It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means? Yes, it’s the 200th episode of AEW Dynamite (and they said it wouldn’t last).  Boris Aguilar is away “on assignment” so I’ll be your host for the festivities this Wednesday night. 

I gotta say, not bad for a “secondary promotion.”

We come to you live from the Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL. Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone have the call, and our First Match of the night is…

Courtesy of AEW.

Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Jericho (with Don Callis) vs Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara

Guevara and Jericho start out hot and The Spanish God is taking Jericho to task, then Garcia joins in and struts his stuff, but Jericho gives a delayed vertical suplex to Garcia.  Garcia tries to get some offense going, but Callis trips him up and Jericho takes advantage, and he is not appreciating the abuse by him and Takeshita.  Once he gets the hot tag to Guevara, he clears house and lands a tope and a spinning corkscrew and all sorts of lucha goodness, and finally caps it with a splash to Takeshita but Jericho breaks the count.

Takeshita attempts the Walls of Jericho but can’t connect, and Jericho is back in to show how it’s done, Junior, but Guevara escapes.  Tag back to Garcia and Jericho nails him with the codebreaker and covers but gets a two count.  Garcia locks Jericho in a Dragon Tamer but Callis grabs Floyd the baseball bat and knocks him out in full view of Jericho, and he is now torn between his JAS members and his current teaming with Callis. He finally pins Garcia, but at what cost?

Your Winners via Pinfall:  Konosuke Takeshita and Chris Jericho

Guevara and Garcia look on in disbelief, as Jericho is just beside himself over what just happened.

We now get Tony Khan thanking the fans, wrestlers, and staff who helped get AEW gets its footing, especially during a pandemic and reminds us that AEW will have the All In pay-per-view on Sunday, August 27th.

Renee Paquette catches up with Jericho, but “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard says there is a mandatory meeting of the JAS, and he’s gonna be there.

Whoa!  When “Daddy Magic” has to lay down the law, you know things aren’t looking good.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Jack Perry. He takes the mic from Schiavone and calls out Jerry Lynn. The ECW legend comes out and says he doesn’t run the show and he won’t hurt him since “that would be child abuse (HA!).” He can’t be cleared medically with all the pins in his neck, but he called up a friend, and Tampa knows who it is.

That indistinctive Pantera song lets us all know that Rob Van Dam is in the building and we have Mr. Wednesday Night walking to the squared circle. He stares down at Perry, and he leaves the ring in a huff. As Lynn and RVD talk shop, Perry tries to swing a chair behind his back but he ducks and almost connects with the Van Daminator.  Perry runs like a scalded dog, to paraphrase Jim Ross, and heads into the crowd and gets a kid to shield him.

Justin Roberts welcomes the fans for a bit of the ultra-violence for an…

Courtesy of AEW.

Anything Goes Match: Jon Moxley vs. Penta El Zero Miedo (with Alex Abrahantes) Vs. Trent Beretta

Beretta dives onto Mox before he enters, and Penta gets a tope of his own, followed by a sling blade on the outside of the ring, and say goodbye to anything resembling a technical match, sports fans.  It isn’t long before the hardware comes in and Penta swings and misses with a barbed wire two-by-four, but connects with a lungblower to Moxley’s back to cover, but Beretta throws a trash can lid to his face.  Mox swings with the barbed wire two-by-four and rakes Beretta’s eyes on the plank,  and then piledrives him onto the wire.  Beretta returns the receipt as he suplexes him on the same weapon.

Penta then sets up two tables outside the ring and places a bloody Beretta in the center.  He goes up the top turnbuckle and Penta measures his target, but Mox attacks from behind and rakes the barbed wire on the mouth of the mask to topple down.  Beretta manages to recover and nails Mox with a superplex onto the two tables outside.

During Picture in Picture, Beretta sets up more tables in the ring, as does Mox.  But Penta has Cero Miedo and catches Beretta with an avalanche Mexican Destroyer through a table, and Mox tackles Penta in the table on the opposite side of the ring.

Now Mox has thumbtacks and attempts Death Rider on Penta, but he reverses, and Mox switches back and lands a piledriver to Penta on the tacks and covers for two, but Penta is the worse for wear. Then Mox suplexes Penta and nails a cutter to Beretta to cover, but Penta slams a trash can into Mox.  With everyone bloodied and battered, they’re going for broke and start throwing bombs.  As Penta hits ropes, Mox hits him with a flash DDT, but Beretta with a knee strike gets the pin and the win.

Your Winner via Pinfall:  Trent Beretta

After the match, Beretta soon is in the throes of a bulldog choke and now the Blackpool Combat Club comes out to give Mox reinforcements but gets headed off by Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor. Castagnoli and Yuta have the upper hand until Beretta dives on the BCC.  As they make a retreat, Taylor calls them out for a Parking Lot Fight this Rampage at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL.

(Author’s Note:  I haven’t covered Rampage in a while, but *this* almost makes me want to give it full coverage.  Almost.)

