identity, but it is not a reach to assume Cassidy wants another fight with Moxley; why else purposefully run into the man? But before that’s even a possibility, Cassidy has to survive the onslaught of The Swiss Superman in his next championship defense! Will the AEW International Championship return to The Blackpool Combat Club this Wednesday night in Louisville?

TAG TEAM CHALLENGE…

Daddy Magic & Cool Hand Ang vs. Golden Jets (Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega)

Much to the chagrin of Daniel Garcia, and the utter annoyance of Anna Jay, last Friday on RAMPAGE Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, and maybe even Jake Hager, seemed buy into the garbage that Don Callis was selling to them. It certainly took some of the focus of Anna’s attempts to earn that COLLISION title match with Shida, in fact she was the one that Abadon defeated to take the title match, and perhaps knowing that some of her friends were focused on other business kept her from focusing 100% on her own.

Disappointingly, Menard and Parker have decided to take Don Callis up on his offer and this Wednesday night in Louisville, they will face Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho in tag team action! The Golden Jets, as Jericho dubbed them, are coming into this one with Omega fresh off a hard-fought AEW World Championship bout with MJF this past Saturday night and Chris Jericho hopefully recovered from the assault he suffered at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs!

Will Callis’ newfound allies be successful against the two former AEW World Champions, or will the unlikely allies be victorious and frustrate Callis?

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Willow Nightingale

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eWSobRJB5-E?si=7F-yVW4geE6YxNqq&start=168

Coming off a COLLISION’s Fright Fight with Abadon, the AEW Women’s World Champion is right back in action defending her title against all-comers, and the next one to step up to the plate is fan favorite Willow Nightingale!

As of late Willow has invested her time in whatever is going on with Skye Blue since both were misted by Julia Hart’s “spooky dust” (as Willow dubbed it), and we’ve all seen it bring some changes to Skye while Nightingale has remained true to herself. TBS Champion Kris Statlander tried to bridge the gap on COLLISION to no avail, and now with this opportunity on her table, Willow Nightingale is really going to have to put Skye on the back burner and focus on the task at hand. This is just Willow’s second opportunity at the title, the first coming back at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 against Toni Storm, and her second ever match with Hikaru Shida with the first actually taking place on the Jericho Cruise earlier this year.

Will Willow be frustrated by Shida in this championship bid, or can the first-ever NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion add an AEW title to her trophy case as well? Tune in Wednesday night to see how it all goes down!

DYNAMITE comes your way with AEW’s Louisville, KY debut hailing from the KFC YUM! Center. We will see AEW World Champion MJF, and perhaps some partners, taking on the whole of The Bang Bang Gang, Hikaru Shida defends her title against Willow Nightingale, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy fights The BCC’s Claudio Castagnoli, and much more in store! The show kicks off at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, and at AEWPlus.com for our international fans, so drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel to catch highlights from last week’s DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as this week’s CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

Tonight’s special episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA!

Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!

Renee Paquette kicked off the show interviewing AEW World & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF!

MJF dialed Adam Cole on his iPhone. Cole answered, but before MJF could get a word in, The Kingdom—Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, and Roderick Strong (in a wheelchair and neck brace) interrupted.

“Adam!” screamed Roddy.

“Is that you Roddy?” asked Cole on speakerphone.

“Yeah, it’s me,” replied Roddy.

“Max, I gotta get going, but I’ll call you later,” said Cole.

“Roddy, what the hell do you want?” asked MJF.

Roddy: “Listen, I’ve been thinking. You’re obviously the man behind the devil mask. But say we live in a world where we pretend you’re not. And for the sake of our mutual best friend Adam, I’ll take pity on you, and I’ll help you with Bullet Club Gold.”

Max replied, mockingly, “You’re going to help me? Dude, thank you so much.” Max pushed the wheelchair that Roddy was in backwards.

MJF: “Jay White, tonight I send you a message in blood! Tonight, I got a bullet with your name on it, Juice Robinson!”

The screen went black and then a man in a devil mask appeared!

Dynamite Diamond Ring Match!

AEW World & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF

vs.

Bullet Club Gold’s “Rock Hard” Juice Robinson (with Austin & Colten Gunn)!

