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Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK!
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!
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley
vs.
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood!
Cash grabbed a single leg on Mox, and Mox returned with a forearm. Mox tagged out to Claudio and Claudio blasted Cash with European uppercuts. Cash swept out Claudio’s leg and tagged out to Dax. Claudio booted Dax in the midsection and then body slammed Dax.
Dax retaliated with a snap suplex on Moxley. Dax hit a leg drop across the bridge of Moxley’s nose, good for a two count. Cash tagged in and Mox went for a rear naked choke, but Cash lowered his hips, using Mox’s momentum to knock him out of the ring. Mox was infuriated and jumped right back in the ring, bowing right up to Cash head-to-head. They exchanged forearms in the center of the ring.
Dax headbutted Mox outside of the ring, but Claudio ambushed Dax with a European uppercut. Moxley flew out of the ring with a tope directed at Cash, but Dax shoved his partner out of the way, acting as a human shield, and Dax took the brunt of Moxley’s force. After Moxley landed, Cash shoved him into the steel ring steps. FTR pummeled Moxley in their corner with an onslaught of strikes.
FTR catapulted Moxley into the bottom rope, throat first. Moxley blasted Dax with a King Kong lariat and then tagged Claudio. Claudio smothered Dax with European uppercuts. Claudio managed to hoist up both members of FTR at the same time and planted them!
“Claudio with superhuman strength!” said Excalibur.
Outside the ring, Moxley spiked Dax on the arena floor with a stuffed piledriver when Claudio jumped off the apron with an assist! Back in the ring, Dax displayed his fighting spirit, dodging Claudio and tagged out to Cash Wheeler. Cash cleaned house on the BCC!
Cash countered a Paradigm Shift from Mox with a brain buster for a near fall. Justin Roberts announced that five minutes remained. Cash hoisted up Moxley and then Dax jumped off the top rope with a leg drop for a near fall on Moxley.
“That was super close there,” said Taz.
Dax superplexed Moxley while Cash went for a splash off the top rope, but Moxley countered by raising his knees into Cash’s ribs. With three minutes remaining, Claudio whipped Dax around the ring with the Giant Swing! Moxley dropkicked Dax in the head and covered him, but Dax kicked out at the two-count!
Moxley battered Dax with the hammer and anvil elbows and then applied a rear naked choke. Cash crawled back into the ring to try to break up the bulldog choke, but Claudio grabbed Cash and applied a rear naked choke on Cash. There were two minutes remaining.
“Dueling submissions,” said Taz.
Cash powered himself and Claudio up, getting to his feet, and then fell backwards on top of Moxley.
“Cash, out of sheer desperation, dropping his body weight and Claudio’s onto the pile to force Moxley to break his grip,” said Excalibur.
“Now that’s what you call multitasking. Good job by Cash,” replied Taz.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Dax took Moxley off his feet and applied the sharpshooter. Claudio tried to boot Dax in the head, but Cash ran interference and German suplexed Claudio. Justin Roberts announced there was one minute remaining.
Claudio wrapped up Cash in a sharpshooter, turned around and began to trade strikes with Dax, who had Moxley in a sharpshooter! Claudio and Dax relinquished their holds and began exchanging shots in the center of the ring! Dax spiked Claudio with a piledriver! Mox was there to cradle Dax with a crucifix, but Dax kicked out at two! Moxley went back to a rear naked choke on Dax, but Dax escaped. As Mox was looking for the King Kong lariat, FTR tried to counter with the Shatter Machine! As Cash lifted up Mox for his portion of the tandem finishing maneuver, time ran out and the bell rang!
The time limit expired, and the bout was declared a draw by Justin Roberts.
“I think if they had 10 more seconds, I think FTR lands that Shatter Machine and maybe wins the match,” said Excalibur.
“I agree, they were in the midst of a Shatter Machine, and the bell sounded, which stopped it,” replied Tony Schiavone.
Both teams began to brawl until security and wrestlers from the locker room sprinted out to separate them!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy!
Renee wondered how Orange was doing after all of his matches these past few weeks, and if he was medically cleared to wrestle. Orange replied, “Well, that’s why Doc Sampson is standing here in the hallway. He’s going to let me know.” Doc Sampson said that Orange was cleared, barely, to compete.
Orange: “If I’m cleared, I’m gonna wrestle.”
Orange said he was taking Trent’s place tonight.
Alex Marvez was backstage to interview FTR!
Dax: “We came here to kick BCC’s ass, because they think they run this place. We don’t bow down to nobody. Revolution is coming up, we don’t have a match, they don’t have a match so what I say is—”
The Blackpool Combat Club interrupted the interview, and both teams were separated by AEW security and officials once again!
AEW International Champion “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy vs. ROH World Tag Champion Mike Bennett!
Orange charged at the Undisputed Kingdom as they were making their entrance and clobbered Taven with an Orange Punch! Cassidy stomped on Bennett in the corner. The ref pulled Orange back and Bennett seized the opportunity to hit Orange with a suplex.
Orange rallied back with a Stun Dog Millionaire and then he landed a DDT on Bennett. Roderick Strong ran down to the ring and jumped on the apron. The ref had to keep Roderick back and prevent him from entering the ring. As the ref was dealing with Roddy, Mike Bennett nailed Orange with a blatant low blow!
Bennett rocked Orange with a piledriver for a near fall. Bennett got overconfident and grabbed Tony Schiavone’s headset and began to insult Orange over the headset. When Bennett put the headset down on the announcers’ desk, Orange flew out of the ring with a tope!
“Bennett took his eyes off his opponent for a moment and paid the price,” said Excalibur.
Bennett fired back with a Death Valley Driver on Orange on the arena floor! Somehow Orange managed to clock Bennett with an Orange Punch!
“This guy is a machine!” said Taz.
Mike Bennett regained momentum with a Gotch style piledriver on Cassidy. Bennett hit two rolling elbow strikes on Orange. Bennett was looking for another piledriver, but Orange countered with the Beach Break out of nowhere and pinned Bennett!
Matt Taven jumped in the ring after the match and stomped Orange. Roderick Strong returned and was about to double team Orange when Jake Hager ran down to the ring! Hager cleaned house of the Undisputed Kingdom, coming to the aid of Orange Cassidy!
Tony Khan informed Excalibur over the headset that this Friday on Rampage it’ll be Roderick Strong versus Jake Hager!
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview Angelo Parker about his big date out tonight with Ruby Soho!
Ruby walked up to them smiling and told Renee she’d tell her all about it Friday night. Angelo offered his arm to Ruby and asked if she was ready to go. A white SUV pulled up and Ruby asked if that was their ride. Angelo said, “No, we’ve got a Lyft.” They walked away and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair exited the SUV!
Renee Paquette interviewed “Nature Boy” Ric Flair about Sting’s upcoming retirement match at Revolution!
Flair: “I’m disappointed. When I signed up for this, I thought I’d be a bigger part of the picture. I’m not upset with Sting, I’m just upset that I’m not more involved. I feel like I should be right in the middle of things, and I haven’t been. So, between you and me, I’m just going to explore some options. I’m not trying to put you in the middle, I’m just telling you the truth.”
Ric Flair walked away and knocked on a nearby dressing room door. The Young Bucks opened the door. Matthew Jackson asked Ric what he wanted. Ric asked if they had time. “Let’s talk,” replied Matthew, inviting Flair in.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Daniel Garcia!
Tony said that after what happened to the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland last week, Copeland is on the shelf and unable to compete. Tony said that at AEW Revolution, Daniel Garcia will get his shot at the TNT Championship against Christian Cage!
The fans chanted “You deserve it! You deserve it!”
Garcia: “A lot of the time I feel like I don’t deserve it, so thank you for saying that. I always felt like in this business I was destined for great things, but a couple months ago when I was at the lowest point of my life, I started to lose that confidence. I started to lose that feeling, I really did. But I knew that going through all that, three seconds is all I needed. And at the end of the Continental Classic, I got those three seconds. Those three seconds changed my life.
“Every single time I got down, y’all picked me back up. Every time I danced, y’all danced with me. And I can’t thank you enough for helping me restore that feeling. And Adam Copeland, no one knows how that match would have ended last week, but I have full confidence that if that match went on any longer, I would have made you tap out.
“It’s not over between you and me. But the next time you see me I will be holding the TNT title! And that brings me to Revolution. Christian Cage, I have a message for you. When you step in the ring with me, I am going to take you down—”
TNT Champion Christian Cage walked onto the ramp with the Patriarchy—Nick Wayne, Killswitch, and Mother Wayne!
Christian Cage: “Adam Copeland will not have another chance at my TNT Championship ever! Do you understand me? Daniel, what happened to you last week was just a by-product of you standing in the ring with Adam Copeland, but it worked out pretty well for you because now you’re the number one contender for my TNT Championship at Revolution.
“You’ve been on a hell of a run lately, but I have to say, as much as I’d love to step in the ring with you, I really don’t think it should happen at Revolution. And it’s not that I don’t think you’re worthy, it’s that I don’t think you’re ready. You just want to make these people smile and be entertained with your dance moves. I just want to leave the arena every night as the most dominant TNT Champion of all time.
“We both know why you’re the way you are, don’t we Daniel. I know something that these people don’t know. That you had a pretty dark childhood, didn’t you, Daniel? You didn’t have so many happy memories, did you? Do you know a Jackie Garcia that lives in Buffalo, NY? And can you confirm to me that Jackie was married to David Garcia And I understand that David Garcia is your father. And your father is dead.
“Now wouldn’t it be a beautiful fairy tale ending for you to walk into Revolution with my TNT Championship, raise it above your head in memory of your late, great father, but let’s be honest, your father wasn’t so great, was he? He was a loser that lost his life to the bottle. And unlike him, I don’t want to hurt you, I want to help you. At Revolution, I don’t want to be your opponent, I want to be your father.”
Garcia: “Since you know so much about my dead father, why don’t you come to the ring, and I’ll put you in the ground right next to him!”
Christian Cage sent Nick Wayne to do his dirty work! Nick Wayne charged right at Garcia! Daniel Garcia side stepped Wayne and put him in the sharpshooter! Killswitch came down to the ring next! “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard, out of nowhere, smacked Killswitch in the back with a steel chair!
“This backfired on Christian Cage,” said Taz.
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Mariah May & Luther)
vs. Sydni Winnell!
Toni stormed Sydni and stomped her in the corner. Toni grounded and pounded Sydni. Toni splashed Sydni and then clobbered her with a running bulldog. Toni hit the hip attack and then planted Sydni with the Storm Zero! Toni locked in the Break a Leg submission and then released it. Toni opted instead for the Venus De Milo and won via submission!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne!
Deonna took down Rayne with a snap mare. Deonna wiped out Rayne with a pump kick. Deonna smashed Madison with a knee strike to the face. Madison rolled up Deonna, but Deonna kicked out at the one-count. Deonna applied Toni Storm’s Break a Leg and forced Madison to tap out, sending a message to the AEW Women’s World Champion! After the match Toni ran into the ring and tried to whack Deonna with a shoe! Deonna ducked it and countered with a pump kick! Deonna swung at Mariah May but Mariah May backed up. Toni grabbed Deonna from behind and locked in the Break a Leg on Deonna!
AEW World Tag Team Champions had an important message for the Young Bucks—Mathew and Nicholas Jackson!
Darby: “When you’re this close to the end, you look back at life and it really puts things in perspective. The fame, the spotlight, the material things that we chase that don’t mean a thing. We were looking at some old photos today. Sting, is it okay if we show them to the Young Bucks?”
Sting: “Yeah.”
Darby showed a picture of Sting with Sting’s sons when they were children. Darby said when the photo was taken, Sting’s sons were about the same age as the Bucks’ kids are now. “This is this man’s flesh and blood. This is the only thing in life that matters in the end. It’s family,” said Darby.
Sting: “You hit the nail on the head, Darby. Family is all that matters. It strikes a nerve right now because in all my years as a pro wrestler, no one has ever messed with my own flesh and blood until you, Bucks. Lots going on in my own personal life in the last couple of weeks. The Bucks attacked my sons, and only seven days ago, my own father passed away. He was like a hero to me. He taught me right. Makes me think a lot about my own mortality. I used to think I was so invincible. Sometimes I do feel that way still, but time catches up to everyone, and it caught me for sure. I know I am truly not invincible. But one thing I do know. Everything I have left in me, I’m bringing to Revolution. You have a fight on your hands, Bucks, the fight of your life.”
Tony Schiavone interviewed Wardlow in the ring!
Wardlow: “Get out of my ring before I knock you down again! I’m pissed! I’ve been pissed off for a long time! Two years ago, I had thousands and thousands of people chanting my name, city after city in a manner that hasn’t been heard or seen in decades. I was the next big thing, but apparently the rocket that was strapped to my back was put upside down, because ever since, I have been driven into the ground and screwed over and over again.
“You would think the one true homegrown day one original AEW megastar would have been the champion a long time ago. But I’ve never received an opportunity for the AEW World title and people back there need to be fired and thrown in jail for that fact.
“But let’s look at some of the people who have held it. There’s kings, there’s gods, so what does that make me? Because the best in the world, the real heavyweight champion? I beat his ass like nobody has in his entire career. His body is still falling apart from me. Which brings me to our former champ, the guy who’s better than us and we know it. I squashed him like an insect. Which brings me to the most dangerous man in the room. Our king, the current champ, Samoa Joe. Can somebody remind me when he and I were in the ring? Oh yeah, that’s right, I choked his ass out and I beat him too!
“So again, I ask, what does that make me? Because it sounds like I’m the best in the world. It sounds like I’m better than you and you know it. It sounds like I’m the most dangerous man in the room. I am the uncrowned king of AEW and it is time that I start eating like one, because I have been starving! And I am done begin fed scraps! I am everything a World champion is supposed to be! And there is no one back there bigger, faster, or stronger than me! There’s no one that can stop me! And if anybody wants to get in my way, just know this is no longer wrestling. This is war!”
The Bang Bang Scissor Gang were backstage!
“Switchblade” Jay White suggested that on the next Collision, he, along with Colten and Billy team up as the Collision Cowboys representing the Bang Bang Scissor Gang. Bowens said it didn’t matter about the combo, the Bang Bang Scissor Gang ruled the world.
Excalibur announced that Will Ospreay will be on Dynamite next Wednesday night!
Tony Khan informed Excalibur that Wardlow will be competing in “Meat Madness” at Revolution!
Renee Paquette was backstage with the Don Callis Family!
Renee asked Don how Will Ospreay against Takeshita at Revolution will benefit the Don Callis Family. Callis said because win or lose, the two best rope to rope wrestlers will still be a part of the Don Callis Family. Callis said he was on his way to the UK in a private jet to pick up Ospreay. Callis said that Powerhouse Hobbs was going to do damage in “Meat Madness” at Revolution. Don said that the Don Callis Family and Sammy Guevara had a score to settle at Rampage!
Main Event! Trios Match!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, “The Machine” Brian Cage, & Swerve Strickland
vs.
FTW Champion HOOK, “Hangman” Adam Page, & Rob Van Dam!
Samoa Joe and Hook started the match for their respective teams. They locked horns and Joe planted Hook. Hook ran off the ropes and hit Joe with a forearm, taking Joe off his feet. Samoa Joe battered Hook in the corner.
Brian Cage tagged in and isolated Hook in the corner with chops. Hook escaped and tagged RVD. Van Dam was looking for a monkey flip, but Cage rammed RVD into the turnbuckles. Swerve grabbed a tag and ate a kick from Rob Van Dam. RVD used his powerful legs to monkey flip Swerve.
Hangman tagged himself in and had a stare down with Swerve. They began to brawl and Hook and Cage had to peel their partners away. Samoa Joe tagged in and bulldozed Hook in the corner with strikes. Cage entered and rocked Hook with a delayed vertical suplex.
Hook stunned Cage with a DDT. RVD tagged in and cleaned house with his educated feet! RVD crushed Swerve with the Rolling Thunder! Rob Van Dam smashed Cage with the 5-star frog splash. Samoa Joe ran in to break up the pin attempt!
Samoa Joe splashed Rob Van Dam in the corner. Samoa Joe rocked RVD with jabs. Joe headbutted RVD. Rob Van Dam took Samoa Joe off his feet with a springboard kick! Hangman tagged in and dished out a lariat to the back of Swerve’s head. Hangman reversed a power bomb from Cage with a hurracanrana! Hangman jumped off the top rope with a diving cross body press, but Brian Cage caught him! Hangman slipped free and drilled Cage with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall!
