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DYNAMITE comes to you from the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV, AEW's first time back since August 17th of 2022, and with it comes a loaded night of action! AEW World Champion Samoa Joe faces Dustin Rhodes in an Eliminator contest, the TNT Championship will be at stake when Adam Copeland faces Penta El Zero Miedo, and AEW Women's World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm is apparently planning a Charleston Champagne Toast for Thunder Rosa. In addition, LionHOOK will team with Katsuyori Shibata to do battle with Shane Taylor Promotions while Anna Jay has a rematch with Mariah May, and The Young Bucks have promised to present backstage footage from ALL IN: LONDON! Then for those in attendance who get to experience RAMPAGE before the rest of the world, TBS Champion Julia Hart defends in an Open House match against “Legit” Leyla Hirsch!
All that comes your way this Wednesday night, live on TBS starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by 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 latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then join us Saturday night at the Truist Arena in Northern Kentucky for COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS X featuring Rocky Romero facing Roderick Strong in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Match!
ELIMINATOR MATCH…
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe vs. “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes
Aside from both occupying space in a Battle Royal on January 3, 2008, Dustin Rhodes and Samoa Joe have never shared the ring in any traditional match. Not a singles, not a tag or trios, nothing of the sort, but that will change this Wednesday night when the two competitors square off for the very first time! It began with a challenge laid out on the table by “The Natural”, the desire to fight Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship, but that challenge was rebuked by a champion who does not see Rhodes as deserving of a title match. Depending on how one views it, that's not an inaccurate response, after all Rhodes is 15-13 in singles matches across his AEW career, 2-1 in 2024, and not grouped in the rankings, but only taking that into account is very much a “what have you done for me lately” approach.
At 54 years of age, “The Natural” has been fighting inside the squared circle for thirty-five years of his life, and has won numerous championships throughout the course of that hall of fame career. He's battled everyone from Toshiaki Kawada to Scott Hall, from Giant Baba to Jeff Jarrett, and from Sammy Guevara to Bryan Danielson; he's been an inspiration and a teacher, a friend and a foe, but one thing he's never been is the World Champion, representing a company, holding the title as the man with a target on his back.
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, with an AEW World Championship Eliminator opportunity in the palm of his hand, “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes can take the first step towards finally achieving that dream by defeating Samoa Joe. With that victory, as Samoa Joe said in his interview, Dustin Rhodes would become the top contender to the World Championship, jumping the line ahead of Swerve Strickland, who earned his title opportunity at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st, as well as Bryan Danielson, Will Ospreay, Orange Cassidy, and Eddie Kingston. It's a huge opportunity for Dustin, the closest he has ever been to challenging for the AEW World Championship, but can he take that next step forward and become the top contender? Joe hasn't been beaten in a singles match since GRAND SLAM 2023 when he fell to MJF in their first AEW World Championship match; that's nine consecutive wins, one in a Three Way Match, and eight of those were championship bouts. Rhodes has a tremendous mountain to climb in Charleston; will fans see him step up into the role of challenger after ascending to the summit?
Coming off a tremendous Cope Open TNT Championship defense against Matt Cardona, Adam Copeland was issued a challenge by former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo for a TNT Title fight! Cope is certainly not going to walk away from any challenge, definitely not turning one down, one can't help but wonder if he knows what he's getting himself into with this fight?
Though most of Penta's All Elite Wrestling tenure has been in the tag team or trios divisions, he's had his fair share of championship challenges in the singles ranks. He last fought for the TNT Title March 25th of last year, falling to Powerhouse Hobbs on that edition of RAMPAGE, but he's also challenged Orange Cassidy for the International Championship, Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title, as well as been involved in multiple contender's matches over the last five years, and that's just in AEW!
Step outside of the realm of All Elite Wrestling, and one will see that Penta El Zero Miedo has had thirteen singles champion reigns across the wrestling landscape! Be it in the United States or Mexico, Penta has proven himself as singles competitor many time over, and depending on what homework Adam Copeland has done, that may come as a surprise to the defending TNT Champion. Now these Cope Opens have forced Adam to stretch himself as a professional wrestler, with fighting a wide range of styles from Minoru Suzuki to Cardona to Dante Martin one doesn't have much choice, and Penta El Zero Miedo represents another way Copeland will have to adapt his game.
Can the former AEW World Tag Champion win his first singles title since 2018, and his first-ever All Elite Wrestling one? Or will this fight demonstrate that Adam Copeland may be the most resilient, adaptable competitor on the AEW roster?
CHARLESTON CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPAGNE TOAST…
We know that former AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa will face current AEW Women's World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm at DYNASTY 2024 on April 21st in St. Louis, but what we don't know is just what Storm has planned with this Charleston Championship Champagne Toast. It's clear that this is a heated issue, the words exchanged between Storm and Rosa have been less than complimentary to say the least, so there's zero chance this toast will be a celebration of “La Mera Mera”, more likely the champion giving herself a toast ahead of her next title fight. But how will that play out on Wednesday night at the Charleston Coliseum? Is it going to break down to fisticuffs between Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm?
TRIOS MATCH…
LionHOOK (Chris Jerisho, FTW Champion HOOK, & Katsuyori Shibata) vs.
Shane Taylor Promotions (Anthony Ogogo, Lee Moriarty, & Shane Taylor)
Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty may have lost the fight to LionHOOK last week, but it certainly did look like it in the aftermath of the match, not when “The Guv'nor” Anthony Ogogo was throwing fists alongside the members of Shane Taylor Promotions. Having been absent from the AEW landscape for eleven months, Ogogo made a return to AEW screens during the ZERO HOUR prior to ALL IN: LONDON, but disappeared for another seven months until the tremendous impact Ogogo made upon Chris Jericho's face with this return following the LionHOOK victory over STP on last week's COLLISION. It was quite a shock to see “The Guv'nor” back in All Elite Wrestling after he'd been utterly silent for so long, but he wasn't just sitting at home doing nothing during his time away.
In fact Ogogo was doing the best thing possible for his career and putting in ring work outside of All Elite Wrestling. He's put in the work with RevPro and PROGRESS in England, competed for Southern Honor Wrestling in Atlanta, as well as several other United States independents, all to keep himself in prime fighting condition and garner more experience until the time came to return to AEW action. Well that call came from Shane Taylor ahead of this past COLLISION, and we will see if it pays off this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Ogogo, Shane Taylor, and Lee Moriarty take on LionHOOK and their surprising third man, Katsuyori Shibata!
Now this will mark Ogogo's first match on DYNAMITE in nearly three years, as well as his first time uniting with STP in a match, but so too is it Shibata's first outing with Jericho and HOOK as his partners, though not his first time standing side-by-side with the FTW Champion. That took place last November when he, HOOK, and Orange Cassidy were victorious over Jericho's former JAS allies of Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, and Jake Hager.
As much of a statement as STP made last COLLISION, Shane Taylor Promotions is definitely in need of a statement victory and one over LionHOOK and Shibata certainly fits that bill! Can they accomplish that this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE?
Coming off a tremendous victory over Stardom's Momo Kohgo at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 this past Friday, but still quite frustrated from her loss to Thunder Rosa last week, Mariah May comes to DYNAMITE looking for another fight, and it looks like she's got one waiting from Anna Jay!
It was only two months ago on the February 23rd edition of RAMPAGE that Mariah May defeated Anna Jay in their first meeting, so the memory is still quite fresh in the mind of both competitors. The question is which one will rise to the occasion Wednesday to take home the victory? Will it be Mariah May redeeming herself for the loss to Thunder Rosa, or will it be Anna Jay bouncing back from three straight AEW losses?
ALL IN: LONDON REVISITED…
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV for the first time since August 17th of 2022, and with it comes a huge night of action and drama! AEW World Champion Samoa Joe fights Dustin Rhodes in an Eliminator Match, The Young Bucks are promising to show never-before-seen footage from ALL IN: LONDON, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm is promising a Championship Champagne Celebration for Thunder Rosa, and her understudy Mariah May will face Anna Jay in a rematch of their April encounter! All that and more comes to you this Wednesday night live on TNT starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, but don't forget to drop by 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 latest CONTROL CENTER!
Then Saturday night, from the Truist Arena in Northern Kentucky, AEW presents a huge night of action with COLLISION and BATTLE OF THE BELTS X including AEW International Champion Roderick Strong fighting an Eliminator Bout against a man he called ally many years ago: Rocky “Azucar” Romero!