A very motivated MJF took down Juice Robinson and then stomped him in the corner! MJF whipped Juice into the steel guardrails. MJF flipped Juice over the timekeeper’s table. MJF charged at Juice and nailed him with a knee strike!

MJF smacked Juice’s head into the steel ring steps. Juice was busted wide open! The Gunns distracted MJF and Juice pulled MJF headfirst into the ring steps. Colten distracted the ref, so Juice was able to choke MJF with MJF’s scarf.

“Switchblade” Jay White walked onto the ramp, holding the AEW World Championship, to scout the match! Jay White joined the broadcast booth for the match.

MJF hit a lariat on Juice and followed up with a body slam. MJF chomped down on Juice’s head. MJF rocked Juice Robinson with the kangaroo kick! The Gunns swept out the legs of MJF and Juice cracked MJF with a leg lariat to the jaw.

MJF poked Robinson in the eyes. Juice spat at MJF and then cracked MJF with the Left Hand of God! Juice powerbombed MJF for a near fall!

“Juice’s frustration evident after that powerbomb,” said Excalibur.

MJF tried for the Heat Seeker, but Juice blocked it. Juice charged after MJF, but MJF tied up Juice in the ring apron. As MJF was getting back into the ring, Juice kicked the ropes and then nailed MJF with the Juice Is Loose for a near fall!

The Gunns were distracting the ref while Juice put on his fake ring. In the meantime, MJF put his Dynamite Diamond Ring on. Juice swung but MJF ducked it and countered with a loaded shot of his own, knocking Juice to the mat! MJF smashed Juice with the Heat Seeker and pinned him.

The Gunns swarmed MJF after the match!

The Kingdom rolled Roderick Strong down the ramp to the ring in a wheelchair!

Roddy ordered the Kingdom to get into the ring, and they did! Taven and Bennett jumped in and slugged it out with the Gunns!

“I can’t believe what we’re seeing!” said Excalibur.

Jay White ran into the ring. The Gunns held up MJF and Jay White was about to hit him with the AEW World Championship but then The Acclaimed’s music hit!

The AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass jumped into the ring and forced Bullet Club Gold to retreat!

Jay White: “Hey! Max, listen, focus, follow the sound of my sweet, exotic accent. Forget about Kenny, forget about Samoa Joe, forget about Wardlow, forget about the devil mask, and your gimp squad, and focus on the only thing that matters and that’s the man standing right here with the Bang Bang Belt! Max, I’m telling you that you will never get your grubby little hands on it again because at Full Gear I will pummel your face into the ground, and you will breathe with the Switchblade!”

Colten Gunn: “And you have something me and Austin want, and that’s the ROH World Tag Team Titles! So Max, what do you say, November 18th, Full Gear, MJF versus the Gunns.”

Austin Gunn: “Whether it’s MJF that shows up that night or the devil himself, it doesn’t matter because we’ve got two guns, one for each of ‘em.”

MJF: “Shut the hell up! You want a shot at the ROH Tag Titles at Full Gear, you got ‘em. And Jay White, I will see you at Full Gear. But I’m not waiting that long to get my hands on you. Next week in the main event of Dynamite, I take you up on your offer. You four versus me and three tag partners of my choosing, and when I win, you will give me back the Triple B because nobody is on the level of the devil!”

Roderick Strong: “Max! Max! Listen to me. You’re obviously going to pick us, right?”

MJF: “You three do me a favor. Get those two big boys on your lap and use that wheelchair to roll off a cliff!”

Max Caster: “Hey so that means you’re going to pick us, right?”

MJF: “Listen very carefully Caster. I’ve known you since I was 18 years old. I never liked you. And if you think I’m going to tag with you, you’ve got another thing coming. I would never tag with you. You understand me?”

Caster: “So you’re saying there’s a chance?”

Bowens: “Don’t you know that everyone loves the Acclaimed!?”

Caster: “Ok, but at least do me one favor. Scissor me!”

MJF walked away and said, “Not a shot.”

As MJF was walking up the ramp, Kenny Omega’s music began to play and out walked Omega!

Omega and MJF had a stare down.