Samoa Joe jumped in and booted Page. Hook entered the fray and blasted Samoa Joe with a lariat. Swerve grabbed Hook and planted him with a brain buster! RVD jumped off the top rope and nailed Swerve with a kick. Cage connected with a pump handle power bomb on RVD! Page was looking to hit Cage with the Buckshot Lariat, but he spotted Swerve on the floor. Rather than go for the win, Page climbed to the top rope. Cage climbed up to superplex Page, but Hook got up behind Cage and German suplexed Cage!
Hook locked Cage in the RedRum but Cage tagged Samoa Joe. Swerve grabbed Hook but Hook put Swerve in RedRum. Swerve escaped. Cage power bombed Hook! Swerve rocked Hook with the House Call kick! Swerve ducked the Buckshot Lariat from Page, but Page ended up walloping Cage with it!
Samoa Joe, Hangman Page, and Swerve Strickland met in the ring and glared at each other. Samoa Joe booted Page in the jaw. Samoa Joe followed up with a tope to Hangman, driving Hangman into the announcers’ desk. Swerve was on the apron and went to kick Page, but Page ducked, and Swerve inadvertently connected with Samoa Joe! Hangman Page grabbed Swerve off the apron and power bombed him through the announcers’ desk! Back in the ring, Samoa Joe ducked the Buckshot Lariat and countered with a powerslam to Hangman for a near fall! Samoa Joe tried for a Muscle Buster on Page but Page broke free! RVD jumped back into the ring, but Samoa Joe swarmed him in the corner. Hook snuck up behind Samoa Joe and sent him for a ride with a T-bone suplex! RVD headed to the top, looking for the 5-star Frog Splash, but Cage shoved RVD off the top! Cage wiped out Hook with a discus lariat! Samoa Joe locked in a rear naked choke and won for his team via ref stoppage!
“Wow, what a prelude to Revolution one week from Sunday,” said Tony Schiavone.
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 Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, MO featuring:
-Thunder Rosa in action!
-Serena Deeb in competition!
– “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama!
& Much, much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Propst Arena at Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL!
This Wednesday night, for the very first time, AEW brings DYNAMITE to Tulsa, OK and the BOK Center! With REVOLUTION 2024 eleven days away, every fights matters as we barrel towards the Greensboro Coliseum, and do we have some serious bouts set for AEW’s flagship! Representing The Blackpool Combat Club, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli will go to battle with Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler of FTR! Plus AEW World Champion Samoa Joe forms an uneasy alliance with Swerve Strickland, one of the men he will fight on March 3rd, as well as “The Machine” Brian Cage, to take on the other challenger for REVOLUTION 2024 “Hangman” Adam Page, and his partners FTW Champion HOOK and the legendary Rob Van Dam! In addition, we will see both AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm as well as her pay-per-view opponent Deonna Purrazzo compete, and so much more!!!
DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans; just make a point to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us this Saturday night in Springfield, MO for an brand-new COLLISION where Bryan Danielson will battle Jun Akiyama, and we will see both Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb in action!
A FIGHT…
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
DYNAMITE February 9, 2022; Jon Moxley scores a tag team victory over FTR
RAMPAGE, September 9, 2022; Claudio Castagnoli defeats Dax Harwood in a ROH World Championship match
FINAL BATTLE 2023, December 15, 2023; FTR and Mark Briscoe defeat The BCC of Claudio, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson in a nearly 30 minute fight that AEW/ROH GM Tony Khan had to make a Fight Without Honor
DYNAMITE, February 14, 2024: Jon Moxley defeats Dax Harwood
Suffice to say that the bell-to-bell history between these to members of The Blackpool Combat Club and FTR tilts in favor of The BCC, but this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE will mark the very first time Moxley and Castagnoli have faced Cash and Dax in tag team competition. FTR is world-renowned for their prowess as tag team competitors, their 10 reigns with 7 different championships are testament to that, not to mention the fact they held the AAA, IWGP, and ROH World Tag Title simultaneously for six months. This BCC combination, while 10-1 in tag team competition and ranked #2 as of the 2/10/24, does not have that pedigree together, though there is plenty of tag team experience in each individuals back catalog.
Claudio, alongside Chris Hero, holds status as the 2nd longest reigning World Tag Team Champions in Ring of Honor history, while his resume boasts a total of 19 reigns as a tag champion across his career and Moxley carries nine different tag team championship reigns across his time spent in professional wrestling. That is certainly a great deal of experience in the tag ranks, but unlike FTR, none of that championship experience came together, in fact Claudio and Mox had very little experience working as a duo prior to Castagnoli’s entry into The BCC.
That being said, Moxley and Claudio are two of the best individual combatants on the planet today, so pooling their forces does make for quite the formidable team, and that kind of skill does help compensate for their lack of experience in tag team competition. Big Bill and Ricky Starks proved, at FTR’s expense actually, that a lack of experience working together doesn’t automatically put a team at a disadvantage. Those two barely knew each other’s names yet brought an end to Cash and Dax’s second reign as champions, and performed quite impressively as a tandem during their reign atop the division.
So don’t discount The BCC duo because of that advantage FTR holds over them, in fact the one thing that may work against Moxley and Claudio this time around is the one thing that usually gives them an edge over their foes. Their capacity for violence, their willingness to use Cash and Dax to send a message to everyone else in professional wrestling, that may be the thing that comes back and bites them in the end. Now Claudio and Moxley are dealing with two very angry men who want nothing more than to choke out The BCC and do them the way FTR got done. Cash and Dax are out for blood with designs on leaving The Blackpool Combat Club laying in a pool of their own Wednesday night.
PREPARATIONS..
Deonna Purrazzo vs. ???
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. ????
As these two women, former friends once as close as sisters, prepare for their impending AEW Women’s World Championship match at REVOLUTION 2024, each will be in combat this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. This has been an interesting back-and-forth between Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo ever since “The Virtuosa” questioned Storm’s abilities as she’s spun out into this “Timeless” persona. It seems to have become something of a driving force for Storm, proving she is still as good bell-to-bell as the version of Toni Storm that Purrazzo has challenged to actually come out and play on Sunday night March 3rd. Storm fought Red Velvet and Queen Aminata just three days apart from one another after having refrained from in-ring combat for nearly 40 days following her victory over Riho at WORLDS END, and made it a point to create “Wet Ink” in order to show Deonna just how over their past relationship she is.
Deonna’s response, embedded above, was quite succinct, with her in-ring record also speaking volumes with victories over Taya Valkyrie, Red Velvet, Kiera Hogan, and Anna Jay, putting “The Virtuosa” at the number one position in two consecutive rankings. This Wednesday, as they did on the 2/10 COLLISION, it looks the two women will play “can you top this” once again as each will be in singles competition on DYNAMITE! With their championship fight a little over a week away, neither woman can afford to lose a bout, not just because of how it could affect the rankings, but also because of the psychological ramifications of fumbling the ball so close to the end zone…
TRIOS COMBAT…
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe, Brian Cage, & Swerve Strickland vs. FTW Champion HOOK, Adam Page, & Rob Van Dam
Some people could look at the situation before Samoa Joe and assume he’s a man behind the proverbial eight ball; those people clearly don’t know the AEW World Champion all that well. He is a man who smashed his way through every competitor Ring of Honor through at him during his 645 day reign as World Champion between March 2003 and December 2004. He is a man who took the label of longest reigning ROH World TV Champion from Jay Lethal, and carried it for 574 days, only relinquishing the championship to focus his pursuits on the AEW World Title now resting on his shoulder. Keep that mind: no one beat Samoa Joe, he willing turned over that championship to replace it with another. The odds don’t matter to Joe, be it one challenger or two, he should never be the one considered behind the eight ball or the underdog in the situation, Joe is always the man running the table, and should always be considered the odds-on favorite.
Even in this awkward situation where he’s paired with one of his challengers, as well as his challenger’s ally, Joe should be considered in control of the situation. It doesn’t matter that his other REVOLUTION 2024 is on the opposing team, or that Hangman has found two familiar faces as his partners. FTW Champion HOOK may have given Joe a good fight a few weeks ago, and completely bewildered the wrestling world when he kicked from a Muscle Buster just after the one count, but the bottom line is he still lost decisively. As for Rob Van Dam, it’s been over 11 years since he and Joe last faced one-on-one, and that October 2012 night Joe beat RVD, then in their final meeting a few months later, a tag team affair with Chris Daniels as his partner, Joe was again victorious.
Suffice to say Samoa Joe has every reason to be confident about this fight, and can rest assured that his partners, or at least one of them, has designs on something other than the championship Joe carries:
With that in mind, knowing Brian Cage is intent on neutralizing HOOK from this situation, Joe can focus on the other two men standing across the ring from him, and hopefully not have to worry about Swerve taking advantage of the situation to get a leg up on Joe before the title fight. Perhaps Hangman and Swerve will neutralize each other in this situation, leaving Joe with only one man to worry about in Rob Van Dam. There are a lot of variables at play here, ones that affect both this trios affair, as well as the AEW World Championship bout scheduled for REVOLUTION 2024, and the outcome of this fight is going to make quite the interesting fuel to the fire that is burning around Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, and “Hangman” Adam Page!
REVOLUTION 2024 is less than two weeks out and that means every moment counts on the road to Greensboro, NC! This Wednesday marks another stop on that journey as AEW comes to Tulsa and the BOK Center for the first time! We’ve got The BCC in action versus FTR, a huge Trios match involving the AEW World Champion and his two REVOLUTION ’24 challengers, both the AEW Women’s World Champion and her PPV challenger in action, as well as a great deal more!!!
DYNAMITE gets underway 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 various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER! Then join us in Springfield, MO on Saturday for an all-new COLLISION featuring Bryan Danielson versus Jun Akiyama, as well as Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb in action!
This Friday RAMPAGE comes your way from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX, beginning this week at a special start time of 7pm ET/6pm CT on TNT, and is staked up with a quartet of tremendous match-ups! REVOLUTION 2024 is coming on fast and with that in mind, the wrestlers of AEW are fighting to earn their way onto that pay-per-view extravaganza! Jeff Hardy meets Sammy Guevara for the first time with the fight contested as a No Disqualification match, Queen Aminata goes head-to-head with Anna Jay, The Bang Bang Scissor Gang will be in action for the first-time as an six-man entity, and Dustin Rhodes welcomes Marshall and Ross Von Erich back to AEW for a Trios bout!
Before the night gets underway, drop in on the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
NO DISQUALIFICATION…
Jeff Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara
All is not right in the world of The Hardys; part of it is the downward slide both Matt and Jeff have been on that began in 2023, and part of it is how they’ve responded to these losing efforts; that is to say poorly. Moxley, Darby, and Swerve all witnessed Jeff’s poor responses first-hand, but perhaps that will finally turn around for the death-defying veteran this Friday night on RAMPAGE when he faces Sammy Guevara for the very first time!
Now brother Matt and Sammy have plenty of history here in All Elite Wrestling, history that nearly ended the careers of both men at various times, so if there’s anyone to give Jeff Hardy advice on how to take this fight, it is most certainly his brother. Then there is the x-factor of this match, the stipulation that could sway it in either man’s favor, the fact that this is a No Disqualification contest where everything is legal!
This is a situation where we have seen Jeff Hardy thrive for years, the world of tables and ladders and chairs and the assorted weaponry stashed under the ring, but the AEW faithful have also witnessed Sammy Guevara commit spectacular acts when ladders are involved, when chairs are in the mix, and when tables are set-up to be destroyed. This first-time fight between Jeff Hardy and “The Spanish God” will be a sight to witness this Friday night on RAMPAGE, but what version of Jeff will we see if the bout doesn’t go his way?
ONE-ON-ONE…
Anna Jay vs. Queen Aminata
It’s been said before and repeated ad nauseam; Queen Aminata has been one of the most impressive women in All Elite Wrestling through these first six weeks of 2024. Her fights with Mariah May, Thunder Rosa, Serena Deeb, and Toni Storm have been superb, hard-hitting fights that demonstrated Aminata’s willingness to throw down against the best AEW has to offer without backing down.
Unfortunately, as impressive as the young woman has looked in each of those bouts, she has not scored a single victory in those bouts, and looking good in defeat is only going to get one so far. Yet Aminata perseveres, and continues to take enter the ring show-after-show, including this Friday night on RAMPAGE where she takes on the ever-improving Anna Jay!
With the drama of Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker behind her, Anna Jay is free to focus on what’s important, and that’s building her own resume up to the levels of title contention! Several weeks ago, Anna scored an impressive when over the aforementioned “Runaway”, and aims to continue building that momentum at the expense of the Queen!
THE BANG BANG SCISSOR GANG!
AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & Daddy Ass
and ROH World Six-Man Champions BULLET CLUB GOLD (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, & Jay White)
vs.
Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver) & Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett,& Satnam Singh
Well these two forces came together in the new year, and though it doesn’t seem like a good fit given the history and the combustible elements within, thus far The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass have gelled quite well with BULLET CLUB GOLD! It seems that Daddy Ass and The Gunns have mended fences over their familial issues, ones that stemmed from Billy choosing The Acclaimed over his own kids in the first place! Then, of course, there is the fact that Austin and Colten dethroned Caster and Bowens as AEW World Tag Champions just about a year ago; suffice to say there is plenty of baggage wrapped up in this union, but yet they’ve found a way to make it work outside the ring.
But what about inside the squared circle? Can these six men make it work as a unit once the bell rings and they’ve got to tag one another, sync up as partners, and actually rely on one another for assistance? We will find out this Friday night on RAMPAGE when The Bang Bang Scissor Gang unites for the very first time!
ALSO FEATURING:
-Dustin Rhodes & The Von Erichs in action!
-We will hear from Ruby Soho & Cool Hand Ang!
Austin, TX and the H-E-B Center welcome back RAMPAGE this Friday night, and we’re starting early at 7pm ET/6pm CT on TNT, and we’ve got The Bang Bang Scissor Gang in action for the first time as a six-man unit! Plus, Anna Jay faces Queen Aminata, Dustin Rhodes brings The Von Erichs back to AEW for Trios action, and Sammy Guevara faces Jeff Hardy for the first-time ever in a No Disqualification fight!!!
Before the night gets underway, drop on by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Josh Alexander Renews Hostilities With Simon Gotch at No Surrender News / February 15, 2024 / by TNA Wrestling Staff Subscribe to TNA+ Join IMPACT Ultimate Insiders Get tickets Josh Alexander has set his sights…
ABC & GYV Settle the Score in Final Match of Best of 3 Series at No Surrender News / February 15, 2024 / by TNA Wrestling Staff Subscribe to TNA+ Join IMPACT Ultimate Insiders Get…
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling brings DYNAMITE back to the Austin, TX area and our home at Cedar Park’s H-E-B Center! This has been one of the prime stops on AEW’s calendar since February 2020, with the fans inside the H-E-B always among the best in the land, and that will no doubt continue this time around as AEW brings the greatest professional wrestling on the planet back to town! With each man on the hunt for the TNT Championship, Adam Copeland and Daniel Garcia will clash in singles competition, and we will also see two former friend go to battle when Skye Blue meets Willow Nightingale inside the squared circle! In addition, we will hear from AEW World Champion Samoa Joe as well as his two REVOLUTION 2024 challengers, and The Young Bucks continue their goal of ascending the tag team rankings when they renew their rivalry with Top Flight!
With REVOLUTION 2024 fast approaching, everyone wants to be part of one of the sport’s most historic nights, and they are all chasing that opportunity this Wednesday on DYNAMITE! The night begings at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com (https://www.fite.tv/join/aew-plus/) for international fans, so be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFN4JkGP_bVhAdBsoV9xftA/videos), as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more! Then, with no COLLISION this Saturday, we are back at it next Wednesday night in Tulsa, OK (https://www.allelitewrestling.com/aew-event/aew-dynamite-rampage–tulsa) for our debut at the BOK Center!
Having won all five of his matches in 2024, including four singles bouts, Adam Copeland is on the hunt for the TNT Championship, but more specifically the head of Christian Cage. As the third ranked competitor in the Men’s Singles division, “The Rated R Superstar” is right on the cusp of achieving his goal of one more match with his former tag partner and best friend. There’s only one problem blocking his path: Daniel Garcia!