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DYNASTY 2024 is getting closer, and after this past Wednesday night the AEW World Championship was made official with Swerve's blood, one-half of the finals of the AEW World Tag Tournament were set when The Young Bucks beat Best Friends, Thunder Rosa earned her way into an AEW Women's World Championship match with “Timeless” Toni Storm, and that was just DYNAMITE! RAMPAGE brought The House of Black's Malakai Black topping Christopher Daniels, AEW International Champion Roderick Strong victorious in an Eliminator Bout, Serena Deeb taking home another win, and Daniel Garcia scoring a huge victory in that Final Four Elimination battle!
That brings us to this Saturday night for a loaded edition of COLLISION that gets underway at a special start time of 11:30pm ET on TNT! It features The House of Black in Trios action, the return of Yuka Sakazaki, Penta El Zero Miedo taking on Komander, and perhaps most importantly, the other Semi-Final match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament between FTR and Top Flight! Fans around the world can get prepared for all the action with a visit to the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's various social media platforms, to catch highlights from this week's DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then come join us next Wednesday in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum featuring a TNT Championship bout between Adam Copeland and former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo!
AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT SEMI-FINAL…
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
It's been more than sixteen monthssince the last time FTR and Top Flight locked horns in tag team competition, and in that match Dax and Cash were in the midst of their ROH World Tag Team Championship reign. In fact, that victory over Dante and Darius Martin was the final defense of FTR's title run before they were defeated by Jay and Mark Briscoe at FINAL BATTLE 2022's unforgettable Double Dog Collar Match. It was one of the many championship accomplishments that FTR has achieved over their careers, accomplishments that included the AEW World Tag Titles two times over, but now their mission is to make it a historic third time around, but they've got to get past Top Flight this Saturday night!
Now the career of Top Flight has been wrought with difficulties, Darius fell to an injury in February 2021 that kept him on the shelf for thirteen months, and then a month after his return, Darius fell to another injury that kept him out of action for seven months of 2022. Then, just as Top Flight seemed to be getting back into their groove, just four months after Darius' return, Dante suffered a near career ending injury at ROH's SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event that ultimately put him out of action eight months! Yet they keep bouncing back, stronger than they were before, hungrier than ever, and now the Martin brothers are ready to take that next step towards becoming AEW World Tag Champions for the first time.
TAG TEAM BOUT…
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty) vs.
LionHOOK (Chris Jericho & FTW Champion HOOK)
Chris Jericho may have once again adopted his “Lionheart” moniker, but FTW Champion HOOK is still wary of the original AEW World Champion because of his track record within All Elite Wrestling. Jericho may be doing his best to try and get HOOK to sit under his learning tree, to believe in Jericho as much as Jericho believes in HOOK. The 2-Time FTW Champ is on guard, but he is still willing to see what “Lionheart” has to teach, and set-up a match for their LionHOOK team this Saturday on COLLISION!
It's not going to be an easy night for Jericho and HOOK though because they've got a fight on their hands when it comes to Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty! STP is always primed for a fight, and though they are quite the imposing force once the bell rings, they've yet to get on the kind of roll a team needs to truly make an impact on the division. Knocking Chris Jericho down a peg while also topping the FTW Champion are certainly moves to build that kind of momentum, and that's what STP aims to do this Saturday night on COLLISION!
SINGLES MATCH…
Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Komander
As we heard this past Wednesday night, former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo is on the hunt for his first singles championship in All Elite Wrestling, and as such he's set his sights on answering the Cope Open Challenge! That's right, next week on DYNAMITE, live from Charleston, WV, Penta meets Adam Copeland in a TNT Championship match, but before he gets to the Charleston Coliseum, Penta has to step into the ring with a man he's called partner many times over the last year, the high-flying Komander!
Well they've fought in a couple of Four Way contests (both for championship opportunities coincidentally), as well as a Three Way contest, this will mark the first time the two Luchadors have met in a singles bout. They've teamed in All Elite Wrestling, they've teamed in Ring of Honor, they even teamed up on the Jericho Cruise, but somehow they've never gone one-on-one prior to this late night Saturday COLLISION. With Penta stepping up to challenge for the TNT Championship for the first time since the March 25, 2023 edition of RAMPAGE, this fight with Komander has an added importance as a win here serves to build momentum while a loss puts the man fighting out of a hole at the worst possible time.
While not thought of as a singles competitor in the auspices of All Elite Wrestling, Penta is highly decorated in that role in his non-AEW endeavors, and just wants to add some more singles gold to that resume!
SINGLES BATTLE…
The Butcher vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Two tags, a Three Way Tag, and a Trios bout; that's how many times The Butcher and Claudio Castagnoli have stood opposite the ring from one another in non-Battle Royal matches, and in all but the Three Way Tag, it was The Blackpool Combat Club that came out victorious (that honor went to Top Flight). Yet in the nearly two years since “The Swiss Superman” made his All Elite Wrestling debut, the two combatants have never locked horns in a singles match, that is until this Saturday night on COLLISION!
When two of the biggest, most powerful men in the AEW locker room butt heads, you know it's going to be, as Jim Ross would say, a slobberknocker of a match! Who will win out in this battle of the big, bald, and bad?!?
AEW fans have not seen Yuka Sakazaki in action since the 2/13/23 edition of DARK: ELEVATION, but “The Magical Girl” returns to All Elite Wrestling this Saturday night on COLLISION! From the moment she made her debut at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, Yuka has left quite the impression on the All Elite Wrestling fans, and the women she's fought inside the squared circle. She holds victories over Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D, Penelope Ford, Mei Suruga, Emi Sakura, and Billie Starkz, to name a few, boasts a 10-4 record in singles matches, and is 14-7 overall, but she's never had a championship opportunity in AEW, and isn't that the fight is ultimately all about?
Well with this return to AEW action, after taking a few months off from competition to heal from nagging injuries, perhaps Yuka can work her way towards a title opportunity, but first she must contend with the hard-hitting challenge of The Infantry's Trish Adora! Adora comes into this fight having just gone through it with Serena Deeb on RAMPAGE, but is ready to bounce back from that loss to spoil Yuka's return to All Elite Wrestling!
ALSO FEATURING…
-The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews, & Malakai Black) vs. Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, & “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Ketih
The Semi-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament come to a close this week on COLLISION when FTR meets Top Flight, Penta El Zero Miedo battles Komander as he heads towards a TNT Championship contest with Adam Copeland, and the BCC's Claudio Castagnoli meets The Butcher in singles competition. As if that wasn't enough, Yuka Sakazaki returns to AEW competition to meet Trish Adora, LionHOOK battles Shane Taylor Promotions, and The House of Black will be in Trios competition!
The night gets underway a little later than usual, kicking off at 11:30pm ET on TNT, and fans around the world can get ready for it all at the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW's assorted social media outlets! There fans can watch highlights from Wednesday's edition of DYNAMITE and Friday's RAMPAGE episode, as well as the CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then join All Elite Wrestling in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum for a TNT Championship bout pitting Adam Copeland against former AEW World Tag Champion Penta El Zero Miedo!
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Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
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!
TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland came to the ring to kick off the show!
Copeland: “I came out here to talk to all of you. I didn’t bring out my TNT Title. There’s been a lot of negative B.S. that has been spewed this week. Screw that! I want to talk about positives, and if you’re a fan of pro wrestling, it is a great time to be a fan of pro wrestling.
“If you’re sitting here, if you’re watching at home, you’re a fan of pro wrestling. I am a fan of pro wrestling. I grew up on WWF. I watched NWA. I watched Stampede. I devoured it all because I love professional wrestling. I know you’ve heard this before but for nine years I had this torn away from me, but I worked to get it back because I love it so damn much.
“When I thought about my career, because I’m closer to the end than to the start, I knew I needed to end my career in AEW. I will put our locker room against anybody. I can face Will Ospreay. I can face Kenny Omega. Hangman, Swerve, Joe, Moxley, Darby, I can face FTR, the Young Bucks, The House of Black, and by the way, those are all first time ever matches. How crazy is that? That happens in AEW.
“I’ve got a lot of friends in the industry. They call me and say, ‘Hey, it looks like you’re having a blast there.’ It’s because I am. This is the most fun I’ve had in my 32 year professional career. So, I celebrate AEW. I celebrate the men who started AEW. That means the Bucks, that means Kenny, that means Cody, that means Tony Khan. These guys are all fans, just like all of you. We love this! AEW has pushed this industry into a better place! It has gotten more people to do what they love for a living, and that should be celebrated. AEW makes pro wrestling better. AEW makes wrestling more fun. And AEW is where the best wrestle!