Omega: “Hey Max, you seem to have a lot going on here. You have something that I want. But I’ve got something that you want. Even though I have no right to ask, and if you’re the type of scumbag that I think you are, you’ll laugh in my face. But if you are the champion that I think the fans want you to be, you’re gonna hear me out. I want that belt, Max, and I deserve the right to defend my streak. And if you are truly better than me and you know it, then Max, don’t be afraid to show it, pal.”

MJF: “Ok, how about the Cleaner versus the Devil, this Saturday night, for the AEW World Championship! May the best man win. And Kenny, he will, because my name is MJF and I’m better than you and you know it!”

Omega: “And I supposed on that note, we must bid these people adieu. Good night, and goodbye. And Max, three days, bitch.”

Footage aired of Wardlow!

He said he had to watch MJF while Wardlow was at home. The devil’s claws are in him, and now he’s going to take away everything MJF has!

The Dark Order—Alex Reynolds & John Silver

vs.

FTW Champion HOOK & Rob Van Dam!

Hook grappled Reynolds to the mat and then applied a side headlock. RVD tagged in and used a nice deep arm drag on Reynolds. Dark Order ambushed RVD with cheap shots.

RVD monkey flipped John Silver. Hook flipped Reynolds with a fireman’s carry. Hook tossed Silver with a Northern Lights. RVD blasted Silver with a leaping leg drop. RVD crushed Silver with the Rolling Thunder for a near fall.

Hook was looking for Red Rum on Silver, but Reynolds ran in to break it up. RVD leveled Reynolds with a kick. RVD smashed Reynolds with the five star frog splash Hook grabbed Silver in the Red Rum and forced him to tap out!

Tony Schiavone was in the ring to introduce Darby Allin and Sting!

Sting: “I’m glad to be here right now because I want to thank some people that I forgot last week. I want to thank Philadelphia. It’s been a great run, and a lot of that run was right here in front of you. I also want to thank my tag team partner Darby Allin. I could not have come this far without Darby by my side.

“Darby is the man. Secondly, I want to thank somebody who made this happen. Tony Khan. Tony, I want to thank you for making that phone call to allow me to wrestle a little longer. And Tony is asking for the microphone so here you go.”

Tony Schiavone: “Speaking on behalf of Tony Khan, it is Tony Khan who should thank you for what you’ve met to AEW. You arrived on the scene early in 2021. Your first match was at Revolution 2021, and now your final match will be at Revolution 2024. And we are proud to be a part of Sting’s great career.

“Fans, it was 35 years ago that on this network, TBS, Sting put it on the map. He put professional wrestling on the map on TBS. It elevated him to the icon that he is now. And you heard about it earlier this week that Tony Khan had a special gift for Sting. And I’m proud to bring out that special gift right now.”

“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair walked out to the ring!

“Royalty is in the house,” said Taz.

Sting and Ric Flair hugged in the ring.

Ric Flair: “You know that in life there are moments that are magical. There are few and they are far between. And that’s the magic of the chemistry of whatever you do that makes you the best. 35 years ago, Sting and I made history on TBS. Brother, I’ve told him this, to go 55 minutes in a match 35 years ago or tonight is hard. He never took a deep breath. He is not only one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of this business, but damnit, he’s probably the nicest guys I’ve ever known.

“So, when I got an invitation from Mr. Khan to be a part of this, time flies, but I want to ride this out with you man. Woooo!”

TNT Champion Christian Cage, Luchasaurus, and Nick Wayne walked onto the ramp!

Christian Cage: “So Tony Khan is a billionaire, and this is the gift that he gets Sting for his retirement? So, he basically gave you a suit, some gold chains, and a black liver. Relax, people, I know Ric Flair is not dead. The real reason I’m out here is because last week Sting and Darby Allin decided to stick their nose in my business yet again.

“Darby, how is your arm feeling? You still have some sour grapes that I beat you in your hometown at WrestleDream, huh? I’ll give you one more chance. So go ahead and take a look at something you’ll never be: a champion. Now it’s obvious that this situation isn’t going to go away until I make it go away. So, this is my proposition to you two: I know, Sting, you have this beautiful dream in your head that you want to make it to Revolution because you started with AEW at Revolution in 2021. You’ve got this beautiful picture painted for yourself.