See Garcia may not have the winning record of Copeland, he isn’t even in the rankings as of 2/10/24, but what he does have is momentum after winning four consecutive matches this year, including being the deciding force in the Escape The Cage match against The House of Black, topping Shane Taylor, and pinning Nick Wayne in the Trios Match against The Patriarchy. That final victory mentioned is the one spurring Garcia on towards a TNT Championship challenge, feeling that pinfall over Christian Cage’s “son” has given him reasonable justification for a championship bout.
Obviously this puts him at cross-purposes with Adam Copeland, and though Copeland respects Garcia’s ability and his gumption in wanting a TNT Championship match, he is adamant in showing Garcia he’s not on his level. Copeland’s may also be looking to use Garcia as an example for someone else looking to jump the line around the rankings. For both men, this match means a TNT Championship match at the expense of the other, and quite frankly, if Garcia wins, he should be wary of the consequences. Adam Copeland has proven throughout his career to not be the most stable of individuals when someone steps into his path, just ask Nick Wayne how his skull felt when he did it.
That being said, Copeland could also be impressed with what Garcia brings to the table if he proves victorious, and that’s not as big an “if” as it once was. Garcia is a former ROH Pure Champion, a man who holds a victory over Bryan Danielson, who learned under the tree of Chris Jericho, and now stands side-by-side with FTR. His growth since coming into AEW has been exponential, and this may be a case of perfect timing for Garcia to ascend to the next level of his career.
Will we see Adam Copeland earn his shot at vengeance, or will Garcia play spoiler to that goal and earn his own TNT Championship since January 2022?
Texas Death Match…
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy vs. ROH World Tag Champion Matt Taven
Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong are destined to fight at REVOLUTION 2024; though the challenge was made by Roddy weeks ago, and though he deferred Cassidy’s offer to fight any time, it became official during the last week that the International Championship will be at stake on March 3rd live on pay-per-view!
Though the fight is set in stone, that hasn’t stopped the Undisputed Kingdom from trying to take away Cassidy’s support system one man at a time. They started with Chuck Taylor, a man already recovering from injury, added Rocky Romero to that list, and then attempted to take out Orange ahead of the fight this past Saturday on COLLISION. With Cassidy worn down from his fight with Ishii, Taven and Bennett assaulted the International Champ, but thankfully “The Stone Pitbull” ran them off before the onslaught could get any worse.
Well Cassidy has had enough, and he aims to return the favor this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when he clashes with ROH World Tag Champion Matt Taven in a Texas Death Match! We’ve seen Cassidy get down right violent in the past, just look at his fights with Jon Moxley or the Stadium Stampede last year, and Taven has been in his fair share of brutal bouts, like the Fight Without Honor against Action Andretti & Darius Martin, but neither has been in Texas Death before now!
Can Matt Taven help wear Orange Cassidy down for Roddy Strong as REVOLUTION 2024 draws near? Or will the ROH World Tag Champion follow the path of so many before him and fall before the winningest competitor in AEW?
Singles Match…
Willow Nightingale vs. (#4)Skye Blue
Over the last two years, Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale have been partners in tag and trios, but more than that they have been friends with one another. In fact after Julia Hart first sprayed her black mist into the face of Skye, it was Willow who stood by her side as support while Kris Statlander questioned where Skye’s head was at. So imagine the feeling of betrayal Willow felt when Skye gave into the darkness and chose TBS Champion Julia Hart over those who’d been her supporters.
What’s rather fascinating about this dynamic is that it’s Julia and Skye who sought this fight out, but neither Stat nor Willow were going to ignore the challenge, and that’s why the original NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion laid this out for Skye Blue! Their first one-on-one encounter will go down Wednesday night as part of another stacked DYNAMITE, but there’s no doubt this is just the beginning of a new chapter in this rivalry between the TBS Champion, Skye, Statlander, and Willow!
FTR and The Blackpool Combat Club do not mess around; all it took was Jon Moxley challenging anyone to rise up to their level, telling any team that stepped up that they’d get stepped on, and out came the former 2-Time AEW World Tag Champs to answer the challenge.
Very few words were exchanged, certainly no back-and-forth duel on the microphone, all it took to push this confrontation into a pull-apart brawl was Mox pie-facing Dax Harwood. Mox is a smart man, he knew it wouldn’t take much to push the hot-tempered Harwood over the edge, and knowing Mox’s predilection for fighting, there’s little question about his intent. Security, as well as members of the locker room, came to separate the combatants, but that just made them each potential targets in the melee before the four men were removed from ringside.
Suffice to say there was no hesitation in making this first-time match for Wednesday night pitting two of AEW’s roughest against one another! Moxley and Harwood were on opposite sides of a DYNAMITE tag two years ago, and opponents for a Trios Fight Without Honor at ROH FINAL BATTLE 2023 just two months ago, but they’ve never thrown hands one-on-one before. That changes on Wednesday, and given the love of the fight each man has, neither is going to stop until the other is broken down!
Chasing the Champions…
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. (#3)Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
So The Young Bucks have decided to get back to work, throwing around their EVP status, and inserting themselves into the tag team championship picture once again now that Darby Allin and Sting are atop the division. It seems pretty clear that Matthew and Nicholas want to be the ones to end Sting’s run on a sour note at REVOLUTION 2024, but in order to get into that position, they’ve stated their willing to work up the rankings into a position of contention rather than play their EVP card to just slide into an AEW World Tag Team Championship Match on March 3rd. They started their journey up the rankings on Friday night’s RAMPAGE with a victory, but are taking a giant leap up in the quality of competition with a fight against some old rivals: Top Flight!
The last time these four men fought in tag team competition was just over a year ago, January 18th of 2023 to be exact, and it actually ended in a victory of the Martin Brothers. That, in turn, led to a pair of AEW World Trios Championship challenges for Top Flight & AR Fox, though neither resulted in the titles changing hands, and thus it’s been since February 17, 2023 that they’ve fought in any capacity. Overall the brothers Jackson hold a 2-1 lead over Dante and Darius in their head-to-head bouts, but there’s just been this whole new fire under Top Flight since Dante returned from injury at the end of November. They aren’t the unseasoned team of 2020 that The Young Bucks beat in Daily’s Place, they’re not even the duo the former AEW World Tag Champions beat on RAMPAGE in 2022, they’ve grown as individuals, as well as a team, and could very well disrupt the EVP’s plans the AEW World Tag Team Championship!
A week ago Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, with a REVOLUTION 2024 World Championship opportunity at stake, engaged in one of the most memorable clashes in DYNAMITE’s four-plus year history. After thirty minutes of a breathtaking battle, the bout was ruled a time limit draw, and while Swerve Strickland was game for five more minutes, Hangman was content with being the man who blocked Swerve from a title bout with Samoa Joe. For Page it wasn’t a matter of winning the title match for himself, but rather about stopping The Mogul Embassy’s boss from getting the pay-per-view opportunity, and to Hangman a draw meant he was successful in achieving his goal.
Unfortunately for the former World Champion, AEW President Tony Khan had other ideas and ruled that as a result of the draw, both Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland would face AEW World Champion Samoa Joe at REVOLUTION 2024 in a Three Way Title Fight! It’s been nearly three years since the last time the AEW World Title was defended in a Three Way, and this Wednesday night we will hear from all three competitors involved in this situation!
Wet Ink…
All Elite Wrestling is back at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX with another awesome edition of DYNAMITE! For four years the Austin area has been a welcoming home to AEW, and this will doubtless continue this week when the AEW faithful watch The Young Bucks take on Top Flight, see Willow Nightingale clash with Skye Blue, and bear witness to Adam Copeland’s fight with Daniel Garcia! Plus, Toni Storm will premiere her latest film endeavor “Wet Ink”, and we will hear from all three men involved in the REVOLUTION 2024 World Championship match!
All that and so much more comes to you this week on DYNAMITE, just make sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER! There is no COLLISION this week, but we will be back at it next Wednesday night when All Elite Wrestling comes to Tulsa, OK and the BOK Center for the very first time!
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV!
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley
vs.
CMLL’s Esfinge & Star Jr.
Moxley took down Star Jr with a side headlock. Moxley grabbed Star’s hair. Star escaped and put Mox in a submission until Claudio came in and broke up the hold with a boot to Star. Moxley swung at Star, but Star ducked it and smacked Moxley in the mush. Star and Esfinge were about to go for stereo topes, but the BCC walked away. Esfinge and Star pumped the brakes.
Claudio tagged in and hurled Esfinge with the Giant Swing! Moxley grabbed a tag but so did Star Jr. Star shoved Claudio into Moxley. Star jumped off the top rope and took down both Moxley and Claudio. Esfinge and Star jumped out of the ring with a tope and a tope con hiro onto both members of the Blackpool Combat Club.
Star tried for a springboard, but Claudio countered with a European Uppercut. Moxley whipped Esfinge into the steel guardrail. Esfinge clocked Claudio with a thrust kick and then hit a monkey flip on Moxley. Esfinge tried to apply an Indian Death Lock pinning combo on Moxley, but Claudio jumped in to break up the pin. Star wiped out Moxley with a running lariat and then followed up with a tornillo on Claudio!
Moxley nearly decapitated Esfinge with a King Kong lariat for a near fall. Moxley ate a kick and then a risking knee strike from Moxley. Claudio gorilla press slammed Star right into a cutter from Moxley!
Claudio smashed Esfinge with the Ricola Bomb! Moxley put Star in an arm submission and forced him to tap out!
Moxley: “Gracias, amigos. You take that message back to CMLL in Mexico, or anywhere else in the world, and you tell any team that if they want to step up, they get stepped on!”
FTR—Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler—came down to the ring!
FTR had a stare down with BCC! It quickly escalated and the two teams traded fists!
“It did not take long for the fisticuffs to fly here,” said Tony Schiavone.
The locker room emptied as wrestlers and security guards tried to separate the BCC and FTR and contain them!
Daniel Garcia vs. Shane Taylor Promotion’s Shane Taylor (with Lee Moriarty)!
Matt Menard accompanied Garcia and then joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Taylor was throwing haymakers, but Garcia dodged them. Taylor knocked down Garcia with a shoulder block. Garcia came back with a dragon screw leg whip on Taylor. Shane Taylor shoved Garcia out of the ring with his leg. Taylor rammed Garcia into the ring apron and then whipped Garcia into the front row guardrail.
Garcia got out of the way of Taylor’s leg drop. Garcia dropkicked Taylor in the legs and then stomped him in the corner. Taylor retaliated with a pop up powerbomb and then a nasty right hand for a near fall.
Garcia escaped a package piledriver when Taylor’s leg gave out. Garcia locked on a kneebar, and Taylor tapped!
“Five in a row on Collision for Daniel Garcia,” said Tony Schiavone.
Lexy Nair interviewed Continental Champion Eddie Kingston backstage!
Kingston: “First off, Young Bucks, what you did on Dynamite was disgusting. You stole Sting and Darby’s thunder. Just like you Bryan Danielson. When you stole the thunder from Bryan Keith. That kind finally got a contract, and you took away his moment to get under his skin. Well, you did, and now I’m going to challenge you to a match at Revolution.
“Me and you, one on one, but I’m going to add a little stipulation. At the end of this match, after I beat you, you’re going to have to shake my hand. Because I know you don’t respect me. So now after I beat you again, you have to shake my hand and act like you respect me. And I know, and I pray, that that legit eats you up inside.”
“The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana) vs. The Outrunners—Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum!
“Chance”, the mascot of the Vegas Golden Knights, was ringside cheering on the Outrunners.
Brian Cage hit a German release suplex on Truth. He double suplexed the Outrunners. Cage stepped on the head of Turbo and Turbo submitted!
Chance did the Swerve dance with Prince Nana after the match. Brian Cage clubbed Chance from behind!
FTW Champion HOOK’s music began to play!
HOOK and Cage brawled on the ramp! The fight continued all the way to the back!
Lexy Nair was backstage with the Undisputed Kingdom and Tomohiro Ishii!
Taven: “I have a bone to pick with this goofy melvin right here. I used to be in Chaos and then one day I get knee surgery and no emails, no texts, no nothing from you Ishii!”
Roderick: “Ishii! None of that matters. The only thing that matters is if you win tonight, March 3rd at Revolution, I’m coming to beat you for the AEW International Title, and I’ve been waiting eight long years for this rematch. And I can’t wait to break you. So good luck.”
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview “The Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!
Schiavone: “4-0 in the Cope Open, I want to tell you this, as far as top contenders are concerned, as we know, at Revolution Samoa Joe has the two top contenders to deal with in that three-way match. You’re number three, which means you have your pick. We have the International Championship, we have a TNT Championship. What’s going through the mind of the Rated R Superstar right now?”
Copeland: “First off, if I had been at Dynamite, that wouldn’t have happened to Sting and Darby. So, Nicholas, Matthew, that’s a warning. Now you talked about the other championships that I can challenge for. There’s Christian Cage. There’s that TNT Championship that I won and had ripped out of my hands. So, I think you know where I’m leaning.”
Daniel Garcia’s music began to play, and Garcia came down to the ring.
Garcia: “Adam it sounds to me like you think you deserve a shot at the TNT title because you’ve been getting a lot of wins. And I could not agree with you more. I believe that championship opportunities should be rewarded through wins. But you’re not the only person that’s been picking up a lot of wins. Somebody else right in front of you has been on a hot streak. And I don’t mean any disrespect, but last week when I beat the Patriarchy, I looked at Christian Cage and saw that championship, and I thought maybe, just maybe I deserve a shot at the TNT title. The thing about me is I’ll fight through that line a million times over if it means I get to hold championship gold in AEW.”
Copeland: “Okay, and I can respect that. And you didn’t beat the Patriarchy by yourself. FTR helped you. But the FTR boys speak highly of you. And that’s enough for me. I respect you. But Daniel, if you’re saying you want a shot at the TNT Championship, I want a shot at the TNT Championship, I’ve got a proposal. Wednesday, Dynamite, you and I fight each other and the last man standing fights Christian. What do you say?”
Garcia: “I accept.”
Copeland: “Now I know you had a match tonight and that’s the only reason I’m not taking your face off right now. But make no mistake about it, you’re now threatening to take food off my family’s table, and that does not work for me. So, I am going to beat your ass next week.”
Renee Paquette was backstage with Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander, and Stokely Hathaway!
Renee said she thought the addition of Stokely was working out for them, especially after their win last night against the Outcasts.
Stokely had words for Skye Blue and Julia Hart and said that there were only two bad asses that he knows in the AEW Women’s Division, and that’s the former TBS champion Kris Statlander and the first ever New Japan Strong Women’s champion Willow Nightingale.
Willow said that she thought Skye would have been right there with them, but Skye chose a different path. Willow said that she and Skye had done a lot together, but they still hadn’t fought one another.
Mark Briscoe vs. The House of Black’s Brody King (with TBS Champion Julia Hart)!
Mark chopped away at Brody, but Brody hoisted up Mark and threw him half way across the ring. Brody blasted Briscoe with a cannonball in the corner. Brody followed up with a running senton for a near fall.
Brody King battered Mark in the corner with a stiff chop and then a boot. Briscoe pulled Brody out of the ring. Mark jumped off the apron and nailed Brody with a neck breaker. Mark used a steel chair and launched himself off it to land on Brody with a tope con hiro!
Mark tried to pull a table out from beneath the ring, but the ref stopped him, admonishing Mark. Mark went for a plancha, but Brody caught him and slammed him onto a steel chair. Back in the ring, Brody planted Briscoe with a Bossman slam for a two-count.
Briscoe kicked Brody in the head, knocking Brody to the floor. Mark climbed to the top turnbuckle and connecting with a twisting moonsault, landing on his feet! Brody blocked a Death Valley Driver and then leveled Briscoe with a lariat!
Mark Briscoe climbed to the top, but Julia Hart jumped on the apron to distract Briscoe. Brody shoved Briscoe and sent Briscoe flying, crashing onto the table on the arena floor! Brody drilled Briscoe with a Gonzo Bomb and pinned Briscoe!
Brody held Mark back while Julia Hart hit Briscoe with a spike on the forehead! Mark was busted wide open!
“The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith was backstage with some strong words!
Keith: “It’s no secret that I’m all about my payday. So, when I came here to AEW, I’m looking to climb the ranks and collect my bounty, whether you’re good, bad, or ugly, you stand across the ring from me, you’d better be ready to pay up, sucker.”
