Dynamite doesn’t have any fancy branding tonight, but it feels like a big show. AEW has come to Los Angeles for the first time. Granted, they aren’t playing the Crypto center, but the Forum is still pretty special. On top of that, the final match in the best of seven series wraps up between the Elite and Death Triangle for the AEW Trios Championship. Let’s get right to the action.
Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Adam Page
Page doesn’t even stop on stage, marching directly to the ring. The two throw punches as soon as the bell rings. Page beats Mox into the corner. The two trade chops in the center of the ring. Mox taunts Page in the corner, before setting him up top. He rakes and then bites Hangman on the back before taking him to the mat. Mox hits a release German suplex. He follows up with another one. Page answers with a snap suplex. Hangman goes to the apron, but Mox catches him. Page is sent crashing into the security barrier. Page is whipped into the apron, but does a 360 and lays out Mox with a lariat. Page charges Mox in the ring, only to run into the King Kong lariat.
After a commercial break, Mox has Page on the mat in a front face lock. He switches to a reverse chin lock. Page counters with a back suplex and lays out Mox with a huge lariat. The two men get to their feet and start trading blows. Page catches Mox going for a cross body and throws him across the ring with a fall away slam. Page lands on his feet on a suplex and takes down Mox with another lariat. A big boot sends Mox to the floor. Page connects with a moonsault to the floor. Mox counters the Buckshot lariat with the Death Rider, but can’t get the pin. Mox rains down the elbow strikes and locks in the Bulldog choke. Mox delivers a piledriver and Page kicks out at one. Page counters a piledriver with a Dead Eye. Both men are down.
The two get to their knees and trade shots. The two go back and forth with palm strikes. Page hits a lariat and follows with a Buckshot Lariat. Page covers Mox and gets the three count.
Winner via pinfall: Hangman Adam Page
After the match, Moxley is being checked on by the doctor in the ring.
Adam Cole is back, BAY BAY! Tony Schiavone welcomes him to the ring to get a word. Cole has good news and bad news. The good news is that he has a whole new appreciation for pro wrestling and his life. He has missed being in the ring, with a serious shoulder injury and two very serious head injuries. Cole appreciates all the fans that were there for him. The bad news is for the AEW locker room, but Adam Cole is officially back. He’s not going anywhere. His career was over, but know he isn’t done. A new Adam Cole has been born today and one day he will be at the top of mountain in AEW.
The Acclaimed are getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; even if some of the celebrities they will be associated with are a tad problematic now.
Lee Moriarty and Big Bill w/Stokely Hathaway vs. Hook and Jungle Boy
Moriarty fights out of the corner. Jungle Boy takes Lee for a ride with an arm drag off the ropes. Hook gets the tag and hits a dual elbow with JB. He tries to lock in a short arm scissors. Moriarty escapes after countering into a pin. Hathaway grabs Jungle Boy’s boot and is saved from a suicide dive by Big Bill. Hook saves his partner. Bill beats Perry into the corner, but then misses a splash. Jungle Boy is trapped on the apron. A big boot sends him to the floor and Lee drops a knee across the back of his neck.
After a commercial break, Jungle Boy power bombs Moriarty in the middle of the ring, but struggles to get to his corner. An up kick keeps Lee at bay and Hook tags in. He knocks Bill off the apron and suplexes Lee. Bill breaks the pin with a kick to the ribs. Hook wants the T-Bone, but can’t get Bill up. Jungle Boy with a shot on Bill from apron and Hook is able to toss Big Bill across the ring with the T-Bone. Jungle Boy locks in the snare trap on Moriarty as Hook runs interference on Bill. Lee taps out.
Winners via submission: Jungle Boy and Hook
Renee Paquette is backstage with Orange Cassidy and Danhausen. Paul Hauser joins with his Golden Globe award, that he won for Blackbird, but he won’t reveal the statue until Friday. He asks about the Best Friends. Oranges says they are good, but Trent is very convincing.
Tonight is the first time a best of seven has been at the forum since 1988.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Bryan Danielson
Before Danielson can make his entrance, MJF makes his way to the ring. He really needs Takeshita to win tonight, but I don’t think making fun of his name is the right way to go about making sure that happens. Konosuke tells the champ to kiss his rear. MJF address the rumors that he is afraid of Danielson and an Iron man match. He doesn’t really say he isn’t, instead he just regresses to mom jokes. MJF points out actor Ken Jeong and then makes fun of him for having his show cancelled. He turns his attention to Freddy Prince Jr. Thankfully, Bryan Danielson interrupts and sends MJF running back up the ramp.
Takeshita takes down Bryan with a shoulder block. Danielson counters a Blue Thunder bomb and both men retreat to their corners. Danielson looks for the surfboard and is able to lock it in. He moves into a dragon sleeper. Konosuke reverses into a sleeper of his own. Takeshita unloads with forearm shots. Bryan answers with kicks. Konosuke ducks a couple of clotheslines and launches into Bryan with a flying clothesline. Bryan wants the Lebell lock, but Takeshita is able to get a foot on the ropes. Danielson hits two drop kicks, but then runs right into a Blue Thunder bomb. Bryan kicks out of the pin.
After a commercial break, Takeshita takes Bryan off the top rope with a lariat, but can’t get the pin. A head scissors pulls Konosuek over the top rope to the floor. Bryan launches himself off the apron into Takeshita and Bryan may have injured his knee. Konosuke hits a brain buster on the floor and rolls Danielson into the ring. Bryan blocks a senton by getting his knees up and locks in the Lebell lock. Takeshita is able to get a foot on the ropes to break the hold.