“But I don’t want to wait until Revolution for you to be gone. I want you to be gone right now! So, I’m saying there’s three of us, and when I look in the ring, I see the two of you and I see Ric Flair. I mean, hey, you can take Ric Flair as a partner if you want, but he’s one superkick away from his pacemaker kicking out. At Full Gear, get yourselves a partner, and your retirement is going to come early. And it’s not going to be a celebration. It’s going to be more like a funeral.”

Sting: “Hold on! First of all, Darby and I, we’re going to find a partner, and second, we accept your challenge. See you there!”

Earlier in the day, Renee Paquette had a sitdown interview with Chris Jericho!

Jericho: “As a pro wrestler for 33 years, I can’t ever remember having a beat down like I did at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs. The thing that is hurting the most for me is my ego. As an athlete, you’re always self-reflecting. One thing I’ve always had is immense self confidence in myself. Last week I didn’t see it coming. Hobbs came at me right out of the gate. I couldn’t get out of the hole that he continued to dig with my body.

“I have to wonder if I still have what it takes to beat Will Hobbs. Is it time to step back or should I get even stronger and know that I’m Chris Jericho. Is it time to get some sort of revenge? Don Callis has a whole family. He’s got a lot of friends in that family. Chris Jericho has a lot of friends too. And some of those friends are even bigger than Will Hobbs. Maybe it’s time to give them a call.”

ROH World Six-Man Championship Match!

The Elite (c.)— “Hangman” Adam Page, & The Young Bucks—Matt and Nick Jackson

vs.

The Hardys—Jeff & Matt, & Brother Zay!

Nick knocked down Zay with a shoulder tackle. Nick nailed Zay with a neck breaker. Hatman hit a forearm off the top rope to Brother Zay.

Matt Jackson tagged in and slapped Adam Page in the face. Matt Jackson and Matt Hardy shoved one another. Matt Hardy hit the Side Effect after a blind side knee from Jeff Hardy to Matt Jackson. Brother Zay wiped out Page and Nick Jackson with a tornillo.

Matt Jackson threw Matt Hardy and Brother Zay overhead with a Northern Lights Suplex. Hangman tagged in and cleaned house. Hangman hit the Death Valley Driver on Zay for a near fall. Brother Zay spiked Page with a DDT after an assisted Silly String from Jeff Hardy!

Matt Hardy rocked Matt Jackson with the Twist of Fate. Jeff splashed Matt Jackson with the Swanton Bomb, but Nick was there to break up the pin attempt! Hangman stunned Zay with the Buckshot Lariat. The Elite finished off Zay with the BTE Trigger and Matt Jackson pinned Brother Zay!

Live footage played on the giant screen above the entrance ramp. It was Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland “visiting” Hangman Page’s house!

They walked around Page’s house. They went to a baby crib. “You owe me a debt, Hangman, and since you’re not here, is it Hangman Jr. who will owe me something. You will. Just not today.”

Swerve Strickland tossed a Mogul Embassy shirt into the crib of Hangman Jr. and said he’d never forget that this was his father’s fault!

Renee Paquette was backstage with the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!

Copeland said he still wasn’t going to face Christian Cage. Copeland said his friendship was more important than anything that’s ever happened within this business.

Darby Allin and Sting interrupted.

Darby: “Adam, I know you came to AEW to ride off into the sunset with your best friend, but that’s not the type of world we’re living in. Do you think last week I wanted to break Nick Wayne’s face? No. But it’s kill or be killed here.”

Copeland: “Darby, you know how much I respect you.”

Sting: “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation right now. I know what it’s like to have the blinders on. I was up and down the road with Lex Luger, and I had the blinders on. You know the legend out there? I learned from him. I see right through guys like Christian. I can see right through him. You need to open your eyes up before it’s too late. Are you hearing me? Listen to what I’m saying before it’s too late! We go way back. Don’t mess it up now! Get with it!”

AEW Women’s World Championship Match!

Hikaru Shida (c.) vs. Ruby Soho!

Ruby chopped at Shida. The champ hit a crossbody and then slammed Ruby.