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan!
Deonna Purrazzo yanked at Hogan’s arm. Kiera fired back with a hip attack. Deonna dodged a charging Kiera. Deonna went back to working on Kiera’s arm. Deonna drilled Hogan with a backstabber for a near fall.
Hogan caught Deonna with a thrust kick. Deonna blocked a piledriver attempt. Deonna applied the Venus De Milo and Hogan had to submit verbally!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Mariah May & Luther the Butler) vs. Queen Aminata!
Toni had a headlock on Aminata. The Queen fought out of it and taunted Toni. Storm took down Queen Aminata with a Thesz Press. Toni Storm applied a full nelson. Toni Storm kicked Queen Aminata right in the face. Toni charged at Queen Aminata, but Aminata cradled Toni for a near fall!
Queen Aminata walloped Toni with a snap suplex. Toni spiked Aminata with a DDT but the challenger kicked out at the two-count. Queen Aminata retaliated with an Air Raid Crash for a near fall on the champ! “Timeless” Toni cracked Queen Aminata with a hip attack and then crunched Aminata with a piledriver for the pinfall victory!
Toni Storm: “Mister Schiavone, I know what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But we’re in Henderson so stop looking at me like that. Darling, did you see that? Another fantastic technical show of brilliance. This week on Dynamite I will be releasing a brand new film!”
Main Event Time! AEW International Championship Match!
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy (c.) vs. “The Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii!
Ishii knocked Orange to the floor with a shoulder tackle. Ishii waffled Orange with chops to the chest!
“Orange Cassidy was freshly squeezed,” said Nigel.
Orange came back with a Stun Dog Millionaire and then a twisting DDT! Orange flew out of the ring with a tope suicida to Ishii. Orange spiked Ishii with another DDT for a two-count!
Orange jumped off the top rope and planted Ishii with a diving DDT! Orange stomped Ishii in the corner. Orange connected with a shotgun dropkick, but Ishii popped back up and pounced Orange!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Ishii blasted Cassidy with an avalanche brain buster and covered Orange for a near fall! Orange fired up but collapsed to the mat. Orange got up and went for the Beach Break, but Ishii reversed it and countered with a powerbomb! Ishii went for a sliding lariat, but Orange dodged it and cradled Ishii for a near fall.
Ishii headbutted Orange but Orange caught Ishii with an Orange Punch! Orange drilled Ishii with a Beach Break, but Ishii lifted his shoulder in the nick of time! Ishii nailed Orange with a dragon suplex. Ishii hit the sliding lariat, but Orange kicked out!
Ishii attempted the vertical brain buster, but Orange escaped! Orange decked Ishii with the Orange Punch! Ishii wouldn’t go down! Orange tried for another Orange Punch, but Ishii blocked it! Orange rolled up Ishii in a small package and pinned Ishii!
The Undisputed Kingdom surrounded the ring after the match! Taven and Bennett spiked Orange with a stuffed piledriver! Ishii sprinted back to the ring and the Undisputed Kingdom retreated! Trent came down with a steel chair as reinforcement!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX!
Coming off a red-hot RAMPAGE and a history-making DYNAMITE, this Saturday night All Elite Wrestling comes to Henderson, NV and the Dollar Loan Center for a stacked edition of COLLISION! After their fight on Wednesday, and the locker room clearing situation that erupted afterward, The Blackpool Combat Club of Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley will take on CMLL’s Esfinge and Star Jr. in tag team action! Plus, AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm is in action once again, this time against the hard-striking Queen Aminata, Mark Briscoe takes on The House of Black’s Brody King, and Deonna Purrazzo will be in a fight with Kiera Hogan!
The night begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Orange Cassidy(c) vs. “The Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii
Despite his date with Roderick Strong on March 3rd, Orange Cassidy still plans to be a fighting champion on the road to REVOLUTION 2024, willing to take on any competitor, be it friend or foe, enemy or ally. That’s why this Saturday night on COLLISION, the AEW International Champion will take on one of his CHAOS allies in “The Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii!
This seems to be a bit of an issue for Trent Beretta, though he hasn’t outright said it, but it’s not as if OC didn’t give Beretta an opportunity during his first International Championship reign, it’s not as if Ishii is the first friend Orange has fought over the title, Rocky Romero had one too. In fact, in the eyes of Cassidy, it seems like giving “The Stone Pitbull” a title shot is the right thing to do because of the times he’s been there for OC and The Best Friends.
It’s difficult to say is the toughest challenge of Orange Cassidy’s second reign as champion, after all he went to battle with Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley in his first month, but Ishii is certainly one of the toughest of either run with the International Title, certainly one of the hardest hitting who will not hesitate to blister Cassidy the way he blistered Chris Jericho in their ROH World Championship bout back on Thanksgiving Eve 2022. Cassidy is going to have to fight for every inch in this meeting on Saturday, and do his best to avoid a striking situation as Ishii’s hands are like stone. If nothing else, getting hit by those hands will at least prepare Cassidy for what it feels like to get chopped by Roderick Strong…
ONE-ON-ONE…
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata
Queen Aminata has had numerous opportunities over the past several weeks to fight the best AEW has to offer, the likes of Thunder Rosa, Mariah May, Serena Deeb, and Willow Nightingale to name a few, and though she’s looked impressive in each, Aminata has yet to secure victory in AEW singles competition. Seventeen singles losses since her April 2021 debut, six of those in 2024, and no matter how much you may hear commentary and fans sing your praises, and discuss your strong suits in the ring, it becomes frustrating to be so close to breaking through.
But that doesn’t mean stop, that doesn’t mean lay down and die, that means keep fighting until there is no fight left in your body, keep fighting until you break through to that next level, keep fighting until you’re standing on top of that mountain and prove all that praise was well-deserved. That is the path of Queen Aminata at this point, that is her struggle, and this Saturday night she has the biggest opportunity of her AEW career because it will be AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm standing across the ring.
This may not be a championship bout or even an Eliminator fight, but it is still a match with the World Champion and that means a victory will garner headlines, earn respect, and prove Queen Aminata belongs among the elite. Toni has her focus on Deonna Purrazzo at the moment, and their impending championship fight at REVOLUTION 2024, meaning she may be ripe for the picking by another foe, meaning this could be Aminata’s opportunity to rise up the ranks with a quickness. Can she finally get the “W” that’s eluded her in AEW thus far?
SINGLES MATCH…
(#1) Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander; if Toni Storm is going to be in action against a top tier opponent to stay tuned up for REVOLUTION 2024, than so too will Deonna Purrazzo! That is why Saturday night on COLLISION, “The Virtuosa” will go one-on-one with “The Girl on Fire” Kiera Hogan for the first time since October 2016!
They’ve fought in a handful of matches since that victory by Deonna, four way and three ways and multi-woman affairs, but nothing one-on-one until this evening in Nevada. Though her championship challenge is set for March 3rd on pay-per-view, each time “The Virtuosa” steps into the ring, she is putting her title opportunity at risk, as well as that #1 spot in the rankings. If she loses to someone like Kiera Hogan who, though a supremely talented a competitor she may be, is not a ranked combatant, will it play against Deonna’s championship opportunity? Or does it simply serve to slide Hogan into a better position for the aftermath of REVOLUTION 204 should Purrazzo defeat Toni Storm?
However it plays out, Toni Storm better keep as close an eye on this one as Deonna will keep on Storm’s Saturday night fight!
TAG TEAM BATTLE…
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) vs. Esfinge & Star. Jr
Esfinge is the current Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion, Star Jr. is a former CMLL World Trios Champion with Volador Jr. and Atlantis Jr., and together they make their in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling on Saturday night! In what appears to be their first tag team bout (though they are quite versed in trios competition together) these two CMLL representatives will take on two of AEW’s best in Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley!
Coming off a RAMPAGE where Mistico was victorious over Matt Sydal, but a DYNAMITE where The BCC defeated Hechicero, Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr., this fight marks the latest in the ever-escalating battle between The Blackpool Combat Club specifically, AEW as a whole, and the CMLL contingent.
Thus far, with Danielson’s victory over Hechicero as well as the aforementioned win on DYNAMITE, The BCC hold dominance over the luchadors from CMLL, and this will be an interesting test as you’ve got a BCC duo that’s 9-1 as a team versus a first-time tag pairing, though Star Jr. and Esfinge’s experience as trios allies may prove a boon for this bout.
Can the CMLL duo score their units first victory over The Blackpool Combat Club, and prove themselves equals to “the elite of the elite”, as Moxley referred to his unit? Or will this be The BCC continue to prove why they are the most dominating force in professional wrestling today?
SINGLES MATCH…
Mark Briscoe vs. The House of Black’s Brody King
Mark Briscoe had every intention of being there for FTR against The House of Black, and he was more than willing to step inside that Steel Cage in Daniel Garcia’s stead after the assault perpetrated on Garcia put his status in doubt. The House of Black had different idea though, and made sure the 13-time former ROH World Tag Champion was taken out of the equation before anyone set foot inside the cage.
But if The House thought that would be the end of Mark Briscoe in their life, well they’ve got another thing coming, and Brody King absolutely should’ve known better. See Mark and Brody are no stranger to each other, from Ring of Honor to GCW to the NWA, these two men have gone into battle in tag team situations, as well as trios, and have fought over several different championships. They’ve taken the measure of one another with partners at their side, and as a result of all that, Brody King should’ve known Mark Briscoe wasn’t just going to fade away; he should’ve know a fight was coming, and coming fast.
That fight is here this Saturday night on COLLISION when Mark Briscoe and Brody King lock up in their very first one-on-one match! Each man went through it in the Continental Classic, and now they step back into singles competition as Mark aims to bring the battle right to The House’s front door!
Daniel Garcia wants that TNT Championship, and even though he got the victory in the trios match last week, he’s going to need to build up his resume to get a shot at Christian Cage, and that begins this Saturday night on COLLISION with a fight against Shane Taylor!
Taylor, along with Lee Moriarty, are primed to ascend up the AEW ladder and take the respect they feel they’re owed. We all saw it with the fight they gave The Blackpool Combat Club, and Shane Taylor will throw those same blows at Daniel Garcia in their impending one-on-one battle! It’s a huge opportunity for both men to assert themselves in the singles ranks, a realm in which both previously had championship success under the ROH banner, but neither have managed to be a title holder in All Elite Wrestling as of yet.
Who will step up in the ranks on COLLISION, and who will be left frustrated in defeat?
This Saturday night, All Elite Wrestling brings some Saturday night fighting to Henderson, NV and the Dollar Loan Center! We’ve got The BCC fighting CMLL, “Timeless” taking on Queen Aminata, Orange Cassidy defending his AEW International Championship against CHAOS mate Tomohiro Ishii, Kiera Hogan fights Deonna Purrazzo, Mark Briscoe meets Brody King in singles competition, and more!
The night gets underway at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, and the AEW faithful can get prepared for the action-packed evening by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, for highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE and RAMPAGE, as well as the latest CONTROL CENTER, and so much more!
Tonight’s episode of AEW RAMPAGE was broadcast from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ!
Your broadcast team was Excalibur, “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone.
It’s Friday night and you know what that means!
This…is…Rampage!
Trios Match!
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, & Trent Beretta
vs.
Undisputed Kingdom—ROH World Tag Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett, and Roderick Strong (with Adam Cole & Wardlow)!
Best Friends charged at the Undisputed Kingdom as the Undisputed Kingdom made their entrance. They were furious over Undisputed Kingdom for injuring Chuck Taylor.
Bennett booted Trent in the face. Trent jumped on Bennett, squashing him with double knees to the sternum. Taven tagged in and Rocky and Trent rocked Taven with stereo knee strikes. Trent followed up with a sliding knee for a near fall.
Roderick grabbed a blind tag, but Trent tossed Roddy with a German Suplex. Roddy pulled Trent off the turnbuckles and nailed Trent with a backbreaker. Taven and Bennett double teamed Trent in their corner.
“Great tag team continuity by Taven and Bennett,” said Excalibur.
Orange tagged in and cleaned house on Taven and Bennett. Orange planted Taven with a DDT and smashed Bennett with a Stun Dog Millionaire. Bennett blindsided Orange with a spinebuster. Cassidy connected with a thrust kick on Taven. Orange was looking for the Orange Punch, but Taven knocked Orange’s block off with a kick of his own!
Roderick Strong distracted the ref while Bennett blasted Orange with a low blow. Taven jumped off the top turnbuckle while Bennett held Orange and they pulped Orange with a stuffed piledriver.
Rocky was the legal man now, and he took flight, rocketing out of the ring and wiping out Bennett and Taven with a tope suicida. Rocky rocked Bennett with the Sliced Bread! Taven cut off Rocky’s flurry with a boot to the midsection. Romero took Taven down to the mat with a hurracanrana.
Rocky smashed Taven and Bennett with the Forever Clotheslines. Roddy came in with a blindside knee and then decimated Rocky with the End of Heartache backbreaker. Taven covered Rocky and scored the pin!
The Undisputed Kingdom set up chairs in the ring and Roddy planted Rocky right onto the chairs with the End of Heartache! Trent and Orange chased the Undisputed Kingdom out of the ring.
“Adding insult to injury, that was completely uncalled for by Roderick Strong,” said Excalibur.
The Young Bucks—Nicholas & Matthew Jackson vs. Mondo Rox & Robbie Lit!
Matthew seized on Robbie Lit, stomping him in the corner. Matthew bulldozed Robbie with a lariat. Nicholas tagged in and the Bucks used a backbreaker-neck breaker combo on Robbie.
Mondo got a tag and Nicholas kicked Mondo with a low blow as Matthew was distracting the referee. The Young Bucks smashed Mondo with the EVP Trigger and Matthew pinned Mondo!
Nicholas: “I am so tired of the disrespect that each and every one of you fans show us. I heard a heckler in the front row calling us by the wrong name. It’s time to show your EVPs a little more respect! Call us by our God-given names of Nicholas and Matthew Jackson!”
Matthew: “I apologize my brother is a bit of a hothead. Listen! Listen! The reason we’re out here in the first place is to say congratulations to AEW’s new Tag Team Champions Darby Allin and Sting! Incredible match! You’re putting your blood, sweat and tears on the line. You’ll be great champions but there is one caveat. I got an email, an injury report from Doc Sampson and apparently both Darb and Sting are a little bit banged up coming out of their big win. So, we just wanted to say we’re thinking about you guys, we’re praying for you guys, and we hope you’re ok.
“However, boys I want to make one thing clear. Our objective is to get our tag team titles back! And you may be looking at us and saying, ‘Oh, but you’re EVPs and you’re going to politic to do whatever it takes to do that!’ No, no, no. We’re going to play by the rules, climb up the rankings, and have competitive matches just like we did tonight on Rampage! We will get ranked, we will be number one contenders, and we will get our belts! And we’ll continue to climb up those rankings on Wednesday when you see Nicholas and Matthew Jackson, your EVPs in tag team action! We love you guys so much! Let’s have a killer show!”
“Tony Khan has just informed me that on Wednesday night on Dynamite Nicholas and Matthew will have some top flight competition when they face Dante and Darius Martin!” said Excalibur.
CMLL’s Mistico (with Esfinge & Star Jr.) vs. Matt Sydal!
Sydal and Mistico chain wrestled to start the match, exchanging a flurry of offense and going move for move with one another. Mistico hit Sydal with a tope suicida. Sydal jumped back in the ring and caught off Mistico’s momentum with a kick.
Matt Sydal placed Mistico in a bow and arrow submission. Sydal followed up with a senton splash. Mistico caught Sydal off guard with a crossbody press.
“This has been a back and forth battle,” said Excalibur.
Sydal caught Mistico in the face with a jumping knee strike. Sydal landed an Air Raid Crash for a near fall on Mistico. Mistico tried for a moonsault press but Sydal got the boots up, countering it! Sydal charged Mistico but Mistico walloped Sydal with a powerslam! Mistico hit a Spanish Fly on Sydal off the top rope and pinned Sydal!
“That was a desperation move by Mistico but man, it worked!” said Tony Schiavone.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Prince Nana and “The Machine” Brian Cage!
Brian Cage: “HOOK thinks he can hit me in the back with a chair and get away with it like a hit-and-run? Not today! I’m looking for HOOK. Where is he? Coincidentally, he’s not here. Of course he’s not here. He doesn’t want to feel the rage of Cage on Rampage.”