“Thank you for hearing me out. I had to get that off my chest. I asked for this time out here, so thank you. So now it’s time to move forward. AEW is walking into the future. There’s a reason Okada, Mercedes, Ospreay, and I came here! So let me introduce to you a man that symbolizes everything AEW is going forward. I give to you “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!”
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay!
Don Callis joined the commentary team for this match.
Ospreay charged at Hobbs when the bell rang but Hobbs blocked Ospreay with a shoulder tackle. Will Ospreay fired back with a standing moonsault press onto Hobbs. Powerhouse Hobbs clubbed Will with a lariat.
Ospreay hit Hobbs with a clothesline, knocking Hobbs over the top rope. Will followed up by jumping over the top rope with a cross body press onto Hobbs on the arena floor. Ospreay tried for a springboard off the barricade, but Hobbs countered by grabbing him and nailing Will with a vertical suplex onto the steel ring steps!
Hobbs bashed Ospreay repeatedly into the apron with the World’s Strongest Slam. Hobbs flung Ospreay backwards, crashing onto the announcers’ desk! Back in the ring, Ospreay came back with a corkscrew kick, taking down Hobbs for the first time in the match.
Ospreay connected with a springboard flying forearm to Hobbs for a near fall. Will chopped at Hobbs’ chest, but Hobbs shrugged them off. Hobbs launched Will with a belly to belly suplex. Ospreay rallied back with a Stun dog Millionaire, but Hobbs cut the renewed momentum short with a powerslam.
Hobbs went for a frog splash, but Will dodged it. Will nailed Hobbs with an Os Cutter for a two-count! Ospreay connected with a heel kick, but Hobbs blasted Ospreay with a lariat!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Hobbs smashed Will with an avalanche powerslam for a near fall! Ospreay was clutching his midsection. Will hit a DDT on Hobbs and then crashed onto Hobbs with a Sky Twister! Ospreay wiped out Hobbs with the Hidden Blade and pinned Hobbs!
After the match, Callis had to hold Hobbs back from attacking Ospreay. Callis whispered something into Hobbs’ ear and Hobbs backed off.
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer vs. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson!
Archer ambushed Danielson as Archer entered the ring, before the bell. Danielson was just trying to survive early on, as Archer battered Bryan with stiff shots and then whipped Bryan into the turnbuckles. Archer charged at Danielson in the corner, but Danielson dodged him and countered with a dragon screw leg whip.
“Great strategy taking the big man off his feet,” said Schiavone.
Danielson stomped on the back of Archer’s knees and then kicked Archer in the hamstrings. Danielson dropkicked Archer on the inside of the knee, going after the base of Archer. Danielson attempted a tope to the outside on Archer, but Archer caught Danielson and choke slammed Danielson onto the ring apron! Archer grabbed an AEW crew member at ringside and body slammed him onto Danielson!
Danielson showed the fire, bringing the fight back to Archer in the ring. Danielson charged at Archer, perhaps looking for the running knee strike, but Archer countered with a massive cross body press!
“This is brutality by the MurderHawk Monster,” said Taz.
Archer grabbed Bryan’s wrist and was walking the top rope, but Danielson shoved Archer, forcing the Lance to lose his balance. Danielson applied the Le Bell Lock, but Archer reached the bottom rope with his legs, forcing the ref to break the hold. Danielson jumped off the apron with a knee strike to Archer’s head! He got Lance back into the ring, knowing Lance was rocked. Danielson knocked Archer to the mat with a missile dropkick from the top turnbuckle. Danielson lit up Archer’s chest with round kicks. Archer choke slammed Danielson out of nowhere for a near fall!
Archer was looking for the Black Out, but Danielson knocked Archer away with hammer and anvil strikes. Danielson dropped Archer to his knees with a running knee strike. Danielson drilled Archer with three roundhouse kicks to the head. Danielson smashed Archer with the running knee strike and pinned Archer!
“What a battle right there!” said Taz.
Renee Paquette was on the ramp to interview “Lionheart” Chris Jericho!
Jericho: “Renee, last week I told Hook I had a proposition for him where I offered to be his mentor. And even though he agreed, he said something to me that’s been sticking in my head all week. That’s why I want to talk to him right now. Hit the Hook signal!”
FTW Champion Hook came out and was clearly skeptical of Jericho.
Jericho: “Last week you said you’d love by advise by ‘I know who you are.’ And I understand that but when you play the game at the highest of levels like Chris Jericho does, the rules are different. It’s true. And once you understand that you’re going to understand what I’m trying to teach you. I’m not asking you to trust me 100% right now, but I’m asking you to believe in me as much as I believe in you.”
Hook: “Yeah, Chris, I believe in you. I believe in you so much that I got us a match on Collision. But Chris, I’ll be keeping my eye on you.”
Shane Taylor Promotions’ Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty were backstage!
Lee said one surefire way to jump straight to the top in one night is to beat the golden child and the first World Champion in AEW. Taylor said on Collision, all they have to do is knock out “the Ocho” and Hook!
“On Collision, LionHook gets their ass beat by STP!” said Taylor.
AEW World Trios Champion Billy Gunn vs. ROH World Six-Man Champion Jay White!
Billy Gunn decked Jay White as Jay White was making his entrance! Billy Gunn whipped “Switchblade” Jay White into the barricade, not wasting anytime. The Acclaimed were backstage watching the match on a monitor. The Gunns were also watching backstage on a different monitor.
Billy went after Jay White through the crowd, ramming White into a trash can. Jay White hid behind one AEW security guard. Billy found him and bashed him into one of the hockey boards in the arena. Billy trounced Jay White all around the ringside area. Jay just could not escape the grasp of Billy.
Jay White escaped a vertical suplex attempt and shoved Billy into the guardrail. Billy hit Jay White back, dominating Jay White, nailing White with a lariat. Footage was shown of The Acclaimed backstage, who had been attacked!
Billy blasted White with the Fame Asser! Billy didn’t go for the cover, instead opting to inflict more damage on White.
“Jay White came in looking for a match. Billy didn’t want a match. He wanted retribution,” said Tony Schiavone.
Billy dropped another Fame Asser on Jay White. Billy grabbed a steel chair from outside the ring. Billy returned to the ring with the chair, but the Gunns jumped into the ring, shielding Jay White, pleading with Billy to show some mercy. Jay White used the opportunity to hit a low blow on Billy! Ref Aubrey Edwards called for the disqualification, awarding the match to Billy Gunn!
The Gunns held Billy down while Jay White was going to bash a chair against Billy’s head, but the Acclaimed’s music hit! The Acclaimed sprinted to the ring! The Acclaimed cleaned house on the Gunns! Jay White begged off the Acclaimed and retreated. Jay White tripped outside. The Acclaimed threw Jay White back into the ring. The Gunns were waiting, but the Acclaimed grounded and pounded the Gunns. Billy decked Jay White with a stiff right hand!
The Acclaimed set up the steel ring steps by the announcers’ table. The Acclaimed were about to suplex Jay White off the steps and onto the table when the Gunns grabbed White, pulled him down, and ran off through the crowd!
“This is far from over between these two teams,” said Excalibur.
We heard from Willow Nightingale, who will challenge TBS Champion Julia Hart at AEW Dynasty on Sunday, April 21st on pay-per-view.
Willow came out with Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander.
Renee Paquette asked Willow how it felt to have earned a championship match in a few weeks.
Willow: “I am feeling motherfluffin’ great! I really love this city because for years and years I was busting my butt in this town. Kris and I would wrestle in this town at a little place called the White Eagle. So many of us have had great nights there. This is like a home away from home. This is where I learned who Willow Nightingale is, where I figured myself out.
“Your cheers reassured me. This applause is what helped blossom me into the woman standing in front of you today, this woman who will be challenging Julia Hart for the TBS Championship at Dynasty. And I know I will be the smiling face of TNT!”
Stokely: “Last week Willow had a banger and knocked it out of the park. Week after week she impresses me and impresses the entire world!”
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné walked onto the ramp!
Moné: “Now Willow, I can’t wait to watch you tear it up with Julia at Dynasty. Because whoever is going to be the TBS Champion at Double or Nothing, I get next. Because in Vegas, Moné means everything!”
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Semi Final Match!
At AEW Dynasty 2024 the winning team faces the winner of FTR vs. Top Flight.