Soho connected with a back heel kick. Shida blasted Soho with a missile dropkick. Soho caught Shida with the No Future outside the ring!

Shida landed an elbow strike. She hoisted up Soho in a torture rack. Shida followed up with a sliding elbow for a near fall on Ruby Soho. Ruby pulled the middle turnbuckle pad off. The ref pulled it away from her, but Ruby grabbed the can of spray paint and tossed it to Shida, setting her up for when the ref turned back around. Ruby acted like she’d been sprayed in the eyes.

“All the ref has to do is look at Ruby’s face. There’s no spray paint on it,” said Excalibur.

Ruby jumped back into the ring with the title belt, but Shida went to defend herself by spraying the paint, but instead she sprayed the title belt! The ref took the belt away and as she had her back turned, Ruby unwrapped her wrist tape, choked Shida, and then stunned her with Destination Unknown! Shida was able to kick out at two!

“That was super close,” said Taz.

Shida fired back with the katana kick. Ruby kicked out! Shida nailed Ruby with a knee strike and then the Falcon Arrow! Shida went to cover Ruby, but Ruby reversed it for a pin attempt. Shida shoved her away, sending Ruby right into the exposed turnbuckle! Shida finished off Ruby with the katana and pinned her!

After the match “Timeless” Toni Storm walked onto the ramp! We learned earlier tonight that Timeless Toni Storm will have her Hollywood Homecoming: The Quest for Gold at Full Gear, live on pay-per-view on Saturday, November 18th!

Renee Paquette interviewed MJF backstage ahead of his match this Saturday on Collision against Kenny Omega!

Samoa Joe interrupted!

Samoa Joe: “Congratulations! You’re a man who suffers from a severe lack of friendship. You need people watching out for you. So, I come here with a simple offer. I will be that person and I will be your friend.”

MJF: “Sounds good to me!”

Samoa Joe: “On one condition. You give me my rematch for the AEW World Championship. You don’t have to answer me now, but with the way things are going, I’m sure I’ll have my answer soon enough.”

Main Event Time!

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy & Kazuchika Okada

vs.

Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli!

Danielson had wrist control on Orange Cassidy. Claudio tagged in and body slammed Orange.

Okada tagged in and locked up with Claudio. Okada and Claudio exchanged forearms and uppercuts in the center of the ring. Orange tagged in and splashed Claudio from the top rope.

Danielson tagged in and dropped a knee on Orange for a near fall. Claudio’s gut wrench was countered by Orange with a DDT. Okada and Danielson tagged in for their respective teams.

Danielson and Claudio traded chops. Danielson connected with round kicks. Okada came back with a running back elbow and then he spiked Danielson with a DDT for a near fall. Danielson applied the Le Bell Lock to Okada, but Okada escaped. Danielson countered the rainmaker with chops.

Orange tagged in and went for a DDT on Claudio, but Claudio countered, but then Orange countered with a Stundog Millionaire and then a DDT. Claudio put Orange in the Giant Swing! Claudio sat back in the Scorpion Death Lock. Okada jumped in to break it up. Okada slammed Claudio and then smashed Claudio with an elbow drop from the top rope. Okada and Orange hugged but Danielson jumped from the top with a dropkick to them both!

Okada cracked Danielson with a dropkick. Cassidy hit the Orange Punch and Okada followed up with the Rainmaker to Danielson! Claudio entered the fray with a diving European Uppercut to Okada. Claudio dished out an uppercut to Orange Cassidy and pinned him!

After the match, Danielson was clutching the side of his face. Moxley, Yuta, and Claudio checked on him. Best Friends, Rocky Romero, and Hook came to the ring to check on Orange too.

This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT!

Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY!

Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT!

And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_9VrmRqRfDM?si=1BlI598LbYO71Hq2

After a jam-packed week of action with three events, All Elite Wrestling returns to one of DYNAMITE’s first homes at the Liacouras Center on the Philadelphia campus of Temple University! With it comes the Dynamite Diamond Ring clash between AEW World & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF and BULLET CLUB GOLD’s Juice Robinson ahead of Max’s scheduled clash with “Switchblade” Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023! In addition, Hikaru Shida will put her AEW Women’s World Championship on the line against Ruby Soho, Rob Van Dam and HOOK will clash with The Dark Order, and we will hear from Chris Jericho as he sits down with Renee Paquette!