Prince Nana: “You know what? I think HOOK is at home reading a book because that’s what he needs to do instead of running around town hitting people with chairs in the back. Prince Nana knows how that feels. It happened to me on Wednesday, Renee.”
Cage: “Big deal, HOOK, you beat two guys the other night. I could beat two guys any day of the week. I could do that tomorrow. As a matter of fact, let’s do that on Collision. Any two sloppy Joes in the locker room that want to face me, come on down.”
The Outcasts—Ruby Soho & Saraya (with Harley Cameron)!
As Ruby was making her entrance on the ramp, she noticed there was a note scribbled on a piece of paper that was inside the pocket of her leather jacket.
Stokely Hathaway joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Kris took down Saraya with a side headlock. Statlander hit a dropkick. Willow and Ruby came in for their respective teams and Willow rocked Ruby with a Russian Leg Sweep. Willow followed up with a fisherman’s suplex. Statlander shoulder tackled Ruby, slammed her, and followed up with a sliding lariat.
Willow splashed Ruby in the corner. Willow climbed to the top turnbuckle. Harley grabbed Willow’s ankle and then Saraya shoved Ruby to the mat! Statlander tagged in and took Ruby off her feet with a powerslam.
Ruby and Saraya double teamed Statlander. Willow charged in to make the save but Saraya grabbed her and shoved her through the ropes. Saraya cracked Kris with a running knee strike and went for the cover, but Willow broke it up just in time.
Statlander clubbed Saraya with a discus lariat. Ruby rocked Statlander with the No Future kick! Ruby held Willow and Saraya went to strike Willow, but Willow escaped, forcing Saraya to inadvertently strike Ruby! Willow walloped Saraya and Ruby with a double clothesline.
Saraya and Kris traded forearms in the center of the ring. Statlander blasted Saraya with a massive roundhouse kick. Statlander planted Saraya with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall! Saraya caught Kris off guard with a jawbreaker. Saraya went for the tag, but Ruby refused, turning her back and jumping off the apron, leaving Saraya in the lurch.
“Tony, I wonder if that note that Ruby was reading had anything to do with this?”
Harley grabbed Ruby and tried to stop Ruby from walking away. Ruby turned around and decked Harley!
“Ruby Soho finally standing up for herself to Saraya,” said Excalibur.
Willow power bombed a shocked Saraya and pinned her!
After the match Stokely celebrated with both Kris and Willow!
Skye Blue appeared in the aisle, smirked, and waved at Kris and Willow. The arena lights went dark!
“What is going on here?” wondered Excalibur.
The lights came back on, and TBS Champion Julia Hart was standing beside Skye Blue! They were staring at Willow and Kris, taunting them as Julia held up her title.
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV featuring:
-AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy vs. Tomohiro Ishii!
– “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kiera Hogan!
-We’ll hear from the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata!
-BCC’s Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. CMLL’s Esfinge & Star Jr.!
& Much, much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX!
This Friday’s edition of RAMPAGE hails from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, and gets underway at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, with a collection of amazing match-ups! We will see Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlander, with Stokely Hathway at their side, take on The Outcasts of Ruby Soho and Saraya, while Matt Sydal battles CMLL’s Mistico in singles competition! Plus, as their REVOLUTION 2024 date nears, AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy teams with Roppongi Vice to take on The Undisputed Kingdom of Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett! And for the first time since last November’s FULL GEAR 2023 loss to Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks will actually step inside the ring to compete!
Before the show begins, swing by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, COLLISION, and the latest CONTROL CENTER!
TRIOS GRUDGE MATCH…
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Rocky Romero, & Trent Beretta vs. Undisputed Kingdom (ROH World Tag Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett and Roderick Strong)
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and The Undisputed Kingdom’s Roderick Strong are set to do battle at REVOLUTION 2024 provided “Freshly Squeezed” remains champion until that point. Strong is in no hurry to get to the title fight, though Orange has been more than willing to put the belt up at any point, instead he’d rather wear the champion down and bring down those around him. We witnessed it on DYNAMITE with the attack on Chuck Taylor, and that assault brings us to this Trios bout taking place on RAMPAGE!
Though he is set to battle fellow CHAOS member Tomohiro Ishii on COLLISION this Saturday, Orange Cassidy is more than willing to step into this Friday night fight alongside Roppongi Vice of Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero! Frankly Trent seemed less than enthusiastic about Orange fighting Ishii, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be game to pick up this battle alongside a trio he absolutely cannot stand, and Rocky is ready to stand right alongside his brothers-in-arms!
The Undisputed Kingdom, on behalf of Roderick, seems more than willing to remove all the pieces from the chess board before REVOLUTION 2024, leaving Orange all by himself for that championship bout, so that means Trent and Rocky best be wary of what The UK is capable of doing. This may not be about winning for them, and more about hurting Orange and those around him in advance of March 3rd’s pay-per-view extravaganza!
Last week on RAMPAGE, Matt Sydal was one of the members of Team AEW who welcomed the CMLL contingent to their first taste of All Elite competition. Though it was Christopher Daniels who ultimately took the pinfall at Hechicero’s hands, Sydal still felt the sting of that loss though he, and the rest of the men in the match, were taken out of the climax by a Mascara Dorada dive to the floor.
Looking for some redemption, Sydal was on hand Wednesday night to back up The Blackpool Combat Club against the CMLL contingent’s swelling numbers, and this Friday night he will step back into the ring for singles competition against one of the preeminent members of that roster. Unquestionably, Mistico is one of the biggest names on that CMLL side of this fight, his resume includes championships won around the globe, and these two even have a bit of shared history in the form of one lone match over a dozen years ago won by Mistico.
As representatives from CMLL continue to assert their forces on the members of the AEW locker room, each match pitting one side against the other becomes increasingly important, meaning Sydal isn’t just fighting for himself anymore, but rather for the entirety of All Elite Wrestling!
TAG TEAM BATTLE…
Kris Statlander & Willow Nightingale vs. The Outcasts (Ruby Soho & Saraya)
Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale, despite the presence of Stokely Hathaway, have managed to persevere through whatever drama he’s tried to kick up, with a friendship that seems tighter than ever. They both come into this Friday having had a successful 2024 thus far, scoring singles wins, tag wins, and even a DYNAMITE: HOMECOMING 2024 multi-woman victory over a team that included The Outcasts!
Speaking of Ruby Soho and Saraya, they are the two women who will face off with Statlander and Nightingale this Friday on RAMPAGE, but in stark contrast to their opponents, The Outcasts don’t seem to be any where near the same page! The source of their tension is clear, it’s all been about the Ruby/Cool Hand Ang relationship, and all that has been done to disrupt it from taking place. The inclusion of Harley Cameron into the dynamic has really poisoned the well, but with this tag team bout, can The Outcasts find that good place again? Can their friendship be restored to the place where it mirrored what Willow and Kris have?
ALSO FEATURING:
-THE YOUNG BUCKS RETURN TO ACTION!
Phoenix, AZ and the Footprint Center host this Friday’s RAMPAGE, beginning at 10pm ET/9pm CT on TNT, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, and featuring AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero battling The Undisputed Kingdom in Trios action! Plus, CMLL’s Mistico takes on Matt Sydal, Willow & Statlander take on The Outcasts in tag team competition, and the EVP’s get back to work inside the ring after four months away!
Before the night gets underway, be sure to drop by the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s other social media platforms, to catch up on highlights from this week’s DYNAMITE, as well as previous episodes of RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, plus the latest CONTROL CENTER!
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ!
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!
Winner earns Revolution 2024 World Title Match!
Swerve Strickland (#1 ranked) (with Prince Nana) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page (#2 ranked)!
Page slapped Swerve in the face. Swerve swept out Page’s legs. They tussled to the outside. Swerve whipped Page into the barricade. Swerve jumped over the barricade and crashed onto Page on the arena floor.
Back in the ring, Page chopped at Swerve’s chest. Swerve fired back with a high boot, catching Hangman flush in the face. Swerve stomped Page in the corner. Hangman retaliated with a fallaway slam. Page was a bit ticked off by the live crowd’s reaction to him, who were about 90% behind Swerve tonight.
Swerve climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Page yanked out Swerve’s legs. Page grounded and pounded Swerve on the mat. Swerve flattened out Page and locked him in a crucifix hold. Swerve was looking to snap Page’s arm. Hangman countered and clubbed Swerve in the back of Swerve’s head. Page rammed Swerve into the top turnbuckle and Swerve tumbled to the arena floor. Prince Nana kept his distance, just like Swerve had told him to do.
Hangman hurled Swerve into the barricade. Hangman nailed Swerve with a fallaway slam on the floor. Page blasted Swerve with a sliding kick in the ring. Page rolled up Swerve for a near fall. Page was looking for the buckshot lariat, but Swerve charged him. Page backdropped Swerve onto the floor. Swerve hit a flatliner on Page out of nowhere. Swerve drilled Page with a diving uppercut.
Swerve planted Hangman with a vertical suplex. Swerve connected with the House Call for a near fall.
“That was so close,” said Taz.
“And Swerve has wrestled a smart match tonight all without the help of Prince Nana,” added Excalibur.
Swerve was looking for a superplex, but Hangman chomped down on Swerve’s forehead. Page went for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Swerve landed on his feet! Swerve cracked Page with a kick to the head. Page rallied back with a pop-up powerbomb for a two-count on Swerve.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Swerve avoided a buckshot lariat from Page and fired back with his own buckshot lariat! Swerve splashed Page with the Swerve Stomp, but Page kicked out at the two-count! Swerve was looking for a piledriver on the barricade, but Hangman countered with a DDT!
Both men knocked one another down with big stereo boots—both men had the same idea. Swerve laughed at Page as Page was hitting him with fists. Swerve rocked Page with a backbreaker for a near fall. Swerve pounced on Page with the Swerve Stomp. Swerve pulled a table out from beneath the ring and set it up. Swerve went for a 450 splash, but Page countered by raising his knees! Justin Roberts announced five minutes remained. Page nearly decapitated Swerve with the buckshot lariat! Page covered Swerve but Swerve got his boot on the bottom rope to stop the ref’s count!
Hangman crushed Swerve with the Dead Eye on the apron! Page dropkicked Swerve as Swerve was getting back into the ring. Page cracked Prince Nana with a steel chair. Page yelled at Nana to stay out of this! When Page turned back around, Swerve pump kicked the steel chair into Page’s face!
Swerve smashed Page with the Swerve Stomp. Swerve’s ankle buckled upon landing. Hangman reversed the JML Driver and then snapped at Swerve’s ankle. On the apron, Page was thinking dragon screw leg whip, but Swerve kicked him first. Swerve hoisted up Page and planted him through the table outside the ring with the deadeye!
Swerve climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for the Swerve Stomp, but Page dodged it and Swerve collapsed immediately, his injured ankle not able to support the landing. Swerve countered the buckshot lariat from Page with the JML Driver!
“Swerve’s ankle is hurting, though, he can’t cover!” said Tony Schiavone.
Swerve went for the cover and the ref counted 1…2…and the bell rang!
Justin Roberts announced that the time limit expired, and the match went to a time limit draw!
Swerve: “No, no, I didn’t go through all this just for this to end like this. Hangman, I’m not letting you get away with this so easily. You know how this goes. Five more minutes.”
Page was smiling.
Page: “Swerve, tonight you had to beat me to become the number one contender. And Swerve, you didn’t do it! You will not be the World champion! For you, it is over!”
Tony Schiavone: “Hang on one minute. Tony Khan has just talked with me. This is not done. Because we know have two number one contenders. And that means at Revolution, there will be a three way match for the World title against Samoa Joe!”
Renee Paquette was backstage to interview AEW World Champion Samoa Joe!
Samoa Joe: “I cannot believe I am dealing with this right now! Once again, we celebrate mediocrity! This was a draw! The powers-that-be have stacked the deck against me and they don’t want me as champion, but it is not your choice!
“I am Samoa Joe. I am the AEW World Champion! No matter what you do, come Revolution I walk out AEW World Champion. It is only a shame that the both of you will suffer because of it!”
Eliminator Match!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm (with Luther & Mariah May)
vs. Red Velvet!
“The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo joined the broadcast booth for this match.
Toni took down Red Velvet with a side headlock. Velvet fired back with a leg lariat. Storm jumped on Red Velvet and pummeled her with lefts and rights. Toni planted Red Velvet with the Sky High for a near fall.
Red Velvet blasted Toni with a big time bulldog. Velvet rocked Toni with a double knee strike. Red Velvet splashed Toni with a standing moonsault for a near fall. Toni tripped Red Velvet and then smashed her with a hip attack. Toni spiked Red Velvet with a DDT for a near fall.
Toni ducked a corkscrew kick from Red Velvet. Toni applied an ankle lock and forced Red Velvet to tap out! Toni would not release the ankle lock. Deonna got in the ring, but Luther separated the two of them!
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, Trent, and Rocky Romero!
Renee asked them about their trios match on Rampage against the Undisputed Kingdom, and if Orange was worried about the wear and tear on his body he might have from that match ahead of his Collision match against Ishii. Orange said “yeah, but it’ll be fine.” Orange said they were going to check on the injured Chuck Taylor now, but Rocky would be subbing for Chuck on Rampage.
Trios Match!
Blackpool Combat Club—Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Jon Moxley
vs.
CMLL’s Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, & Volador Jr.!
Hechicero took down Danielson with a shoulder tackle. Hechicero put Danielson into a crucifix cradle for a near fall. Claudio tagged in and Dorada fired an overhand chop. Claudio tripped Dorado and planted him hard.
Moxley and Volador Jr tagged in for their respective teams. They traded forearm strikes. Volador took down Mox with a hurracanrana and followed up with a tope suicida. Moxley retaliated with a tope suicida of his own!
Claudio hurled Volador in the Giant Swing! Mox tagged in and covered Volador, but Volador kicked out at the two-count. Volador connected with a thrust kick. Dorado launched off Moxley and clobbered Danielson with a corkscrew kick. Volador and Hechicero connected with stereo topes on the BCC and then Dorado followed up with a shooting star press off the middle rope to the outside!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Hechicero spiked Danielson with a backbreaker and then Dorado followed up with a 450 splash for a near fall! Volador rocked Mox with a backstabber, but Danielson was there to hit Volador with a running knee strike!
Hechicero and Claudio exchanged strikes. Hechicero placed Claudio in a leg lock. Danielson stomped on Hechicero until Hechicero released Claudio. Hechicero placed Danielson in the stretched muffler. Moxley kicked Hechicero in the ribs to break it up. Moxley clobbered Dorada and Volador with a stereo clothesline. Claudio blasted Hechicero with a massive European Uppercut. Hechicero retaliated with a guillotine leg drop for a near fall!
Claudio shoved Hechicero backwards and Hechicero inadvertently collided into the ref who was standing behind him. Claudio struck Hechicero with a low blow while the ref was still collecting himself. Claudio covered Hechicero and scored the pin!
“The luchadores at ringside are just livid,” said Tony Schiavone.
Mistico, Esfinge and Star Jr. jumped into the ring! Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Angelo Parker and Matt Menard sprinted down to even up the odds for the BCC! The luchadores retreated!
Backstage, a camera crew caught the Undisputed Kingdom assaulting Chuck Taylor!
Adam Cole rolled up in his wheelchair and said, “Get well soon, Chuck!”
“We need to get some medical attention for Chuck Taylor! What is the meaning of this?” asked Excalibur.
AEW CEO & GM Tony Khan had a major announcement!
“Like so many of you, I am excited by tonight’s big announcement. You might have heard earlier today that the TD Garden announced AEW is returning to Boston on March 13th! That will be a very important night for AEW and the entire pro wrestling industry because Wednesday, March 13th, five weeks from tonight will be AEW: Big Business, live in Boston. You’re not going to want to miss this show. Tickets go on sale this Saturday. The event takes place five weeks from tonight, and if you can’t join us live in Boston, you’re going to want to join us right here on TBS on March 13th because Big Business is going to be one of the most important nights ever in AEW and a night that the entire pro wrestling industry will remember.”
Chris Jericho vs. The Don Callis Family’s Konosuke Takeshita!