Matthew suplexed Trent across the ring with Northern Lights Suplexes. Trent retaliated with a double knee strike. Nicholas swept out Trent’s legs, wiping out Trent on the apron. Orange attempted a tope suicida, but the Bucks blocked it! The Bucks power bombed Orange on the apron! Then they power bombed Trent on the apron!
Nicholas ripped the top turnbuckle pad off the corner. Orange tried for a double hurracanrana, but the Bucks blocked it. Matthew spiked Orange with a DDT. The Bucks were looking for the EVP Trigger on Orange, but Orange dodged it and the Bucks collided. Orange rocked the Bucks with separate DDTs, fighting through the pain. Orange blasted Nicholas with a diving DDT for a near fall!
Trent and Orange pulped Matthew with a modified TK Driver for a near fall. Nicholas was there to break up the pin attempt. Trent was looking for the crunchy on Nicholas but Matthew superkicked Trent, the momentum allowing for Nicholas to plant Trent with the Code Red! Matthew superkicked Chuck Taylor outside the ring, and then threatened Sue with a superkick but she spotted him, stopping him in his tracks!
“He was going to kick Sue! What’s wrong with that man?” yelled Schiavone.
Sue slapped Matthew and then Orange followed up with the Orange Punch! Trent rammed Matthew with a knee strike inside the ring! Orange wiped out Nicholas with a tope suicida! Trent had Matthew set up for the crunchy and Orange stomped down, adding impact to the move! Trent had Matthew tied up for the pin, but Nicholas jumped in to break it up in the nick of time!
“Wow, what a massive save by Nicholas,” said Taz.
Orange rocked Nicholas with an Orange Punch! Once again Orange hit a tope to Nicholas outside the ring! Matthew catapulted Trent into the exposed turnbuckle, grabbed Trent’s tights, and stole the pin!
“The Young Bucks have made it to the finals at Dynasty!” said Excalibur.
“What a victory for the Bucks. Like it or not, it was impressive,” replied Taz.
After the match, the Best Friends were about to give the people what they wanted with a hug, but Trent betrayed his partners and smashed into Orange with a running knee strike!
“What the—? What did we just see?” asked Taz.
“Chuck has no idea either,” said Schiavone.
Trent walked out on Orange, Chuck, and Sue!
Thunder Rosa (#1 ranked) vs. Mariah May (#2 ranked) (with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Luther)!
Toni Storm joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Thunder Rosa chopped Mariah May in the corner. Rosa charged at May but May dodged her. Mariah May smashed Thunder Rosa with a hip attack in the corner! Thunder Rosa took down Mariah with a hurracanrana onto the arena floor. Thunder Rosa used a diving cross body on Mariah May against the barricade.
“I am getting worried here,” said Toni Storm.
Thunder Rosa jumped off the top looking for the foot stomp but Mariah May rolled out of the way. Thunder Rosa reversed the May Day for a near fall. Mariah May hit Thunder Rosa with a knockout shot. Rosa escaped the May Day with a backstabber. Thunder Rosa flattened Mariah May with the Tijuana Bomb and scored the pin!
“Thunder Rosa is the number one contender for ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm’s title,” said Excalibur.
Penta El Zero Miedo was backstage with Alex Abrahantes!
Penta El Zero Miedo challenged Adam Copeland to a match for the TNT Championship next week on Dynamite!
Up next: The AEW World Championship Contract Signing between Champ Samoa Joe & challenger Swerve Strickland!
It was time to make their AEW World Championship Match for AEW Dynasty official!
Samoa Joe sat down at a table that was set up in the ring. Swerve paced on his side of the ring. The World Champion signed the contract first.
Samoa Joe: “Now Swerve, we’re out here in front of a lot of people who seem to care about you. I think you’re working on bad information. I’ve watched your rise in AEW. How else could this fairy tale end but with a big victory and everybody celebrating a new champion? See Swerve, that’s the bad information you’ve been working on.
“I’m about to tell this man the truth. Signing this contract is a big mistake. Let me put into terms that maybe a rapper can barely understand. I’m going to beat you so bad, it’s going to make it seem like maybe you left the party too late. So now that you have the right information, why don’t you do the right thing?”
Swerve: “Before I sign this contract Joe, just know I’ve wanted this moment my entire life. My destination was full of a lot of obstacles, but when I arrived, that journey was sweet. It took me all the way to Dynasty. And we’ve built a Dynasty in AEW with signings like Okada, Mercedes, and Will Ospreay. Joe, I understand this championship is bigger than the both of us. I understand the dangers of facing you for it. You are the definition of a killer. But so am I. April 21st at Dynasty, I show you that I am every bit of that man! I grab the keys to the Dynasty, and I turn AEW into who’s house?”
The crowd answered: “Swerve’s house!”
Swerve: “Now run the fade on that, bitch!”
Samoa Joe shoved Swerve from across the table! Swerve answered with a devastating right hand strike! Swerve wrapped his steel chain around Joe’s neck! Samoa Joe turned around and headbutted Swerve! Samoa Joe wrapped the chain around his fist and walloped Swerve in the head. Samoa Joe rocked Swerve with more strikes, and Swerve was busted open! The refs ran out and tried to pull Samoa Joe off Swerve.
Samoa Joe began to walk to the back. Swerve grabbed the microphone, laughed and said, “I love this. That’s all you got? Then I’m taking this championship from you.”
Swerve took the pen, dipped in the blood and signed the contract. Samoa Joe jumped back into the ring, grabbed Swerve, and smashed Swerve through the table! Samoa Joe held his championship above Swerve and taunted him!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET featuring:
-Serena Deeb vs. Trish Adora!
– “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. House of Black’s Malakai Black!
-AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Roderick Strong (c.) vs. London Lightning!
-Final Four Elimination Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Action Andretti vs. Komander vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
Special Start Time This Saturday don’t miss AEW Collision on TNT at 11:30/10:30c!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, WV!
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Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC!
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!
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata!
Will shot in for a single leg but Shibata defended and mounted Will. Shibata grounded Will on the mat and went for a cross arm breaker, but Will got to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Ospreay and Shibata chain wrestled, British style. Shibata went for the PK, but Will dodged it!
Shibata cracked Will with forearms, but Will charged at Shibata with a dropkick, taking Shibata off his feet. Will battered Shibata with forearms and then dropkicked Shibata in the corner, taking pages out of Shibata’s playbook. Ospreay jumped over the top rope and connected with a crossbody press to Shibata on the floor.
As Ospreay was getting back into the ring, Shibata caught Ospreay flush in the face with a running front kick! Shibata suplexed Will on the arena floor and then blasted Will with a brutal round kick to Will’s back!
Shibata applied a figure four leg lock on Ospreay, but Ospreay was able to counter it and escaped. They got to their feet and Will chopped Shibata. Shibata answered with a suplex.
“This is a rematch seven years in the making,” said Excalibur.
Shibata whipped Will into the barricade. Will springboarded off the barricade and connected with a forearm shot to Shibata. Will followed up with another springboard forearm into the ring. Shibata nailed Will with a forearm and Will crumbled into a heap on the mat. Shibata jabbed and chopped Will, breaking him down in the corner. Shibata rocked Will with his trademark running dropkick in the corner.
Ospreay connected with a thrust kick. Shibata anticipated Will’s next move and countered with an STF. Will reached to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the submission. Ospreay intercepted Shibata’s PK. They traded forearm strikes in the center of the ring. Ospreay had a surge of adrenaline and smashed Shibata in the back of the head with a jumping high round kick!
Shibata locked Will in a sleeper and then suplexed Will. Shibata put the sleeper back on, but Ospreay fought out of it and stomped Shibata on the back of the head! Will smashed Shibata with the Os-Cutter but Shibata kicked out at the one-count!
Will hit a back drop suplex and then wiped out Shibata with a back elbow uppercut. Will walloped Shibata with a Tiger Driver and then finished Shibata off with the Hidden Blade, pinning Shibata!
“What a war we witnessed here tonight,” said Excalibur.
Renee Paquette was backstage with The Young Bucks—Matthew and Nicholas Jackson!
Matthew said they had some goals when they returned to AEW. The first was to retire Sting, and the second was to restructure the Elite, and they did that by bringing in Okada. Matthew said his biggest goal is to get their AEW World Tag Team Championships back. And they’re going to beat Private Party tonight to get one step closer to getting their titles back.
The Continental Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada pulled up in an exotic sports car for the next match!