But that’s not all: we will also see a huge dream team match-up as AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy brings Kazuchika Okada back to AEW for a tag team clash with Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli of The Blackpool Combat Club! In addition, AEW President Tony Khan has a gift for “The Icon” Sting after his stunning announcement last week, and The Elite will put their ROH World Six-Man Championship on the line against The Hardys and Brother Zay!

DYNAMITE is loaded for AEW’s return to Philadelphia, and the action gets underway beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans! Before the night starts, visit the official AEW YouTube channel to watch highlights from last week’s DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!

DYNAMITE DIAMOND RING MATCH…

AEW World & ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF vs. “Rock Hard” Juice Robinson

https://www.youtube.com/embed/h7YT96gSsEY?si=aEdUS4wRjsySHB6j&start=113

As of this moment, AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman is set to clash with BULLET CLUB GOLD’s “Switchblade” Jay White at FULL GEAR 2023 (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/aew-full-gear-2023) on Saturday November 18th, and with that on the horizon, The Bang Bang Gang has done everything they can to make Max’s life hellish. They’ve attacked him, stolen his Triple B championship belt, mocked the Dynamite Diamond Ring MJF has managed to keep in his possession since 2019, and now after Juice Robinson won the Battle Royale last week, they aim to rob him of that accessory as well.

Sure Max, or at least someone wearing his signature devil mask, and a gang of other disguised individuals fired back at Jay White by assaulting him backstage, but circumstantial evidence aside, and taking the man’s word with a grain of salt, MJF claims the mask was stolen from his bags. Now historically speaking Maxwell Jacob Friedman has not been the most trustworthy individual, but his somewhat matured attitude towards everything lends him a credibility he didn’t have earlier this year.

But MJF is going to have to put all that aside, everything BC GOLD has put him through the last several weeks and the distractions of everything surrounding Adam Cole’s surgery, and focus on the task at hand with Juice Robinson. With Cole’s out, and MJF clearly not interested in the help offered by Max Caster, the AEW World Champion is quite alone in a situation where Juice and The Bang Bang Gang will absolutely use their numbers to further break MJF down before FULL GEAR 2023.

Will “Rock Hard” be the first person not named MJF to lay claim to the Dynamite Diamond Ring? Max won the Battle Royale, and the subsequent singles match, three years running while last year defended the AEW World Title, as well as possession of the ring, in a match versus Ricky Starks. So while history is on MJF’s side, the other side has four men on it who will conspire together to insure the current holder of the Dynamite Diamond Ring doesn’t spend another night with it on his finger…

A DREAM TEAM…

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy & Kazuchika Okada

vs.

Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli)

Four months ago to the day, at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023, Bryan Danielson defeated “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada with a broken arm. It was the culmination of a hard-hitting twenty-eight minute fight, one fans had dreamed about seeing for years finally coming to fruition, that far exceeded expectations, and left people clamoring for more. Okada, for one, was certainly game for a rematch, quoted as saying “If there is a time to have a rematch, I’d like to win even if I have to break both of Danielson’s arms next time.”!

Well, as Orange Cassidy announced to the world after winning his BATTLE OF THE BELTS VIII International Championship defense against John Silver, “The Rainmaker” will have that chance this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when he returns to AEW for this tag team dream match! The multi-time IWGP Champion will team with the 2-Time AEW International Champion to take on The Blackpool Combat Club of Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli!

This match marks the first time Okada has been in Philadelphia since ROH WRESTLING Episode #209, available on Honor Club now, was taped in August 2015! It’s been over eight years since “The Rainmaker” graced the City of Brotherly Love, and now he’s back for this huge tag team collision that’s as much about OC and Jon Moxley as it is Danielson/Okada. Moxley may not be cleared for combat quite yet, but clearly he and “Freshly Squeezed” are on a collision course revolving around that AEW International Championship. What Orange did when he purposefully shoulder bumped Moxley was way outside the norm for the 2-Time International Champion, as was the manner in which he lofted the belt overhead as Mox was pulled away by his BCC brethren, as if Orange was challenging the man who beat him for the belt back at GRAND SLAM 2023.