Bryan with the kicks but gets caught on the round house. The two trade elbow strikes. A lariat turn Bryan inside out. Danielson blocks a knee strike, but gets caught and dropped in an inverted pile driver into a German suplex. Bryan lands on his feet after another German suplex. Takeshita misses a jumping knee, allowing Bryan to hit the Psycho knee. Danielson locks in a submission and Takeshita taps out.
Winner via submission: Bryan Danielson
After the match, Danielson and Takeshita shake hands in the middle of the ring.
Juice Robinson is in AEW and here to kick butt, take names and win championships. He calls out Darby Allin for the TNT title.
Toni Storm and Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter and Dr. Britt Baker, DMD w/Rebel
Well, Toni Storm didn’t get jumped by Shida so Mercedes Mone could replace her, like the entire wrestling world had fantasy booked.
Saraya with a senton off the apron to Hayter on the floor. Saraya takes Hayter around the ropes. Hayter turns the tables with a double suplex to Saraya and Storm. Baker makes a blind tag and takes Storm to the floor with a neck breaker. Saraya slams Hayter into the ring steps, who returns the favor by slamming Saraya into the barricade. Hirkaru Shida makes her way to the ring with a kendo stick as we go to break.
After a commercial break, Saraya hits Baker with a knee strike and follows with the night cap. Baker kicks out. The good doctor has the air raid crash blocked and gets kicked in the face. Storm tags in, knocking Hayter off the apron and hits Baker with a DDT. Storm wants a Texas cloverleaf. Hayter meets her with a boot to break the hold. Storm is doubled team into the corner. Hayter takes out Saraya as Baker hits Storm with an avalanche air raid crash. Hayter tags in and both hit Storm with the rip cord. Saraya saves the match. Hayter gets planted with a German suplex and the Storm Zero. Baker breaks the pin. Baker hits Saraya with butterfly sit out bomb. Storm blasts Baker with a kick.
Storm and Hayter exchange blows in the middle of the ring and both women are down. Rebel leaps to the apron and with the ref distracted, Shida slides the kendo stick into the ring. Baker slides in, takes the kendo stick; striking Storm across the back. Hayter hits the rip cord on Storm and covers to get the pin. Shida is stunned.
Winners via pinfall: Jamie Hayter and Dr. Britt Baker
There’s a lot of tension between Eddie Kingston and Ortiz right now.
The Jericho Appreciation Society is in the ring. Angelo Parker says they are the saints of Los Angeles. If you didn’t hear, they invaded PWG Battle of Los Angeles. Chris Jericho brags about putting Ricky Starks through a table and that experiment is over. Starks has something to say about that and he has Action Andretti with him. Starks tells the JAS they didn’t get the job done, because he is standing tall. Jericho tells Andretti to go back to the minor leagues. Andretti takes a shot at Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo.
Starks tells Jericho to move aside so he can talk to Jake Hagar. He wants Hagar in the ring next week.
The Elite (challengers) vs. Death Triangle (champions) – Escalera de la Muerte/World Trios Championship Match
All three belts are hanging above the ring, but only one needs to be secured to win the match. Pac takes a back stabber from Matt Jackson, who then has to counters the Fear Factor. Rey Fenix drop kicks Kenny Omega in the back, only to take a sit out face buster from Nick. Pac and Penta grab a ladder, only to get taken out by Matt Jackson coming over the top rope. In the ring Penta takes a destroyer and Matt scrambles up the ladder. Fenix pulls him down with a springboard arm drag. Omega hits Penta with a snap dragon suplex. Pac connects with a shot gun drop kick to Omega. Kenny looks to go airborne, but crashes and burns into a table when Pac moves out of the way. Matt takes out Pac, though, putting him through a table.
After a commercial break, Penta is trapped by a ladder in the corner. Nick runs up the ladder, but is sent crashing to the floor and Penta escapes. Matt slams Penta onto another ladder. Fenix with a head scissors off the top turnbuckle, sending Nick onto a ladder. Omega and Pac fight over a ladder, with Kenny getting his hand smashed in the ladder. Kenny stops Pac from climbing the ladder, but Pac spikes him with a poisonrana. Pac with a German suplex to Matt, while Omega takes the Fear Factor. Fenix then tornados over the top to take out Nick on the floor.
Matt stops Penta from climbing the ladder. The Jackson take out Penta and Pac with superkicks. Matt sends Fenix into a ladder with a northern lights suplex. Nick takes out Penta on a table with a 450 splash to the outside. Alex Abrahantes saves the title by pushing over the ladder with Matt on it. Steve Cutler leaps into action, spraying down Alex. Omega hits him with a V-Trigger. Pac hits Kenny with a hammer and delivers a Falcon Arrow on the floor. Pac makes the climb and Matt Jackson meets him up top. The Lucha brothers set up a ladder behind Matt and Penta hits him with a Fear Factor on the ladder. Fenix climbs, but is met by Omega. Kenny hits him with a One Winged Angel off the top of the ladder. Pac wants the 450 splash, but Omega blocks with his knees. Kenny starts the climb. He is struggling to grab the belt, but he is able to pull one down for the win.
Winners and new AEW Trios World Champions: The Elite
That’s the show. See you in seven!
AEW Dynamite 1/11/2023
Kia Forum, Las Angeles, California
AEW pulled out all the stops for their first trip to Los Angeles. Jon Moxley and Adam Page beat the tar out of each other. Bryan Danielson and Konosuke Takshita followed that up with a match just as physical. We heard from AEW Champion MJF. Although, spoiler alert, Mercedes Mone did not make her debut. And the Trios ladder match lived up to expectations in a match that should have been on a PPV.