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Young Bucks—Matthew & Nicholas Jackson
vs.
Private Party—Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen!
Private Party wiped out the Bucks with stereo tope suicidas. Matthew whipped Zay over the barricade. Private Party fired back with the Silly String off the barricade onto Matthew. Nicholas planted Quen with a Falcon Arrow off the barricade! The Bucks were trying to win by count out.
Zay helped Mark Quen back into the ring, breaking the ref’s count. Nicholas suplexed Quen onto Matthew’s knees. Brother Zay got the hot tag, scored with a thrust kick to Matthew and then did a moonsault onto Nicholas who was on the arena floor!
Nicholas nailed Quen with a German Suplex. Nicholas planted Quen with a suplex on the edge of the ring. Private Party rallied back with the Gin & Juice on Nicholas!
“Perfection by Private Party,” said Taz.
Private Party hit the More Bang for Your Buck on Matthew, but Nicholas jumped in to break up the pin attempt! Nicholas grabbed the ring bell and brought it into the ring, but the ref pulled it out of Nicholas’ hands. As the ref was distracted, Nicholas kicked Zay with a low blow! Quen took one of the title belts off the podium and cracked Matthew in the head with it. Zay went to pin Matthew, but Nicholas grabbed Matthew’s leg and put Matthew’s foot on the rope to break the pin.
Quen attempted a 630 splash on Matthew, but Matthew dodged it. Nicholas tagged in and they blasted Quen with the EVP Trigger and pinned him!
“The Bucks move on, boys,” said Taz.
A video aired of Darby Allin with Tony Hawk, talking about how much skateboarding meant to them growing up, and the impact it had on their lives. Visit skatepark.org for more information on how you can help out.
Renee Paquette was backstage with FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho!
Jericho said he’s never been in the ring with anyone quite like Hook. Jericho, with 33 years of experience in the ring, said he’d be happy to help Hook sharpen his skills and become the World Champion that he knows Hook can be.
“If you want my advice, I’m here for you,” said Jericho.
Hook: “I appreciate your praise, Chris. And of course I’ll take advice from you, you’re Chris Jericho. But you are Chris Jericho. I know who you are.”
Jericho: “Okay, and I know who you are. But more importantly, I know who you can be.”
Hook: “Let’s get it.”
Jericho: “Let’s get it.”
TBS Championship #1 Contender Match!
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné was on commentary for this match.
Skye Blue caught Kris out of the gate with a thrust kick. Anna caught Willow with a kick to the chin. Willow splashed Anna in the corner and followed up with a lariat. Skye Blue planted Willow with a DDT.
Statlander body slammed Blue and rocked her with a sliding lariat. Statlander went for a body slam on Anna, but Anna escaped. Statlander knocked Anna down with a shoulder tackle. Skye Blue tripped up Kris from outside the ring, but Willow was there to pounce Skye!
“A blindside pounce!” said Excalibur.
Willow was right in front of Mercedes when she pounced Skye. Mercedes and Willow locked eyes. Mercedes smirked at Willow, neither backing down.
Back in the ring, Kris fought off Skye Blue and Anna Jay. Anna Jay superplexed Kris and covered her but Willow hit Anna with a senton to break up the pin. Skye blasted Willow with the Code Blue, but Statlander broke it up. Kris cracked Blue with a back breaker. Willow walloped Anna Jay with a shotgun dropkick.
Skye shoved Kris into Willow. Willow countered a dragon suplex attempt by Skye on the apron by drilling Skye with a Death Valley Driver on the apron! Willow power bombed Anna Jay and pinned Anna Jay!
TBS Champion Julia Hart jumped into the ring, blindsiding Willow by smacking Willow with Julia’s championship belt! Julia held her belt high, and she and Mercedes had a stare down!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview the legendary Dustin Rhodes!
Dustin said he’s started 2024 off with a bang. Dustin said at 55 years old, he’s just as passionate about wrestling as he’s ever been.
The Butcher interrupted Dustin! Butcher challenged Dustin to a match for Friday’s Rampage! Dustin accepted, saying Butcher will find out why Dustin is a “Natural born legend!”
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm paid a visit to the studios of Turner Classic Movies and Ben Mankiewicz, the host of Turner Classic Movies!
Toni told Mankiewicz to watch out for the shoe and then tossed it over her head as she walked off the set.
AEW World Tag Title Tournament Quarter-Final Match!
The Undisputed Kingdom—ROH World Tag Team Champs Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (with International Champion Roderick Strong)
Orange decked Taven! Bennett took Trent off his feet with a lariat. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope and took out Taven. Bennet jumped out of the ring and wiped out Trent. Orange took to the skies and jumped off the top turnbuckle, his hands in his pockets, and crashed onto Taven and Bennett!
Trent drove Bennett down with a double knee strike. Taven rocked Trent with a thrust kick. Bennett spiked Trent with a piledriver on the apron!
Orange Cassidy grabbed a tag and hit Bennett with a cross body press. Orange served one up for Taven! Orange blasted Bennett with the Stun Dog Millionaire! Taven came in and pulped Orange with a running knee strike! Taven and Bennett hit the Proton Pack, with Bennett covering Orange for a near fall!
Trent spiked Taven with a DDT! And Orange followed up with a DDT on Taven! Trent nailed Taven with a running knee strike! Strong jumped on the ring apron but Chuck Taylor pulled him back down! Roddy wiped out Taylor with his right hand! Roddy jumped into the ring to get away from Orange, dropped his title in the process, and jumped out. Orange chased after Roddy and connected with an elbow suicida!
The ref was removing the International Title from the ring when Taven and Bennett had Trent set up for their finisher. As the ref was distracted, Chuck knocked Taven off the turnbuckles. Trent rolled up Bennett with a jackknife pin and scored the victory!
“What a win!” said Schiavone.
“Interesting turn of events but congrats to Cassidy and Trent,” said Taz.
Orange, Trent, and Chuck were about to give the people what they want—the big hug, when The Bucks’ music hit! Nicholas and Matthew Jackson walked onto the ramp and stared at Orange and Trent!
Next week on Dynamite it’ll be the Young Bucks against the Best Friends in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinals!
Renee Paquette was backstage with Kyle O’Reilly!
Kyle said it felt good to rip the band-aid off with his return match and victory against “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith. Kyle said AEW has a deep roster and there’s no such thing as an easy match. He said he loves the Undisputed Kingdom but he’s going to prove he can do it without them again this week on Collision.
Main Event Time!
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis) vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)!
Swerve rolled up Takeshita for a near fall. Swerve was looking for the short arm scissors, but Takeshita got to the ropes. Takeshita connected with the Takeshita-line!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe was watching the match on a monitor backstage, obviously having a keen interesting in this number one contender’s match.
Swerve blasted Takeshita with a diving European uppercut to the back of Takeshita’s neck. Swerve rocked Takeshita with a neck breaker over the middle rope. Swerve followed up with a backbreaker, but Takeshita fired back with a brain buster on Swerve!
Swerve nailed Takeshita with a German Suplex, but Takeshita got right to his feet and knocked Swerve’s block off with a devastating forearm! Swerve launched into a hurracanrana over the top rope and onto Takeshita on the floor!
Swerve followed up with a big diving cross body, but Takeshita kicked out at the one-count. Takeshita smoked Swerve with a knockout shot! Takeshita nailed Swerve with a running knee strike. Takeshita flipped over the top rope and landed hard on Swerve!
Takeshita hoisted up Swerve for a brain buster on the top turnbuckle, but Swerve fought out of it. Takeshita headbutted Swerve in the ribs. Swerve chopped out the legs out Takeshita with swift kicks. Swerve drilled Takeshita with a DDT off the turnbuckles! Swerve splashed Takeshita with a sky twister for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Takeshita fired back with a reverse hurracanrana and followed up with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall on Swerve!
“Takeshita can’t believe Swerve kicked out of that,” said Taz.
Swerve clobbered Takeshita with a straight right hand! Takeshita stunned Swerve with a jumping knee strike! Swerve planted Takeshita on the crown of his head! Swerve squashed Takeshita with the Swerve Stomp on the apron! Swerve returned to the top, jumped at Takeshita, but Takeshita countered with a powerbomb! Swerve escaped a brain buster attempt, but Takeshita was prepared with a wheelbarrow suplex to Swerve. Takeshita flattened Swerve with a Power Drive Knee, but Swerve kicked out at the two-count!