So while OC and Mox may not get their hands on one another quite yet, Cassidy is more than happy to fight the other members of The Blackpool Combat Club this week, and no matter who the victor is when the final bell rings, the AEW faithful are all winners! This is Danielson and Okada in the ring once more, this is Danielson and OC fighting for the first time, Claudio and Okada for the first time, and it goes down this Wednesday night on TBS! Dreams do come true…

AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

Hikaru Shida(c) vs. Ruby Soho

It is clear as day that Ruby Soho is beyond frustrated with her championship situation, or rather lack thereof, in All Elite Wrestling: frustrated at GRAND SLAM 2021 by Dr. Britt Baker in their AEW Women’s World Championship fight, and beaten by Jade Cargill in the finals of the TBS Championship Tournament on January 5, 2022. Then it was the loss at REVOLUTION 2023 in a Three Way World Championship fight with Jamie Hayter and Saraya, the defeat at Kris Statlander’s hands in their TBS Championship bout at ALL OUT 2023, and the loss to Hikaru Shida in their #1 Contender’s match on the 9/29/23 edition of RAMPAGE, a victory that Shida parlayed into her third reign as champion at Saraya’s expense.

So with all that piled on her head, not to mention everything that’s gone down with “Timeless” Toni Storm, Ruby is hellbent on finally becoming a champion in All Elite Wrestling, to the point where she made this challenge to Hikaru Shida despite having ate that loss a month ago. Ruby wants what she feels she deserves, and given her temperament when she delivered those words on COLLISION, she may be willing to do anything to make it happen.

For Shida, this is a possibly a chance to move past The Outcasts, to add a championship win over Ruby Soho to that of her recent one over Saraya and her DYNAMITE #200 one over Toni Storm. It’s also the opportunity to celebrate this third championship reign the way Shida couldn’t with the second when Saraya stole it from her at ALL IN: LONDON, by pinning Storm, after just twenty-five days. Can Ruby bring Shida’s third championship reign to an even shorter conclusion than her second and finally achieve what she’s craved since her first day in AEW?

ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…

The Elite (Hangman Adam Page, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson)

vs.

Brother Zay & The Hardys (Jeff & Matt)

The Elite of Adam Page and The Young Bucks captured the ROH World Six-Man Championship titles from The Mogul Embassy at RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2023, beginning their second reign as champions some five and a half years after the conclusion of their first. While all three men have been distracted with other business in the months since that victory, none have forgotten about their responsibility as champions and how that entails actually defending the titles.

It is with that in mind that Hangman and the brothers Jackson laid out an Open Challenge for this Wednesday night in Philadelphia, leaving the door open for any three individuals to walk through and try to claim the titles for themselves. Well it looks like two men men named Hardy heard the call, and found their third in another named Brother Zay who’s grown quite close to Matt and Jeff over the last couple years. Now The Hardys and Zay have only gone the trios route on two instances, once to challenge Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed for the AEW World Trios Titles and another to face Garcia, Parker, and Menard, and have lost on both occasions, but that isn’t going to stop them from taking the gamble when there’s a championship at stake.

The Hardys do know a thing or two about beating The Young Bucks, while Matt, Hangman, and Brother Zay have some history of their own here in AEW; which trio will walk away dominant and which will be despondent?

TAG TEAM CHALLENGE…

The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. FTW Champion HOOK & Rob Van Dam

The Dark Order are quite unhappy with the outcome of John Silver’s AEW International Championship fight with Orange Cassidy that took place at BATTLE OF THE BELTS VIII. Though Silver fought the good fight, “Freshly Squeezed” left with the championship still in his backpack, but for John and Alex Reynolds the deal isn’t over yet.

As they said, since they can’t get their hands on OC this Wednesday seeing as how he’s got that tag match already on his plate, they’ve elected to target a pair of his friends in Rob Van Dam and the FTW Champion HOOK. This being Philadelphia, the home of the promotion where RVD really made his name in professional wrestling, it’s akin to a homecoming for the multi-time World Champion, a return to a city he hasn’t competed in since December 2022, and only six times in the last decade at that. Together, though it’s only been that one match thus far, RVD and HOOK have gelled quite well as a tag team, but they will be put to the test by Alex Reynolds and John Silver on Wednesday night.