Jericho sent Takeshita over the top rope with a lariat. Hobbs and Callis approached Takeshita and Callis slapped Takeshita in the face, showing him some tough love. Takeshita whipped Jericho into the barricade. Takeshita nailed Jericho with a brain buster on the arena floor!
Takeshita splashed Jericho with a senton in the ring. “The Alpha” hit the Takeshita Line on Jericho. Hobbs swiped at Jericho’s leg and Takeshita struck Jericho from behind. Sammy Guevara clocked Hobbs with a steel chair from out of nowhere!
Hobbs grabbed the chair from Sammy and threw it down. Sammy used his quickness and jumped off the ring steps and delivered a cutter to Hobbs! Sammy struck Hobbs with the steel chair again. Inside the ring, Jericho dodged a jumping knee strike from Takeshita. Jericho dropkicked Takeshita from the turnbuckles. Jericho jumped off the turnbuckles and crash landed on Takeshita outside the ring.
Takeshita flattened Jericho with a fireman’s carry. Takeshita ran and flipped over the top rope and wiped out Jericho outside the ring! Jericho countered Takeshita’s senton by raising his knees. Jericho went for a lionsault, but Takeshita likewise got the knees up to counter it!
Takeshita flung Jericho backwards with a wheelbarrow suplex. Jericho countered the Takeshita Line with the Code Breaker for a near fall! Jericho went for the lionsault, but Takeshita grabbed him and spiked Jericho with a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Jericho kicked out at the two-count. Jericho positioned himself on the top turnbuckle and was punching down on Takeshita. Takeshita slipped under and pulled Jericho’s face into the turnbuckle! Takeshita rocked Jericho with an avalanche blue thunder bomb! Jericho kicked out just in time!
Takeshita connected with the power drive knee. Jericho countered a second knee strike attempt with the Walls of Jericho! Don Callis threw a steel chair into the ring, but the ref saw it and grabbed it. As the ref had his back turned, throwing the chair out of the ring, Don Callis jumped on the apron and blasted Jericho in the head with a screwdriver! Takeshita applied the lion tamer on Jericho, but Jericho refused to give up! Jericho tried to reach the ropes, but Takeshita pulled Jericho to the center of the ring and finally Jericho was forced to tap!
“I have never seen anyone beat Chris Jericho with the Lion Tamer!” said Excalibur.
“Me neither! That was so impressive,” replied Taz.
Main Event Time! AEW World Tag Team Championship Tornado Match!
“Absolute” Ricky Starks & Big Bill (c.) vs. Darby Allin & Sting!
Big Bill whipped Darby into the barricade right in front of Sting’s family. Sting brawled with Starks through the crowd. Sting slammed a trash can onto Starks’ back. Darby lured Big Bill and Starks closer to him…and Sting jumped off a balcony and wiped out the tag champs beneath him!
“I can’t believe what we just saw,” said Excalibur.
Sting splashed Big Bill against the barricade! Big Bill fired back with a clubbing strike. Darby rocketed out of the ring like a missile, but Big Bill caught him and planted him with the Bossman Slam!
Big Bill bounced Darby’s head against the mat! Big Bill hurled Darby overhead and behind him! Big Bill pulled out a table from beneath the ring. Starks told Big Bill to press slam Darby. Big Bill lifted Darby up, but Sting charged in, knocking Starks and sending him colliding into Big Bill.
Sting took on Big Bill and Starks, dishing out big right hands to the champs! Starks grabbed Sting from behind and spiked him with the Scorpion Death Drop! Starks covered Sting but Darby broke up the pin!
“Great save by Darby Allin,” said Taz.
Darby nailed Big Bill with a Coffin Splash in the corner. Sting followed up with the Stinger Splash! Darby decimated Big Bill with a Code Red! Darby hit the Coffin Drop on Big Bill outside the ring! Starks tried for a dropkick on Sting, but Sting stopped in his tracks, avoiding it. Sting applied the Scorpion Death Lock on Starks! Big Bill, with Darby Allin on his back, climbed onto the apron, attempting to break up Sting’s finisher. Darby turned around, gouged Big Bill’s eyes, and forced Big Bill to fall off the apron and through the table!
“Big Bill was driven through the table by Darby,” said Excalibur.
Starks crawled and grabbed the ropes, but there are no rope breaks in a Tornado Match! Starks was able to pull his body far enough under the ropes that Sting lost his grip. Sting went for the Stinger Splash, but Starks moved, ripping the buckle pad out of the way! Sting collided with the exposed turnbuckle! Starks speared Sting but Sting managed to kick out at the two-count!
Starks went for another spear, but Sting caught Starks! Sting drilled Starks with a Scorpion Death Drop and pinned Starks!
And new AEW World Tag Team Champions…Darby Allin and Sting!
“History has been made!” said Tony Schiavone.
Sting’s sons got into the ring to congratulate their father!
“He’s got gold again!” said Tony Schiavone.
The Young Bucks—Mattew and Nicholas Jackson, ambushed Sting and Darby Allin with white baseball bats! They assaulted Sting’s sons next!
“They stole the spotlight from the new Tag Team champions and are putting the beating on them,” said Taz.
The Bucks smashed a busted open Darby with the BTE Trigger!
“Tony, Matthew called me into their office earlier today and said it is now called the EVP Trigger,” said Excalibur.
Matthew held Sting back while Nicholas hit Sting with the bat! Nicholas punted Sting in the head! The Young Bucks grabbed the belts and tossed them on top of Darby and Sting.
“The Young Bucks, like it or not, made a heavy statement right now,” said Taz.
“This is beyond the pale. Nicholas and Matthew Jackson will never recover from what went down tonight. Their reputation is destroyed,” said Excalibur.
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 Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV featuring:
-AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy vs. Tomohiro Ishii!
-We’ll hear from the “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland!
-BCC’s Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. CMLL’s Esfinge & Star Jr.!
& Much, much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX!
After an exciting week in AEW action, All Elite Wrestling returns to the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ this Wednesday night with a jam-packed episode of DYNAMITE! Beginning at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, fans will see Ricky Starks & Big Bill defend their AEW World Tag Team Championship against the #1 Ranked duo of Darby Allin & Sting, just as the #1 Ranked Swerve Strickland and #2 Ranked Adam Page fight for a shot at Samoa Joe’s AEW World Championship at REVOLUTION 2024! Plus, Red Velvet will fight AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm in an Eliminator Bout, Konosuke Takeshita steps up to fight Chris Jericho on behalf of The Don Callis Family, and The BCC battles the CMLL unit in Trios competition!
REVOLUTION 2024 is a month out, and the pieces are falling into place for what will certainly be one of the most memorable nights in professional wrestling history! Part of that history-building will take place this Wednesday on DYNAMITE starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! Before showtime, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more! Then join us Saturday night in Henderson, NV where AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy will defend his title against “The Stone Pitbull” Tomohiro Ishii!
AEW World Tag Team Championship Match…
Big Bill & Ricky Starks(c) vs. Darby Allin & Sting
Together they are 14-0 in tag team competition, a streak that first began at REVOLUTION 2021 when Darby Allin and Sting defeated Team Taz in a Street Fight. That night it was Ricky Starks and Brian Cage officially fighting under the FTW banner, but let’s be honest, every member of the group got involved in that situation to try and shut down Sting’s return to professional wrestling, but they failed.
Fast forward almost three years, the landscape is very different for Ricky Starks, the ally standing at his side hasn’t been a Team Taz member for quite some time, nor has the championship around his waist been the FTW Title. Instead stands Big Bill, one of the most impressive specimens in professional wrestling, and man that Starks proudly says is not his friend, just his championship tag team partner, and Bill will claim the same. They don’t know much about each other’s personal lives, Starks was even shocked when he learned who Bill is involved with, but that like of a personal relationship hasn’t prevented them from gelling into quite the impressive duo. They utterly decimated FTR to win the titles in the first place, survived a wild Ladder Match to retain the belts, and put down the tandem of Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a Street Fight. They’ve been dominant because of their skills inside the ring, and how they compliment each other, not necessarily because they are best friends.
On the other side of this fight are Sting and Darby Allin; two men who, despite their difference in age and experience, have formed a formidable bond both personally and professionally. Ever since Sting first came to the AEW fold at WINTER IS COMING 2020, he and Darby have been thick as thieves, partners always, but giving space when needed, and quite unstoppable. No active tag team is even close to their 14-match win streak, and no individual is even close to Sting’s 27-match win streak. There’s is a bond built on respect, built on friendship earned, something that runs deeper than that of Starks and Big Bill, but also makes them care about the other in a way the defending champions do not.
Beyond the bond of holding titles together, it doesn’t seem likely Bill and Ricky care about the well-being of one another, whereas “The Icon” and the former 2-Time TNT Champion have that investment in one another. This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, with the AEW World Tag Team Championship on the line, we will all see which approach to tag team competition wins out. Will Big Bill and Ricky Starks add the first loss to Sting’s AEW resume as he heads towards his last dance at REVOLUTION 2024? Or will Sting and Darby Allin, a man “The Icon” calls the best partner he’s ever had, add one last championship to Sting’s trophy case before his legendary career is over?
It is a fact that the record books show Swerve Strickland has beaten “Hangman” Adam Page twice in the last four months; once at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 in a traditional singles contest, and then again at FULL GEAR 2023 in that infamous Texas Death match. However, what the numbers on a piece of paper don’t show is that both victories came about as a result of Prince Nana and The Mogul Embassy lending The Boss a helping hand. In the former, it was absolutely a case of cheating when Swerve used Nana’s crown to knock Hangman across the skull, but in the latter, when both Nana and Brian Cage got involved, it was at least in the purview of Texas Death Match rules. Still, neither victory came about as a result of Swerve working alone, neither win can be credited to Strickland alone, and that is the point Hangman Page aims to prove on Wednesday night!
That point of pride isn’t the only thing on the line come DYNAMITE though, with Swerve sitting atop the newest rankings, and Hangman at number two, this fight is also to see who will challenge Samoa Joe at REVOLUTION 2024 live on pay-per-view! Page is on a mission to regain the title he lost at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022, while Swerve aims to become champions for the first time, as well as make history as the first African-American AEW World Champion!
Which of these two warriors, both deserving of the opportunity, will win this rubber match and move on to face AEW World Champion Samoa Joe next month? Can Swerve live up to the challenge to do it by himself this time around? Or will that lack of Mogul Embassy assistance be all Hangman needs to get his first AEW World Championship opportunity since Jon Moxley knocked him out back in October 2022?
Trios Battle…
Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, & Jon Moxley) vs. Hechicero, Mascara Dorada, & Volador Jr.
It began with Jon Moxley getting into it with the CMLL contingent during his fight with Jeff Hardy, and the assault they perpetrated on the former 3-Time AEW World Champion after his victory. It continued with Bryan Danielson’s hard-fought victory over Hechicero last Saturday night on COLLISION, a win that pushed Danielson to his limits as much as any match he’s experienced during his AEW tenure. It demonstrated to the AEW faithful the kind of threat that Hechicero is on his own, just as the CMLL contingent’s victory on RAMPAGE the night prior showed how good they are as a unit.
Well this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, they are going to be pushed to their limits as a trio when they face The Blackpool Combat Club of Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Jon Moxley! This will be the very first time Hechicero, Mascara Dorado, and Volador Jr. unite as a trio, just as it will be the first time Bryan, Claudio, and Mox will fight as a trio, and what a first-time outing it will be for each!
Moxley made mention about gang warfare several weeks ago in relation to his fights with Shane Taylor Promotions, and how it was avoided in that situation, but it looks like it’s upon him and The BCC now with these luchadors representing CMLL! With Danielson’s victory on Saturday, The BCC are up a victory over CMLL, will the luchadors even that score in Phoenix?
Chris Jericho is essentially running a gauntlet match against The Don Callis Family, though he may not be battling them one after another on the same day, he is still in the midst of having to fight each one. The original AEW World Champion managed to best ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher in his first battle with the Family, but the road isn’t even close to done yet because this Wednesday night Jericho will face “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita!
Back in November, at DDT Pro Wrestling’s ULTIMATE PARTY 2023, Jericho traveled to Japan to defeat Takeshita on his home turf, and in their four other meetings as foes, it has been Jericho’s team that has come out on top three of those times! The in-ring momentum is certainly on the side of Chris Jericho, but aside from Sammy Guevara, is there anyone on the side of “Le Champion”? He had the assistance, temporarily, of Sting and Darby Allin, but they’re engaged in their own battle in Phoenix, so is there anyone to counteract the supreme numbers advantage held by The Don Callis Family? Will Jericho’s quest to take down each man surrounding Don Callis be cut off at the knees this Wednesday night, or will he get one step closer with a victory over “The Alpha”?
Eliminator Match…
AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. Red Velvet
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm is officially on the road to REVOLUTION 2024 for a championship fight with “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo! After having her state of mind questioned by Purrazzo, and her abilities inside the ring placed in doubt, Toni Storm requested what she called “a public workout” this week on DYNAMITE. The reality, whether she realizes it or not, is that Toni Storm will be entering into an Eliminator Bout against one of the most capable competitors in the AEW locker room: Red Velvet! Red has been chasing an AEW championship for almost as long as she’s been part of the company, and though she’s come up short on several occasions, as well as tangled with injury stalling her momentum, none of it has stopped Red Velvet from perpetually pursuing her goals!
If she can pull off a victory this Wednesday night in Phoenix, Red Velvet will earn herself a future championship match, but she’s got some history to overcome. Nine times the AEW Women’s World Champion has competed in an Eliminator Match, and nine times the champion has been victorious, with the champion in question being Toni Storm in four of those bouts. Can Red Velvet be the first woman to win an Eliminator bout, as well as the first challenger since Eddie Kingston & Penta El Zero Miedo to win an Eliminator contest in any division?
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to Phoenix, AZ and the Footprint Center with one of the most stacked editions of DYNAMITE yet! Starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans, Darby Allin & Sting will challenge Big Bill & Ricky Starks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship, while Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page battle for an AEW World Championship opportunity at REVOLUTION 2024! AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will face Red Velvet in an Eliminator Bout, Chris Jericho continues his fight against The Don Callis Family when he meets Takeshita in singles competition, and The BCC takes on the CMLL contingent in Trios battle!
All that and more comes your way this week on DYNAMITE, so before the show gets underway, make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER! Then come on down to Henderson, NV and The Dollar Loan Center this Saturday for an all-new edition of COLLISION!
Eddie Kingston (c.) vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
Keith and Kingston traded shots, with Eddie rocking Keith with knees to the face. Both tried for suplexes but neither man budged. Kevin Kelly informed us that Bryan Keith just returned from a tour in Japan.
Keith stunned Kingston with a mule kick. Kingston was clutching his jaw. Outside the ring, Keith whipped Kingston into the barricade, with Kingston’s right arm and shoulder taking the brunt of it.
“Bryan Keith is starting to show he’s got the goods,” said Kevin.
“Giving Eddie one hell of a fight,” replied Schiavone.
Keith headbutted Kingston, knocking Kingston off the turnbuckles and sending Kingston tumbling to the arena floor. Kingston got back up on the apron, but Keith connected with a pump kick. Keith followed up with a cannonball senton.
Kingston fired back with an exploder suplex. Keith hit one of his own and then rocked Kingston with a Liger Bomb for a near fall.
“Eddie Kingston is in trouble. You can see it on his face,” said Schiavone.
Eddie blasted Keith with a backfist and then a suplex for a two-count. Kingston blistered Keith’s chest with rapid fire chops. Eddie applied a sleeper and then spiked Keith with a DDT for a near fall. Eddie smashed Keith with the spinning back fist and pinned Bryan Keith!
Tony Schiavone entered the ring to interview Kingston.
Kingston: “Go talk to Bounty Hunter, not me.”
Tony Schiavone: “Starting tonight Bryan Keith is All Elite!”
Kingston hugged Keith.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson’s music hit! Danielson made his way to the ring, and Nigel said Danielson was trying to steal Keith’s thunder. Kevin Kelly said Danielson was trying to provoke Kingston. Danielson held up Bryan Keith’s arm, congratulating him on joining the AEW roster.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. CMLL’s Hechicero!
“Hechicero is the greatest technical wrestler to come out of Mexico in the last 20 years,” said Nigel.
Hechicero grappled Danielson to the mat. Both men were looking for leg locks. Danielson put Hechicero in a surfboard submission, but Hechicero escaped. Hechicero rolled Bryan around in a surfboard, but Danielson got to the ropes to force the ref to break the hold.