Takeshita was looking for an avalanche blue thunder, but Swerve knocked Takeshita down to the mat. Takeshita avoided the Swerve Stomp. Swerve countered a blue thunder bomb attempt, sending Takeshita into the corner turnbuckles. Swerve rocked Takeshita with the House Call kick! Swerve hit the Swerve Stomp, but Takeshita kicked out! Takeshita blasted Swerve with a jumping knee strike. Swerve countered a pop-up power bomb attempt with the Swerve Stomp! Swerve planted Takeshita with the Big Pressure and pinned Takeshita!
“Well, if that isn’t a 5-star match, I don’t know what is,” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette interviewed AEW World Champion Samoa Joe after the match, asking for his thoughts about facing Swerve Strickland.
Samoa Joe: “You should ask him how he’s feeling right now. Next week, Swerve, when you walk down to that ring and sign onto that dotted line, I am going to make sure that you understand what you are asking for. You think you’re ready. No, no, you’re not that man.”
“Swerve Strickland will face Samoa Joe at Dynasty for the AEW World Championship on Sunday, April 21st, live on pay-per-view!” said Excalibur.
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET!
Don’t miss AEW Collision live on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON featuring:
–AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Big Bill & “Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Top Flight!
-Kyle O’Reilly in action!
-AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal Match: FTR vs. The Infantry!
-Trios Match: The Righteous & Lance Archer vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Katsuyori Shibata!
-The return of the “Cope Open!” TNT Champion “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland will put his championship on the line!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from DCU Center in Worcester, MA!
Last Wednesday night was jam-packed with three hours of AEW programming, starting with our traditional two hours of DYNAMITE, then immediately followed by RAMPAGE as it aired on a special night! During those three hours, the AEW faithful witnessed Adam Copeland earn back the TNT Championship by going through a hellacious “I Quit” match with Christian Cage, and saw Kazuchika Okada defeat Eddie Kingston to claim the AEW Continental Championship! In addition, Skye Blue and TBS Champion Julia Hart beat Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale in a Street Fight, Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta won their Wild Card bout in the Tag Title Tournament, and FTW Champion HOOK defeated Chris Jericho!
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, live from Quebec City, QC and the Centre Videotron, we will witness a rematch seven years in the making, one that many thought would never come to pass, when Katsuyori Shibata takes on Will Ospreay! Plus, Konosuke Takeshita will go head-to-head with Swerve Strickland, and the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament begin when The Young Bucks meet Private Party!
Then join All Elite Wrestling in London, ON for Saturday’s COLLISION, live from the Budweiser Gardens, for The Infantry versus FTR in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, and so much more!
SEVEN YEARS IN THE WAITING…
“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Eleven matches; that is how many times Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay stepped into the ring between January 5th and February 11th of 2017. Seven of those times it was Shibata who came out on top, but only one of those victories came in the form of a singles match, the very last one at NJPW’s THE NEW BEGINNING IN OSAKA 2017 event. The other ten matches were all fought in trios and multi-man bouts, all save that RevPro British Heavyweight Championship fight on February 11th won by Shibata, but unfortunately a rematch never came to pass as Shibata’s career came to an end just two months later after an IWGP Heavyweight Title fight with Kazuchika Okada at SAKURA GENESIS 2017.
Then the unimaginable happened; four years and six months later, during the G1 CLIMAX 2021 tour, Shibata shocked the world when he stepped into the ring with Zack Sabre Jr. for a five minute Grappling Rules contest! Two and a half months later, at WRESTLE KINGDOM 16, Shibata would get back into the ring with Ren Narita for a full-blow professional wrestling match, then ten months later, on the 11/4/22 edition of RAMPAGE, Shibata would make his in-ring debut for AEW in an International Championship loss to Orange Cassidy. Given the time between those two matches, it was reasonable to question whether or not Shibata was returning to full-time competition or if those were just a couple matches to test his own limits. The answer came on March 31, 2023 when, at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 event, Shibata won the ROH Pure Championship from Wheeler Yuta, and spent the next eight months tearing it up on both AEW and ROH events, as well as traveling to RevPro for their 11TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW.
After losing the Pure Championship back to Yuta last November, Shibata returned to Japan, but made a monumental return to AEW action on the March 16th COLLISION when he battled Bryan Danielson in a certified Dream Match. Here were two men that both thought their in-ring careers finished at some point in the years prior, two men who defied the odds and the expectations of medical professionals, two men who were now fighting better than they had at any previous point in their careers, and they were going to war for the AEW faithful. Danielson ultimately won the fight, and there was another man watching on who took what happened as a test he needed to take upon himself.
That man was Will Ospreay, and with his own bout against Bryan Danielson set for AEW DYNASTY on April 21st, he felt the need to test himself against Katsuyori Shibata, to see if he could succeed in 2024 where he did not in 2017, and thus made a challenge to “The Wrestler” for the fight going down this Wednesday night! Can Ospreay follow in Danielson’s footsteps and score a victory over Katsuyori Shibata in Quebec City? Or will Shibata repeat history in this monumental rematch seven years in the making?
ONE-ON-ONE…
“The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita vs. Swerve Strickland
Thus far in 2024, Konosuke Takeshita holds a record of 5-1 in singles matches, and 10-2 over the last twelve months in that field. That’s a run that includes victories over Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Kyle Fletcher, as well as Rocky Romero this past Wednesday night, and has shown the world that “The Alpha” is one of the most fearsome competitors in All Elite Wrestling today.
Over the course of his last eleven one-on-one match-ups Swerve Strickland lost exactly one time, his Continental Classic Gold League fight with Jon Moxley on 12/13/23, and was taken to a 30-Minute time limit draw by Hangman Page on 2/7/24. It’s been an incredible run for Strickland as well, and even if you factor in his two Three Way losses in the Gold League Finals and at REVOLUTION 2024, it doesn’t change that run because wasn’t the man who took the fall in either of those matches. There are few men who’ve been on a hotter streak that Swerve Strickland, and that run has put Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship in Swerve’s crosshairs.
For the very first time these two men, each at the top of their game, will lock horns this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, and there is certainly the possibility that the future of the AEW World Championship hinges on the result of this match! Both Takeshita and Swerve have reasonable claims to being the next challenger for Samoa Joe, based on their respective records and, in the case of Swerve, the fact he wasn’t defeated in the Three Way at REVOLUTION ’24.
As announced Tuesday night by AEW GM Tony Khan, this match will determine the next challenger for Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship! With that added factor, there is no doubt Samoa Joe will have his eyes on this contest as his next contender is determined!
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen
On October 9, 2019, in the very first match of the original AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, Private Party shocked the world when they defeated The Young Bucks to advance out of the Quarter-Finals. Though Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen would fall to The Lucha Brothers in the Semi-Finals, the impact was made, and the world had been forced to stand up and recognize Private Party.
A year later The Young Bucks would even up the score, pinning Isiah Kassidy to win a Four Way #1 Contenders match on 10/21/20, and would follow that up with a traditional tag team victory over Private Party on November 4th a few weeks later. Since that bout over three years ago, the two teams only met in one Trios match, though Isiah has a little more experience fighting the brothers Jackson with other partners during Marq Quen’s injury recovery, but not one other tag team match between Private Party and The Young Bucks since 2020.
That all changes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when, in the Quarter-Finals of the AEW World Tag Title Tournament, The Young Bucks and Private Party meet again! Since Marq Quen’s return to action in 2024, Private Party is 2-2 in tag team action, though one of those losses came in a Three Way tag with Top Flight and Bryan Keith/Komander where neither Quen nor Kassidy were the ones pinned to lose the match. As for The EVPs, in 2024 they are 3-1 in tag team action, but to be honest about their record, two of those victories came over local competitors who frankly had no chance at actually beating the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions.
The Young Bucks have a mission of becoming the first 3-Time AEW Tag Champions while Private Party have one to capture those belts for the very first time, and only one team can get closer to their objective. Will it be The Young Bucks or Private Party who advances to the Semi-Finals? And will it be The Undisputed Kingdom or the Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta tandem who meets them there?
AEW WORLD TAG TITLE TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINAL MATCH…
The Undisputed Kingdom (ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs.
The AEW World Tag Title Tournament kicks off in full-force this Wednesday night with the aforementioned Young Bucks/Private Party match, and this Quarter-Final match pitting ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett against Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta!