Those two Dark Order members are one of the most experienced pairs in All Elite Wrestling, having worked as a team since 2011, and captured multiple championships together before their entry into AEW. Though they’ve been frustrated as team, only challenging one time for the AEW World Tag Titles and once for the ROH tag belts, that doesn’t change the fact they are a dangerous duo with a chip on their shoulder and a reborn malice in their hearts.

Orange Cassidy may be the target of their animosity, but it’s Cassidy’s friends potentially taking stray bullets this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. Obviously The Dark Order doesn’t care who feels their wrath, as long as it hurts Orange Cassidy in the process…

A GIFT FOR STING…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BeVv8BbZIEk?si=c2n2DBRp2siILr9C

A week ago we heard “The Icon” Sting tell the world that REVOLUTION 2024, wherever that may take place and on whatever date it may take place, will be his last day competing as a professional wrestler. Though he has often used the line “The only for certain about Sting is that nothing is for certain”, “The Icon” made a point to say that this was for certain. Exactly what shape that final night will take remains to be seen, and luckily we all still have several months to show the man our appreciation for everything he’s meant to professional wrestling, and to so many lives around the world.

One man who intends to show his appreciation for Sting this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE is AEW’s CEO Tony Khan, and he apparently has a gift for “The Icon” he intends to present right here in Philadelphia. It’s a city Sting’s quite familiar with, a place where’s he’s won and lost championships, and a city whose wrestling history he’s been a part of since 1987; what will this next trip to Philly mean to “The Icon” as he heads towards the end of the road next year?

CHRIS JERICHO & RENEE PAQUETTE…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tiONqBXsIq0?si=egBFwcBeOQRqlZpf&start=59

Powerhouse Hobbs decimated Chris Jericho like no man has done since the inception of All Elite Wrestling, and possibly like no man has ever done to Chris in the whole of his career. It was an explosion of so much pent-up within the former TNT Champion, years and years of emotion and rage, and though it was Don Callis who harnessed those emotions to unleash upon Chris Jericho, it was Powerhouse who did the damage.

Now, after the AEW faithful being subjected to Don Callis and his ilk last week, it is time for Chris Jericho to share his thoughts with the world, something he will do when he sits down with Renee Paquette this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. How is Jericho feeling? What is running through his head after Callis’ latest affront and after hearing Powerhouse Hobbs’ words? The AEW faithful will find out Wednesday night on TBS!

SWERVE’S GOT WORDS…

https://www.youtube.com/embed/OoV7KNa-A7c?si=PZgIyda3-BvDh-Vr

This Wednesday night in Philly Swerve Strickland has some thoughts to share regarding “Hangman” Adam Page and his involvement in Strickland’s match with Bryan Danielson. In the mind of Swerve, if Page hadn’t inserted himself into the fracas it would’ve been Strickland challenging Christian Cage for the TNT Championship instead of “The American Dragon”, and Swerve would’ve won the title whereas Danielson lost.

The reality is that Hangman, despite having an upcoming match with Jay White on his plate, chose to put himself into that fight to stop Swerve Strickland from cheating the same way he did at WRESTLEDREAM to defeat Page. Hangman was only there to make sure it was fair, and that is what played a part in costing Swerve his TNT Championship opportunity.

So on DYNAMITE, in the City of Brotherly Love, Swerve Strickland aims to address the former AEW World Champion about this situation, and we shall see what that leads to, especially considering Hangman has a ROH World Six-Man Championship title defense already on his plate for the evening.

This Wednesday night, DYNAMITE comes back to Philadelphia’s Liacouras Center with a jam-packed night of action beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT LIVE on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for our international fans! Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale winner Juice Robinson takes on AEW World Champion MJF with his prized Dynamite Diamond Ring at stake, Kazuchika Okada returns to AEW to team with Orange Cassidy for a tag team bout with The BCC, Hikaru Shida defends the AEW Women’s World Championship against Ruby Soho, and so much more set to go down! Be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, BATTLE OF THE BELTS, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of THE CONTROL CENTER to get prepared!