“Danielson looks frustrated,” said Kevin Kelly.
Danielson swatted Hechicero in the thigh with a leg kick. Danielson was stunned by a guillotine leg drop. Hechicero caught Danielson in a rear naked choke, but Danielson grabbed the bottom rope. Hechicero chopped at Danielson’s chest. Hechicero was one step ahead and cracked Danielson with a jumping knee strike in the corner.
“Put this dragon to sleep!” said Nigel.
Danielson knocked Hechicero off the top rope with a headbutt. Danielson went for a diving headbutt, but Hechicero countered, tying up Danielson in a pretzel and cradling Danielson for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Hechicero jumped over the top rope with a tope, crashing onto Danielson on the arena floor! Back in the ring, Bryan hit a double underhook suplex. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock. Hechicero escaped and locked up Danielson, but Danielson inched his way to the ropes.
Danielson found his mark with round kicks to Hechicero’s chest. Hechicero picked up Bryan with a spinning hammerlock into a back breaker! Danielson took down Hechicero with a dragon screw leg whip. Hechicero cradled Danielson but Danielson reversed it and pinned Hechicero!
Hechicero attacked Danielson after the match! BCC’s Claudio Castagnoli sprinted to the ring and forced Hechicero to retreat!
FTW Champion HOOK vs. The Outrunners—Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum!
Hook used a judo throw but was poked in the eyes when the ref was distracted. The Outrunners double teamed Hook. Hook double clotheslined them and sent them flying with overhead suplexes. Hook applied the Redrum to Truth and forced him to tap right out!
“It takes a lot of guts to fight two men,” said Nigel.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Mark Briscoe!
Mark: “I told FTR I’d be there for them last week. I came out to the aid of my blood brothers FTR and my good friend Danny Garcia. That’s what we do. I wasn’t five feet onto that stage when the House of Black threw me off like a sack of taters. But fast forward and it was FTR, Garcia and Briscoe with their hands held high. You knock us down and we get back up.
“After 20 years of being one half of the baddest tag team on the planet, now all of a sudden, I’m flying solo. Everything didn’t go my way, but that’s alright. You shoot me, you’d better kill me. We fight until we can’t fight no more!”
The arena lights went dark!
The House of Black appeared on the giant screen!
Malakai Black: “Well Mark, that’s beautiful. That’s really touching. You like magic tricks? I love magic tricks. I specifically like the one where the magician makes people disappear. Because that is what we intend to do to you and everything you just spoke about. We are going to eradicate you from the history of professional wrestling, and it’ll happen just like this.”
Malakai Black snapped his fingers and the House of Black disappeared from the screen. The lights in the arena turned back on and Mark Briscoe was alone in the ring.
Malakai Black: “See, it’s that easy.”
“Mind games from the House of Black,” said Nigel.
Queen Aminata vs. “The Professor” Serena Deeb!
Deeb grappled Aminata to the mat, showing off why she is a technical tyrant. Deeb applied a half crab, but Queen Aminata reached the ropes. Queen hit a snap suplex on Serena Deeb. Serena Deeb used a guillotine neck breaker. Deeb disoriented Aminata and brought her down with a back slide. Aminata cracked Deeb with a head butt and then a hip attack.
Deeb dodged a running knee strike from Queen Aminata. Deeb wrapped Aminata’s legs around the ring post and applied the figure four. Deeb applied the Serenity Lock and Aminata tapped out!
Out next: The #1 Contender for the AEW World Championship—Swerve Strickland with Prince Nana!
Swerve: “Hey Tony Schiavone, you know it’s Black History Month, right? I’m noble enough to show appreciation to all the people who paved the way for me to talk to you tonight. People like Ron Simmons. Kofi Kingston. How about Athena, what up sis? And very soon we’re going to add another name to that list. Who’s house? This Wednesday I’ve got an opportunity to become AEW World Champion.
“Now about Hangman Page, this is a man that’s in my way of my quest of becoming great. He has left scars on my body. He has shed my blood. This is a man I’ve beaten twice now. You know what they say, third time is a charge. But when I put him behind him, I become black history, and then I move on to Samoa Joe and I become AEW World Champion.
“Nana, you understand Mogul Embassy is family and it is business? Trust me, I want you there right by my side. No interferences. Because there’s going to be no more excuses. Is that right, Hangman Page? I’ll see you Wednesday. Who’s house?”
Red Velvet vs. Vertvixen!
Red Velvet took down Vertvixen with a leg lariat. Red Velvet planted Vertvixen with a bulldog. She blasted Vertvixen with body shots. Red Velvet smashed Vertvixen with a running knee strike, and then after stirring it up, she pinned Vertvixen.
Trios Match!
The Patriarchy—TNT Champion Christian Cage, Killswitch, & Nick Wayne
vs.
Daniel Garcia & FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood!
“Daddy Magic” Matt Menard joined commentary for this match.
Dax cracked Nick Wayne with a stiff chop. Christian Cage tagged in, but Dax grabbed an inside cradle for a near fall. Nick Wayne tagged back in and slapped Dax in the face! Garcia wanted in so Dax tagged him.
Garcia hit Wayne with two shoulder tackles. Nick Wayne slapped Garcia in the face and taunted him by dancing. Nick Wayne charged at Garcia, but Garcia chucked Wayne over the top rope. Christian Cage entered the fray again and took some of the steam out of Garcia’s momentum. Christian Cage worked over Garcia in the corner. Garcia fought out of the corner and went for a sunset flip. Christian escaped and went for a diving headbutt, but Garcia rolled out of the way.
Cash Wheeler tagged in and cleaned house on the Patriarchy. FTR knocked down Killswitch with the high-low, but Killswitch wasn’t the legal man. Nick Wayne climbed to the top rope, but Dax met him up there. Dax superplexed Nick Wayne!
Killswitch came in and back body dropped Dax. Killswitch choke slammed Dax after interference from Christian Cage. Chrisitan went for the killswitch, but he and Dax collided heads, both men falling to the mat. Christian tagged out to Nick Wayne, and Daniel Garcia tagged in.
Garcia tossed Wayne with a suplex. Garcia stomped Wayne in the corner and then pummeled him with strikes. Garcia opened up the ropes so Cash could fly out with a tope suicida on Killswitch! Garcia rocked Nick Wayne with a brain buster for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Nick Wayne hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two-count on Garcia. Daniel Garcia answered with a big swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Garcia climbed to the top, but Christian knocked him down, right into a Wayne’s World!
Cash jumped in and powerslammed Nick Wayne! Killswitch was there to choke slam Cash! Garcia rammed Killswitch into the steel ring post. Garcia turned around and was flattened by a spear from TNT champ Christian Cage! Dax got back in the ring and applied the sharpshooter on Christian. Nick Wayne jumped off the turnbuckles and drilled Dax with the Wayne’s World cutter.
“Party time for the Patriarchy,” said Nigel.
Nick Wayne attempted to go for the spear, like father like son, but Garcia countered it with a jackknife pin and scored the victory!
“That’s two weeks in a row,” said Daddy Magic.
Garcia started at Christian Cage, who was standing outside the ring. Garcia taunted Christian Cage by doing his dance. Christian Cage eyed Daniel Garcia with a sour look on his face.
“I think it’s a look of concern from Christian Cage. Daniel Garcia may have staked a claim for a title shot at Christian Cage,” said Tony Schiavone.
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ featuring:
-Trios Match: The Stars of CMLL vs. Blackpool Combat Club!
-AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (c.) vs. Red Velvet!
-Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita!
-AEW World Tag Championship Tornado Match: Ricky Starks & Big Bill (c.) vs. Sting & Darby Allin!
-Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page: Winner Gets a Shot at the AEW World Championship at Revolution!
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Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA!
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!
Jeff Hardy vs. Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley!
CMLL’s Mistico, Hechicero, Mascara Dorada 2.0, and Volador Jr. were watching from ringside.
Moxley backed Hardy into the corner and pounded him with strikes. Hardy jumped off the apron and landed on Moxley. Hardy choked Moxley with Hardy’s towel. Excalibur notified us that the rules would be relaxed for this match.
Moxley drove Hardy down with a tope suicida! Moxley dumped Hardy onto the guardrail and then knocked Hardy down with a clothesline. Moxley stomped on Hardy’s hand. Moxley walloped Hardy in the chest with round kicks. Jeff Hardy back dropped Moxley.
Jon Moxley whipped Hardy hard into the turnbuckles. He followed up by catapulting Jeff’s throat into the bottom rope. Moxley hurled Hardy into the barricade right in front of the luchadores. Hardy reversed another throw, this time whipping Moxley into, and over, the barricade. The luchadores shoved Moxley, and Mox flipped them off.
Jeff Hardy threw a steel chair into Moxley’s face. Hardy jumped off the steel ring steps but Moxley anticipated it and slugged Hardy in the face. Moxley took Excalibur’s pen, put it threw Jeff’s earlobe, and then twisted it. Hardy had enough and hit Moxley with a dropkick.
Hardy connected with the Manhattan Drop. Moxley retaliated, spiking Hardy with a piledriver for a near fall. Hardy nailed Mox with a Twist of Fate on the apron. Hardy climbed to the top and flipped onto Moxley for a two-count. Hardy climbed up again, but Moxley met him up there, raking Hardy’s back. Moxley superplexed Hardy.
Hardy and Moxley traded strikes in the center of the ring. Moxley escaped a Twist of Fate and countered with a cutter. Hardy escaped the Paradigm Shift and countered with a Russian Leg Sweep. Hardy hit Mox with a stunner and then a Twist of Fate! Jeff climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for the Swanton, but Mox moved out of the way. Jeff crashed and burned. Moxley applied a choke hold and put Jeff Hardy to sleep! Mox won via ref stoppage!
Moxley offered his hand to Jeff Hardy, but Jeff Hardy flipped off Moxley.
“I did not expect that out of Jeff Hardy,” said Taz.
The CMLL wrestlers jumped the barricade and got into the ring! Moxley tried to fend them off, but the odds were too great. The BCC weren’t in the building tonight, so this was a 4-on-1 beatdown! The locker room cleared out, forcing the luchadores to exit the ring!
Dealer’s Choice Match!
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Toa Liona!
Page was swinging with big right hands. Toa cracked Page in the ribs with a knee strike. Hangman connected with a sliding lariat on Toa, right on target. Hangman jumped off the turnbuckles and delivered two lariats to Toa, but Toa shrugged them off. Toa flattened Hangman with a diving crossbody off the apron and onto the arena floor.
Toa pounced on Page with a running shoulder block. The force sent Page over the top rope and crashing onto the floor. Toa had Page in the Tree of Woe and then followed up with a diving headbutt, smashing him like he was a human missile. Hangman smashed Toa with a tope suicida.
Hangman hit a big cross body press on Toa for a near fall. Hangman tried for the Dead Eye, but Toa was too much weight, and he smothered Page. Toa rocked Page with a thrust kick in the jaw for a near fall. Hangman blocked the Raw Mana and then swung for the fences with a lariat. Page got Toa up and drilled him with the Dead Eye! Toa got right back up and clobbered Page with a headbutt! This time Toa hit the Raw Mana, but Page kicked out at the two-count!
Toa connected with a running senton on the apron. Toa went for a moonsault off the apron, but Page dodged it. Page climbed to the top turnbuckle and hit his own moonsault on Toa! Page attempted the Buckshot Lariat, Toa ducked it and hoisted Hangman for a Samoan Drop! Page held on, cradled Toa, and scored the pin!
“I was just informed by Tony Khan that after Dynamite tonight, the rankings will be revealed!” said Excalibur.
Toa charged at Hangman, but Hangman ducked, sending Toa spilling to the floor.
Footage was shown from earlier in the day of EVPs Nicholas and Matthew Jackson—The Young Bucks—arriving at the arena in their chauffeured limo!
A production assistant handed them the show format, accidentally calling them Nick and Matt. Nicholas scolded the PA, and told him to refer to them as Nicholas and Matthew. Nicholas also said the PA would be fined because of that slip up!
Up next: Wardlow (with the Undisputed Kingdom) vs. Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)!
Adam Cole joined commentary for this match.
Wardlow flung Komander to the mat as Komander tried for a collar and elbow tie up.
“That’s raw power,” said Adam Cole.
Komander fired back with a pair of dropkicks. Wardlow popped up Wardlow and power slammed him! Wardlow threw Komander across the ring, the force spinning Komander like a propeller.
Komander walked the ropes and dropkicked Wardlow, creating an opening for himself. Komander hit the Phoenix Splash for a near fall. Wardlow power bombed Komander and pinned him!
Roderick Strong: “Komander! You should have taken the deal that I offered you on Saturday. But now you’re going to pay the price!”
AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy and the Best Friends stormed down to the ring to even up the odds!
The fans chanted “Freshly Squeezed! Freshly Squeezed!”
Roderick Strong: “Shut up! Hey, thanks for coming out here. See ya later.”
Tony Schiavone had a sit down interview with Sting and Darby Allin, and AEW World Tag Team Champions “Absolute” Ricky Starks and Bill Big ahead of their title match next week on Dynamite!
Starks: “I just thought it’d be appropriate for both of you to talk to us since this is about respect now. I wanted to take this time out to personally tell you Sting, not to forget that this journey in AEW started with me, Sting.”
Sting: “What did I do? You didn’t tell me what I did?”
Starks: “Well, you had your first win here over me. And that does not sit right.”
Darby: “You want to talk about respect? That’s what this is about, right? You’re saying you respect the Icon?”
Starks: “Absolutely.”
Darby: “That’s a load of crap. This is a stepping stone for you Ricky. You don’t respect Sting. I don’t think you respect anyone. This man’s career is not a stepping stone!”
Starks: “You’re the one who had to attach yourself to someone like Sting! The point I am making is next week, two things are going to happen, and I want you to know. I am going to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships, me and Big Bill are going to be the AEW World Tag Team Champions. And secondly, I’m going to get my lick back on you. The chip on my shoulder? Guess what? It ends next week. I am going to make sure you don’t even make it to your retirement. Darby, you on the other hand, I have no respect for you. There is no space in my body for respect for you. Who are you?”
Big Bill: I’m hearing a lot of talking out of Sting and Darby. You two run your mouths. All you two have done is brag about how you’re going to go into Revolution without ever mentioning us. You have done what everyone else here has done, you’ve overlooked us. Next Wednesday you two represent everybody else here. And we’re going to take out all of our frustrations on you two.”
Sting: “Ricky I guess I’ll start out with you. You said I was the first one that got face to face with you. I kind of admired something about you in those days because you were the only one in those days who had balls to get in my face and talk some smack. And as far as respect goes, you have to earn that, Ricky. And you, Big Bill, I have faced many big men before in the ring. The only difference between you and them is they were killers. I’m not so sure about you yet.”
Darby: “Alright Ricky, I’m just going to end it here. Look, I respect you, I respect what you do in this ring, but every time you point the finger at somebody else, there’s only one person to blame, and that’s you.”
Starks threw his drink into Darby’s face!
Starks: “Hit me!”
Sting: “I’ve always hated talk. Darby will hit you…in Phoenix. Oh, and I will too.”
ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher (with Don Callis & Powerhouse Hobbs)
vs.
Chris Jericho!
Things broke down immediately with Jericho and Fletcher pummeling one another with stiff shots. Fletcher planted Jericho with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall! Jericho connected with a dropkick off the turnbuckles.
Jericho charged after Don Callis outside the ring. Fletcher caught up with Jericho and blindsided Jericho. Fletcher kicked Jericho in the spine. Fletcher climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Jericho met him up there! Jericho sent Fletcher down hard with a hurracanrana!
Hobbs distracted the ref while Don Callis swept out Jericho’s leg. Fletcher stomped on Jericho. Chris Jericho was sent flying with a half and half suplex from Fletcher. Kyle Fletcher blasted Jericho with a brain buster for a near fall!
Jericho dropped a double sledge from the top. Jericho drove Fletcher face first into the mat. Jericho was looking for a lionsault, but Hobbs cracked Jericho while the ref was distracted by Callis!
“They caught Jericho right in the middle of one of his favorite moves,” said Schiavone.
Jericho countered a piledriver, sweeping out Fletcher’s legs and putting on the Walls of Jericho! Fletcher lunged for the ropes, grabbed them, and forced the ref to break the hold. Fletcher stunned Jericho with a thrust kick.