Though OC and Trent have never faced this Undisputed Kingdom tandem in a tag match, Cassidy’s fight with Roderick Strong have made them all quite familiar with one another, in fact the former 2-Time International Champion beat both Taven and Bennett in singles matches on the road to REVOLUTION 2024. But on that same road, as part of their mission to remove Cassidy’s support system, The Undisputed Kingdom put a hurting on Trent Beretta, so that makes this tag team encounter as much a method of revenge as it is an opportunity to move forward in the tournament to face the winner of the Private Party/Young Bucks bout!
TBS CHAMPIONSHIP #1 CONTENDER MATCH…
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Anna Jay
The TBS Championship is a prize greatly coveted by the women of All Elite Wrestling, and this Wednesday night four competitors will clash to see who moves on to DYNASTY 2024 to face Julia Hart! All four of these women have plenty of story with Julia Hart, especially Statlander, Nightingale, and Skye Blue given their months of battle since FULL GEAR 2023, but Anna Jay has her own reasons for wanting another fight with Julia Hart.
Hart has been the bane of Anna Jay’s AEW existence, in three bouts it has been Julia who’s won each one, including a TBS Championship fight at BATTLE OF THE BELTS IX back in January. Statlander is the woman that Julia Hart took the TBS Championship from, though technically she did not defeat Kris to win in, but Statlander has yet to be granted a rematch. Coincidentally, Julia earned that title fight at FULL GEAR 2023 by defeating Willow Nightingale in an Eliminator Bout, and of course there’s the relationship between Hart and Skye Blue that’s blossomed since Hart misted Skye many months ago. At first they were at odds, but over time the two women became thick as thieves, and have come to operate as quite the fearsome tag team, actually beating Stat and Willow in a Street Fight last Wednesday night on RAMPAGE!
This is quite the intriguing Four Way, and it will be interesting to see how TBS Champion Julia Hart responds to the outcome of the fight, especially if it is Skye Blue who earns herself the DYNASTY 2024 title match!
Join us Wednesday night for DYNAMITE, hailing from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, QC, and featuring the first Quarter-Final match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament between The Young Bucks and Private Party, Takeshita versus Swerve, and a rematch years in the making between Katsuyori Shibata and Will Ospreay!!!
The meets us this Saturday in London, ON at the Budweiser Gardens for the return of COLLISION featuring former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champions FTR taking on The Infantry in a Quarter-Final match-up of the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament!
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We are on the road to DYNASTY live on PPV April 21st, hailing from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO, and we already know Bryan Danielson will go to battle with Will Ospreay in a dream match for the ages! We also know that the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament will culminate that night, and on COLLISION fans witnessed The Infantry score a huge upset over House of Black to move past the Wild Card round. This Wednesday night in Toronto, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Coca-Cola Coliseum and with that comes another red-hot edition of DYNAMITE! We’ve got Adam Copeland and Christian Cage in an “I Quit” match for the TNT Champion, the Continental Championship on the line with Kazuchika Okada challenging Eddie Kingston, HOOK and Chris Jericho going one-on-one, and AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm teaming with Mariah May to battle Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo!
But wait, there’s more! Not only will the AEW faithful in Toronto get to experience AEW’s flagship, the whole world will also get to see RAMPAGE live, as it happens, immediately following DYNAMITE on TBS! That’s right, AEW is bringing three huge hours of action to TBS this Wednesday, and RAMPAGE will feature another Wild Card match in the Tag Title Tournament, as well as a Street Fight pitting Statlander and Willow against the TBS Champion and Skye Blue!
The show starts 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, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us next Wednesday night for DYNAMITE’s debut in Quebec, City and the Centre Videotron!
Three minutes and thirty-two seconds; that is how long Adam Copeland could claim to be TNT Champion after beating Christian Cage at WORLDS END. Then Killswitch, having earned a guaranteed TNT Championship during the ZERO HOUR, struck down the new champion to try and capitalize on the situation. Sadly it was Christian who got to take advantage of it all, convincing Killswitch to bequeath his title shot to “The Patriarch”, and ending Copeland’s TNT Title reign just 212 seconds after it began.
Copeland had every reason to demand a rematch, despite Cage’s insistence that he go to the back of the line, but instead Adam began his “Cope Open” to earn another shot, and took on every person who stepped up to the plate. Griff Garrison, Lee Moriarty, Dante Martin, and the legendary Minoru Suzuki all put Copeland to the test in their own fashion, but Adam beat each one, leading to a confrontation with another man in pursuit of Cage’s title, Daniel Garcia. Like true sportsmen, Copeland and Garcia agree to meet in singles combat with the next TNT Championship match going to the winner, but like a true scumbag, Christian Cage and his Patriachy stuck their nose into the fight, causing a No Contest result, and allowing Cage to put Copeland on the shelf with a Con-chair-to.
But they left Garcia intact, and though he didn’t claim the TNT Championship at REVOLUTION 2024, it’s really only because Nick Wayne and the Patriarchy were there to make sure Christian Cage survived Greensboro as champion. Take them out of the equation, and the AEW faithful would’ve been calling Daniel Garcia the new TNT Champion. It would’ve been quite fascinating to see how Copeland would’ve responded to someone else being the one to knock Christian off the TNT mountaintop, but that’s not how the hand played out, instead Cage has to actually deal with the repercussions of his assault on Adam Copeland with the future of the TNT Championship hanging in the balance!
Furthermore, the future of the championship won’t be decided in a regular match, not after everything that’s taken place between these two men since Copeland first arrived in AEW, the TNT Championship will be contested in an “I Quit” match this Wednesday night in Toronto! This is just the second such bout in the history of All Elite Wrestling, the first taking place at FULL GEAR 2020 between Eddie Kingston and then-AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, and coincidentally that too was a fight between friends-turned-enemies. That is about where the similarities end, neither Moxley nor Kingston threatened violence with a nail-embedded 2×4 for one, and though their bond had history, it isn’t thirty-plus years deep.
That’s what makes this entire scenario so painful, yet so intriguing; the careers of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage have played out before the world for the last twenty-five years, their lives have unfolded before the eyes of wrestling fans, their triumphs and tragedies have been public consumption, and a vast majority of it took place with them supporting one another. Even at the times they were on opposing sides, it wasn’t as ugly as situations have gotten here in AEW, it never seemed past the point of no return as it does now.
With AEW’s return to Toronto, one of these two competitors will be forced to say “I Quit” in front of the entire world. One man will have to capitulate to the others onslaught and give up their TNT Championship dream, but more than that, give up on the hope of reconciling differences with one another. Either Christian Cage or Adam Copeland will leave the Coca-Cola Coliseum as TNT Champion, that is certain, but what is uncertain is what the future of the relationship between these two men could possibly look like after the hell that’s been traversed over the last several months.
Five months ago, at NJPW’s RUMBLE ON 44th STREET event, Eddie Kingston and Kazuchika Okada stood inside the ring as allies, a tag team facing down the BULLET CLUB GOLD tandem of Jay White and Juice Robinson, though their ending came with “Switchblade” pinning “The Mad King”. Skip ahead to March 6, 2024 and Kingston confronting The Young Bucks in the middle of the ring as the two found a way to gloat about their loss to Sting and Darby Allin at REVOLUTION 2024 a few days prior. The two EVPs made a choice to assault the Continental Crown Champion, teaming up on Kingston after a low blow neutralized him for a moment, but it seemed that the arrival of Kazuchika Okada would bring an end to the attack.
Turned out it was all a ruse at Eddie’s expense, and Okada chose that moment to show the world that not only was he officially All Elite, but he was also now one of The Elite alongside Matthew and Nicholas Jackson! To say that choice by Okada was disappointing would be a gross understatement, but it certainly proved a successful alliance as this new unit managed to defeat Kingston, PAC, and Penta El Zero Miedo in Trios competition, with Okada pinning Eddie to secure the victory. Sure it took another low blow from Matthew to allow Okada to hit The Rainmaker lariat, but with the win secured, it set Okada up for an immediate shot at the AEW Continental Championship.
That title fight goes down this Wednesday night in Toronto, and it actually marks the first defense of the Continental Championship separate from the rest of Continental Crown, meaning it will be fought under Continental Rules, meaning absolutely no interference will be tolerated. Coincidentally, Kingston is also set to defend the ROH World Championship at ROH’s SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2024 event on April 5th, a match separate from the rest of the Crown as well.