Jericho smashed Fletcher with a Code Breaker out of nowhere! Jericho climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Fletcher blasted Jericho with a kick. Fletcher planted Jericho with a brain buster on the corner for a near fall.
Fletcher kicked Jericho in the back of the head and followed up with a thrust kick. Fletcher ducked the Judas Effect! Fletcher rocked Jericho with a rolling roundhouse kick! Fletcher rocketed outside the ring with a tope suicida, but Jericho countered with the Judas Effect! Powerhouse Hobbs charged at Jericho, but Jericho side stepped him, sending Hobbs into the steel ring steps!
Jericho rolled Fletcher back into the ring. Jericho climbed to the top turnbuckle and nearly decapitated Fletcher with a Judas Effect off the top! Jericho covered Fletcher and pinned him!
“Jericho earned that win,” said Schiavone.
“Boy, did he ever. But I want to point out that it took two Judas Effects to put down Kyle Fletcher,” added Excalibur.
After the match, “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita, the man that will face Jericho on next week’s Dynamite, walked onto the ramp and stared at Jericho!
Out next: Ring of Honor World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold— “Switchblade” Jay White, and The Gunns—Austin and Colten…along with AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass—The Bang Bang Scissor Gang!
Jay White: “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I love your guys’ thing. I’m a big fan of scissoring. But don’t forget we have our own thing, too. Guns up!”
Max Caster: “Yo! Yo! Yo! Listen! You’re looking at the six men who have dominated trios wrestling for years. But it’s not just the six of us. There is somebody missing. Bowens, get Cardblade!”
Colten said they fired Cardblade a long time ago. “Austin, get the Juiceboard!”
Austin: “If you’re not down with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, then we’ve got…”
Daddy Ass grabbed the microphone from Austin’s hands.
Daddy Ass: “I am literally standing right here.”
Austin: “Dad, this is kinda my thing.”
Daddy Ass: “Well it was my thing first. Shall we some him how to do it? So, if you’re not down with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang, we got two words for ya! Guns up!”
Taya Valkyrie (with Johnny TV) vs. “The Virtuosa” Deonna Purrazzo!
AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm was on commentary for this match. She was accompanied by Luther the Butler and Mariah May.
Taya grabbed a handful of Deonna hair and pushed her back into the turnbuckles. Deonna pulled Taya to the mat with a wristlock. Johnny TV distracted Deonna while Taya speared Deonna on the ramp!
Back in the ring, Deonna connected with two lariats and a knee lift. Deonna blasted Taya with a pump kick. Taya fired back with a sliding lariat. Deonna smashed Taya with a sliding dropkick. Deonna grabbed Taya and whipped her into Toni!
Deonna smacked Taya with a pump kick. Deonna put Taya into a submission while staring at Toni Storm and forced Taya to tap out!”
“For the first time all night, Toni Storm with nothing to say, but perhaps a statement victory by Deonna Purrazzo,” said Excalibur.
Renee Paquette was backstage with Darby Allin!
Renee: “I would love to talk to you about your admiration for the Young Bucks.”
Darby: “Excuse me?”
Matthew and Nicholas Jackson showed up wearing headsets. They said it was a great question and Darby should answer it. They told Renee she deserved a raise, clearly having put her up to it.
Darby: “Did you tell her to say that?”
Matthew: “We love you Darb. You’re an AEW Original. ‘Change the world.’ You fit that quote. Young. Hot. Star. Just like us. I just have one thing I’m a little perturbed about. Why are you letting a 65-year old blood sucking leech take more money from you, out of your pocket. I mean, save some for the rest of us, am I right, Darb? Once Sting is gone, I have a really good idea for a new gimmick. Why don’t the three of us get together and become a new, hot trio?”
Nicholas: “All jokes aside, Darby, we’ve been back for a month now and you’re ducking, you’re dodging us, you’re being unprofessional. You got a problem with us or what?”
Darby: “No offense but there’s only one thing on my mind and that’s the AEW World Tag Team Championships.”
Matthew: “Is that right? I guess we’re going to have to get his attention a different way.”
Main Event Time! Dealer’s Choice Match!
Swerve Strickland vs. Rob Van Dam!
AEW World Champion Samoa Joe joined the broadcast booth for this match.
The fans chanted “RVD! RVD! RVD!”
Page appeared on the screen before the match and told Swerve that not only did Page get to pick the opponent, but he also got to pick the match. “So tonight, Swerve, you’re wrestling RVD not in a normal match but in a hardcore match. Goodluck.”
RVD hurled a steel chair at Swerve! RVD whipped Swerve into the guardrail. RVD followed up with a leg lariat! And then RVD blasted Swerve with a round kick. RVD smashed Swerve with a leg drop on the apron!
The fans chanted “You still got it! You still got it!”
RVD hoisted Swerve onto the barricade and then rocked him with a leg drop off the apron! Back in the ring, Swerve rammed RVD into a steel chair that was propped between the turnbuckles. Rob used a reversal and sent Swerve into the chair. RVD followed up with Rolling Thunder.
RVD dropkicked a chair into Swerve’s face, crushing Swerve in the corner. Swerve countered a monkey flip and power bombed RVD onto a steel chair for a near fall. RVD deposited Swerve on the top rope. RVD climbed to the top turnbuckle. Out of nowhere, Brian Cage jumped up onto the apron and shoved RVD to the mat!
FTW Champion HOOK sprinted to the ring with a steel chair in hand!
HOOK waffled Cage in the back with a steel chair! HOOK and Cage brawled ringside as RVD watched on. Swerve snuck up behind RVD, but RVD reversed Swerve’s grasp and nailed him with a kick. Swerve dodged the Rolling Thunder and planted RVD for a near fall.
Swerve set up a steel chair outside the ring. Swerve backed Van Dam into the chair with a kick. Swerve wrecked RVD with a stomp from the apron onto the steel chair! The back of RVD’s head hit the ring steps. Swerve climbed to the top rope, but RVD threw a chair at Swerve, sending Swerve crashing off the top rope and down through a table on the arena floor!
RVD sandwiched Swerve between two steel chairs. RVD attempted the five-star frog splash, but Swerve dodged it! Swerve smacked RVD with the House Call Kick, while RVD was holding a steel chair! The chair went right on target against RVD’s head! Swerve covered RVD but RVD kicked out at two! Swerve went to the top rope, but RVD met Swerve up there. Swerve shoved RVD’s face into the turnbuckle, knocking RVD to the mat! RVD flipped off Swerve, but nonetheless, Swerve crushed RVD with the Swerve Stomp and pinned Van Dam!
Hangman Page marched down to the ring with a microphone!
Adam Page: “Congratulations you evil bastard! Swerve later tonight the rankings for the AEW World Championship come out and despite my best efforts, we are both undefeated. So, I can only assume that we are both at the top of that list. And you said that you wanted Samoa Joe. You said you wanted the AEW World Championship. I need you to look in my eyes. I will never let that happen! Swerve I am the next World champion. Not you!”
Swerve: “You still just don’t get it. I’ve beaten you twice now! I got nothing to prove! Not to you, not to anyone else. You just can’t beat me!”
Adam Page: “You keep saying that because I think you believe if you say it enough it’ll be true. The two times we fought, you didn’t beat me. It took all of the Mogul Embassy. Swerve, I know that man to man, when it counts, you can’t lace my boots.”
Swerve: “You know what? You must want suffering or something. But I’ll give you what you want. Me and you! One more time! This is the third time and after that we are done! After I move past you, all I care about is that AEW World Championship!”
Excalibur announced that Tony Khan just made it official! Next week on Dynamite! Swerve Strickland vs. “Hangman” Adam Page. The winner gets a shot at the AEW World Championship at Revolution!
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10pm ET on TNT featuring:
-Top Flight vs. Private Party!
-AEW World Tag Champs “Absolute” Ricky Starks & Big Bill vs. Dark Order!
-Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata!
-We’ll hear from AEW International Champ Orange Cassidy & Best Friends!
– CMLL’s Mistico, Hechicero, Mascara Dorada 2.0, & Volador Jr
vs. Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Angelo Parker, & Matt Menard!
Don’t miss AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, TX featuring:
-Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston vs. “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith!
– “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Hechicero!
-And so much more!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ featuring:
-Trios Match: The Stars of CMLL vs. Blackpool Combat Club!
-Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita!
-AEW World Tag Championship Match: Ricky Starks & Big Bill (c.) vs. Sting & Darby Allin!
-Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page: Winner Gets a Shot at the AEW World Championship at Revolution!
The landscape of All Elite Wrestling keeps getting more competitive with each passing week, and the knowledge that new rankings will drop shortly has only exacerbated the drive to victory for the members of the AEW locker room. Wins and losses matter more than ever before, AEW World Champion Samoa Joe has made that abundantly clear each time he’s spoken, and plenty of people want that next shot at his title. That means they need to win, win, win, no matter what, and the same goes for the people pursuing Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship, and all the other titles under the AEW banner!
Those fights continue this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, when AEW returns to the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans with a loaded edition of AEW’s flagship program! Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page will engage in a Dealer’s Choice scenario where each man hand-picks the others opponent for the evening. An old rivalry will pick right back up when Deonna Purrazzo takes on Taya Valkyrie for the first time in AEW, while another rivalry rages on as Chris Jericho battles Don Callis Family member Kyle Fletcher!
REVOLUTION 2024 is coming upon us fast, and this Wednesday DYNAMITE brings us one step closer starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! Prior to that kickoff, be sure to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s various social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, COLLISION, as well as the newest CONTROL CENTER, and more! Then it’s time for the Elimination Trios Cage Match on Saturday night in Bossier City, Louisiana pitting The House of Black against FTR and Daniel Garcia!
DEALER’S CHOICE # 1…
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Toa Liona
Last week it was laid out that “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland would be placed in a Dealer’s Choice situation; what this meant was that each man would choose the other’s opponent for this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE. It did not take long for the boss of The Mogul Embassy to lay out Hangman’s foe for the evening, keeping choice in the family, and selecting one-half of The Gates of Agony, the monstrous Toa Liona!
In his first televised singles match on AEW programming, the behemoth of the Mogul Embassy will attempt to massacre Swerve Strickland’s greatest enemy! Hangman has fought monsters and giants before, but likely not one with the sheer unrestrained savagery of Toa Liona, certainly not one whose sole purpose may not be to win the match but simply to maim the former AEW World Champ. One can only guess under what marching orders Toa will be dispatched into this fight, but whether he’s coming to defeat Hangman, or simply to hurt Hangman on behalf of Swerve Strickland, Adam Page is going to just lay down and die. He will give Toa Liona the toughest fight that man has ever had, and that is saying something considering what The Gates of Agony just went through in New Japan with Tag League.
DEALER’S CHOICE # 2…
Swerve Strickland vs. ?????
While Swerve Strickland had no problem laying all his cards on the table to reveal fellow Mogul Embassy member Toa Liona as Hangman Page’s foe this Wednesday, the former AEW World Champion did not offer the same.
Instead, playing his cards close to the vest, Page told Swerve he would have to “wait the whole f’n show” to find out his opponent for this Dealer’s Choice scenario. Now for any professional wrestling fan, that seems like a dead giveaway for who Strickland’s opponent will be; after all there is but one man in the wrestling world associated with Hangman’s chosen verbiage. That being said, Hangman could be throwing out a red herring, a misdirect to keep Swerve Strickland on his toes, expecting one opponent while he will actually be facing another. It looks like the AEW faithful will be waiting right alongside the boss of The Mogul Embassy to see who walks onto that stage to fight Swerve Strickland!
ONE-ON-ONE…
Taya Valkyrie vs. Deonna Purrazzo
***TONI STORM ON COMMENTARY***
Taya Valkyrie and Deonna Purrazzo are no strangers to one another; they’ve battled each other in singles bouts, tag team competition, in the United States, in Mexico, and in multiple promotions; Taya is even the woman who ended Purrazzo’s 252-day reign as the AAA Reina de Reinas champion! Their last interaction inside the ring was nearly a year ago as part of AAA’s LUCHA LIBRE WORLD CUP 2023 event, a match won by Deonna’s team, but in one-on-one competition it is “La Wera Loca” who holds the advantage with two victories to The Virtuosa’s one.
This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE, the two world-class competitors will renew their rivalry with their first clash under the auspices of All Elite Wrestling! Taya feels like Deonna is attempting to jump the line into a championship fight without earning her way there, somewhat ironic considering Taya’s fourth ever AEW fight was a TBS Championship match and this fight will mark Purrazzo’s third since signing with AEW, and fourth overall.
So with both women championship contender hopefuls, can “The Virtuosa” even the tally with “La Wera Loca” and continue pushing towards a title fight with “Timeless” Toni Storm? Speaking of the champ, she will be joining the commentary team for this match and you never know what she will have to say about any subject at hand!
FIGHTING THE FAMILY…
ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher vs. Chris Jericho
Don Callis and his ilk have been that thorn in Jericho’s paw for months now, ever since Callis chose to stab the man in the back rather than take him in as part of the Family. What’s always been ironic about Callis’ choice is that all signs pointed to the original AEW World Champion signing on with his long-time friend, but the perpetually paranoid Callis assumed he’d be stabbed in the back first, and decided to get Jericho first.
It’s led us down the path of Jericho and Will Ospreay having an epic collision, Jericho being destroyed by Powerhouse Hobbs, slamming Jericho and Kenny Omega into an unintended alliance, Chris going to DDT Pro Wrestling in Japan to fight Takeshita, and these acts of betrayal inadvertently causing a reunion between Chris and Sammy Guevara. Throughout the entire ordeal, Callis has never stopped trying to make life hellish for “The Ocho”, and that continues this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Chris, fresh off his signature cruise, returns to AEW’s flagship to take on ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher!
Now Kyle’s on a tremendous run as of late, winning five straight singles matches, including Survival of the Fittest at FINAL BATTLE 2023 and three consecutive title defenses, with his last singles loss ironically coming at the hands of Takeshita back in October. With Jericho already slotted to face Takeshita next week as part of AEW’s return to Phoenix, is this fight more about a victory for Fletcher or about hurting Jericho for the rest of the Callis Family? A victory over Jericho would be huge for the ROH World TV Champion, but is that what Don cares with this fight? Or does Callis just want Kyle to soften up his former friend for the future fights?
MAKING THE RANKINGS…
Jeff Hardy vs. Jon Moxley
In a previous life, they dance in tags and trios, they were even been partners on a couple of occasions, but never before in their careers have Jeff Hardy and Jon Moxley gone one-on-one inside the squared circle. This Wednesday night on DYNAMITE that changes; for the first time ever, with the rankings set to make their return this week, Hardy and Moxley will lock up! Moxley has won eight of his last ten fights, as well as all three of his 2024 bouts, while Hardy is struggling to get himself back on track, both as a singles competitor, and as a team with brother Matt. Of his last ten fight, Jeff has won but three, and none of this in singles competition; In fact, Hardy has not won a singles match in AEW since beating Darby Allin in the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, though he has infrequently competed under those circumstances.
As he has made quite clear to the rest of the AEW locker room, Moxley considers himself (and the rest of The BCC) the measuring stick of All Elite Wrestling, and anyone who expects to ascend up the ladder is going to have to go through them first. Can Jeff Hardy do that and score a long-awaited singles victory, or will be the former 3-Time AEW World Champion picking up his fourth consecutive victory as the rankings return to prominence?
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling is back in New Orleans at the UNO Lakefront Arena with a loaded-up edition of DYNAMITE, starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT live on TBS, as well as at AEWPlus.com for international fans! For starters, we’ve got Dealer’s Choice with Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page choosing the other man’s opponent for the evening; now we are already aware of Swerve picking Toa Liona for Hangman, but we will have to wait to see who Page chooses for Swerve until it’s time for that fight! AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will be on commentary as Taya Valkyrie faces an old rival in Deonna Purrazzo, and Chris Jericho picks up his fight against the Don Callis Family with ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher!
All that and more comes your way this week on DYNAMITE, so before the show gets underway, make a point to visit the official AEW YouTube channel, as well as AEW’s assorted social media platforms, for highlights from last week’s episodes of DYNAMITE, RAMPAGE, and COLLISION, as well as the newest edition of the CONTROL CENTER! Then come on down to Edinburg, TX and the Bert Ogden Arena this Saturday for an all-new edition of COLLISION!
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