This bout is also Kazuchika Okada’s first singles match as an official member of the AEW roster, though not his first in All Elite Wrestling; in fact he’s 0-2 in one-on-one matches over his limited AEW experience, meaning he may see this as the match to make a statement to the rest of the AEW locker room, as well as an opportunity to claim his first AEW championship in rapid fashion. After overcoming Bryan Danielson at REVOLUTION 2024, after getting “The American Dragon” to actually shake his hand and acknowledge respect for “The Mad King”, it seemed Eddie had found a way to channel his inner fury into a positive, controlled fashion, but this situation with Okada and The Young Bucks seems to have shaken that resolve.
The Kingston who got in The EVPs faces was not restrained, the man who fought in that Trios match was not as focused as he was in Greensboro; could that be his undoing this Wednesday night when the Continental Championship is at stake? Will we see Okada add another championship to his resume? Will it be Kingston who adds another victory to this impressive run of nine consecutive singles matches, a run that includes Claudio Castagnoli, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, Bryan Keith, and two over Bryan Danielson?
Singles Match…
FTW Champion HOOK vs. Chris Jericho
FTW Champion HOOK and Chris Jericho recently found themselves with a common foe in The Mogul Embassy; in HOOK’s case it was Brian Cage in pursuit of the FTW Championship and for Jericho it was putting himself in the middle of that situation. When the original AEW World Champion elected to help HOOK when The Gates of Agony attacked him, Jericho became another target for Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona, and they didn’t wait long to let him know. It was only a few days between the attack on HOOK and the one on Jericho, and just as “Lionheart” helped “The Cold-Hearted, Handsome Devil”, so too did HOOK assist Chris.
That led the two men to actually team up against The Gates of Agony; not only did they team up, the unlikely pair actually won the bout over Kaun & Toa, but that was not to be the end of their association, in fact Jericho himself made the challenge for this bout taking place on Wednesday night! Now one need only look at Jericho’s history in AEW for enough reason to question the man’s motivations for wanting this bout, but his desire to test HOOK does seem legitimate, not like a cover for ulterior motives.
Interestingly it was just over 28 years ago that Jericho fought HOOK’s father Taz for the first time, actually scoring a DQ victory over “The Human Suplex Machine” that night in Philadelphia, so it is rather wild that Jericho is now fighting HOOK almost three decades later. It’s a testament not only to the longevity of Jericho’s career and how he’s operated at the highest levels, but also his willingness to mix it up with the younger generations when he could very well use his status to avoid ever having to lose face should he lose a bout like this.
It’s almost as if Jericho wants to make sure the landscape of wrestling is in good hands when the time comes for him to step away from in-ring competition, and perhaps that’s why the fights with Atlantis Jr, Titan, and now HOOK. It’s going to be interesting to see how this one plays out, will it be Jericho’s experience that lead to victory or will we see the youth of HOOK lead him to the biggest victory of his career? The FTW Champion tested Samoa Joe like few others in AEW have, can he do the same to Jericho?
Tag Team Grudge Match…
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm & Mariah May vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Thunder Rosa
At one point during their REVOLUTION 2024 championship match, “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo had “Timeless” Toni Storm dead to rights, tapping out to her Venus de Milo submission hold, but the official was not in position to make the call thanks to Mariah May. Still, the world saw the AEW Women’s World Champ giving up even if the referee did not, and though it may not mean Purrazzo stands as the World Champion at this moment, it certainly gives her a viable claim to a rematch, and every justification to refer to herself as the “uncrowned champion” if she so chose. It’s quite clear Toni Storm wants to avoid a championship rematch with Deonna at this juncture, but unfortunately for Storm, she can’t dodge the tag team match scheduled for this Wednesday evening, a match she agreed to without even knowing who Deonna’s partner would be!
Turns out there’s another woman with some unfinished Toni Storm business, though it may be more accurate to say it’s unfinished World Title business, and that is “La Mera Mera” Thunder Rosa! Unfortunately for Rosa, due to injury she had to vacate the AEW Women’s World Championship in September 2022, a vacancy that was filled by Toni Storm at ALL OUT 2022 when she beat Dr. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida in a Four Way bout. It was the first of Storm’s three championship reigns, and though it lasted just 76 days before Hayter dethroned her, it fueled the fire (and possibly the personality break) that has led “Timeless” to where she is today. In the time Rosa missed, the landscape of the AEW Women’s Division shifted quite a bit and now she finds herself fighting for a shot at the title she never lost, and perhaps this tag team contest is a way to that end game. A victory over Storm could put Rosa into contention, after all she’s won six straight matches since her return to action, four of those in singles competition, and if she could pin Toni in this fight, well it would have to put her name into the running for the next title fight.
And that’s what makes this pairing of Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo quite interesting, they are two women with the goal of claiming the AEW Women’s World Championship from Toni Storm, but does that put them at cross-purposes as partners? Mariah May is obviously all in on supporting Toni and doing whatever she needs, can the same be said for “La Mera Mera” and “The Virtuosa”?
Last week on DYNAMITE: BIG BUSINESS, Mercedes Moné made a huge impact with her arrival in All Elite Wrestling! It wasn’t just the words she spoke at the top of the program, but also her actions at the end of the night when Moné lent a helping hand to Willow Nightingale as TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue assaulted her. She dropped Skye Blue, planted Julia Hart, and actually shared a moment of respect with Willow Nightingale despite the fact Willow beat her to become the first NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion last year.
Now we will hear from “The CEO of AEW” this Wednesday night live on DYNAMITE, and you know the ears and ears of Julia Hart and Skye Blue, as well as the rest of the AEW Women’s locker room, are going to be fixed on what Mercedes Moné has to say!
But that’s not all…
That’s right; immediately following the conclusion of DYNAMITE, we will roll right into RAMPAGE on TBS, for three straight hours of the greatest professional wrestling on the planet! The second Wild Card Match in the AEW World Tag Title Tournament is set to go down pitting The Don Callis Family against Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta, and it’s Street Fight time when Willow and Kris Statlander meet the TBS Champion and Skye Blue! Those two tremendous bouts, and a whole lot more, are coming to the AEW faithful immediately after the conclusion of DYNAMITE, making for one huge night of professional wrestling in Toronto!
AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Wild Card Match…
The Don Callis Family (ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs)
vs.
Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta
***WINNER FACES TAVEN/BENNETT IN QUARTER-FINALS***
Last Saturday night on COLLISION, fans witnessed a tremendous upset when The Infantry defeated House of Black in the first Wild Card match, albeit with a little help from a revenge-seeking Mark Briscoe, meaning Capt. Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo move on to face FTR in the Quarter-Finals.
This Wednesday night during RAMPAGE the second Wild Card contest will take place when The Don Callis Family, represented by Powerhouse Hobbs and ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher, take on former 2-Time AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta! As odd as it may be, especially with the OC/Trent pairing, neither of these teams are particularly experienced as a duo. The Callis crew have only teamed up once other time at RAMPAGE: WINTER IS COMING 2023, while the Cassidy/Beretta team only have 3 AEW matches and 1 ROH match under their belts this year, though to be fair OC and Trent have a wealth of experience working together in multi-man matches over the history of AEW.
The winner of this contest moves on to face ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven and Mike Bennett in the Quarter-Final round, and it’s quite difficult to pick a winner in this tag team affair. The power and precision of The Don Callis Family team versus the top tier all-around game of the OC/Trent pair; it’s quite the pick’em for the Wild Card round!
Street Fight…
TBS Champion Julia Hart & Skye Blue vs. Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale
As mentioned already, Willow Nightingale was the victim of an assault by TBS Champion Julia Hart and Skye Blue following her victory over Riho last Wednesday night. It was only the efforts of Mercedes Moné that saved the former NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion from serious injury, but it certainly left a question of where Kris Statlander was to help out her friend.
We would find out after the fact that the former TBS Champion was assaulted backstage, preventing her from assisting Nightingale, but on this Wednesday’s special edition of RAMPAGE it’s time for Julia Hart and Skye Blue to pay the piper in the form of a Street Fight! Willow and Statlander have already proven successful in that field, defeating Diamante and Mercedes Martinez last December under that stipulation, and now they’re prepared to bring the fight to the TBS Champion and her ally! This has been raging in one form or another since Julia Hart claimed the TBS Championship for herself at FULL GEAR 2023, will this be the night the scores are finally settled?
AEW’s three hour block of the best wrestling on the planet begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, in addition to AEWPlus.com for international fans, so visit the official AEW YouTube channel before showtime, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch highlights from previous editions of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER with Tony Schiavone! Then join AEW next Wednesday night for our debut in Quebec, City at the Centre Videotron for an all-new live DYNAMITE!