Renee Paquette is backstage as she speaks to RVD.  He wants to wrestle “Jungle Jerk” and he’ll challenge Perry for the FTW title next week on AEW Dynamite.

That brings out MJF comes out to address the “Devil Worshippers” in the Tampa crowd, and he says it’s hard to be vulnerable as he shares his trauma of being bullied as a kid with ADHD. He realized at that age he needed to be hard, but he soon became a scumbag like those bullies he hated. He did realize that, over time, people had sympathy for the Devil. “I’m still a scumbag, but goddammit, I’m ready to be your scumbag.”

Folks, you haven’t lived until you’ve heard an arena chant, “You’re our scumbag!*Clap Clap*Clap Clap Clap*”  I never thought anything would top, “Oh, Sci-sor Me, Dad-dy!”, but here we are.

But MJF wants to thank the one person who helped him out. Adam Cole comes out, Bay Bay, and talks about them finding common ground. MJF mentions their stipulation that he would grant Cole a title shot, and he decides…he doesn’t deserve a match.

He deserves The Match at All In in Wembley Stadium for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship.  

The contract is signed, and just take a moment to enjoy this bromance.  Everyone is loving this moment.

Well, everyone except Roderick Strong who pitches a fit and is seething, throwing monitors over this.

I understand, Roddy.  I truly do.  But, enough about Provo, UT.

But, let’s Carry on my Wayward Son for trios action between…

Courtesy of AEW.

The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson, with Brandon Cutler) vs. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, and Satnam Singh (with Sanjay Dutt and Karen Jarrett)

Omega and Jarrett put on a clinic in the beginning, and it isn’t long before the former Double J struts his stuff.  Tag to Lethal, and then the Young Bucks get into the fray and set the pace in the opening moments.  Now Signh is tagged into the ring, and Matt wants none of this.  He tries to go back for a tag, but Nick and Omega walk away.

Nick and Matt throw everything but the kitchen sink at Singh to no avail, and he catches The Young Bucks with a running crossbody.  During Picture In Picture, they work over Nick and he is a Young Buck in Peril.  Finally, Nick gets the hot tag to Omega and he is an Elite en Fuego.  Now the Bucks come back and they drive Singh to his knees for a Superkick Par-Tay, and Omega adds in a V-Trigger for good measure.  Dutt and Karen jump in to interfere, but a Cutler cold sprays off Karen, and The Hardys run down the ramp to take care of Dutt.  Now Jarret has his trusty guitar. He swings and misses Omega, but Adam Page is here and he connects with a Buckshot Lariat. Lethal grabs the guitar, but eats a V Trigger as Omega strums along. One Winged Angel ends it convincingly.

Your Winners via Pinfall:  The Elite

After the match, Page announces The Elite re-signed with AEW and they’ll be there for a while.  So Goodbye, and Good Night.  Bang!

Swerve Strickland and AR Fox show a clip of them jumping Nick Wayne at his training dojo, and they bloody him to send a message to Darby Allin.

I am digging this feud, and I would like some more, please.

Bobby Cruise is out to introduce another title bout for the…

Courtesy of AEW.

Ring Of Honor World Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis)(c) vs. El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander

Fletcher and Vikingi start and it is lucha-rific from the moment the bell rings.  He keeps Aussie Open on their toes, but it isn’t long before Davis and Fletcher are making the AAA Mega Champion a Vikingo in Peril.  They finally keep Vikingo grounded and then Fletcher places him on Davis’ shoulders, and Komander comes from behind, balances on Vikingo’s back, and nails a flying Mexican Destroyer on Fletcher, and Vikingo gets a crucifix bomb on Davis.  Both men balance on the ropes and hit stereo springboard moonsaults.

Back in the ring, Komander and Vikingo add to the aerial assault with a double 450 just to have Davis come in at the last second to break the hold. He and Vikingo battle to the outside and Komander attempts another 450. But Davis moves out of the way and gets a dropkick. One double lariat later, followed by the Coriolis ensure the Aussies retain.  Oi, Oi Oi!

Your Winners, and Still ROH World Tag Team Champions:  Aussie Open

We get a recap from AEW Collision as CM Punk brands the “Real AEW World Heavyweight Championship” and Ricky Starks is sold on Gold.  Of course, you should read it here if you missed it.

Now it’s time for The Main Event, and it is for the…

Courtesy of AEW.

AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm(c) (with Saraya and Ruby Soho) vs. Hikaru Shida

Once the bell rings, Shida starts with heavy hands on the champ and she has to take a breather in order to have a confab with her Outcast besties.  Storm re-enters but finds Shida is more vicious than ever, and she drags her halfway out of the ring, and after staring down Outcast, she gives Storm a high knee lift followed by slamming her into the barricades.

Shida mounts up top with punches, but Storm trips her up.  They get back in the ring, and Storm throws her into the turnbuckles but Shida returns back with suplexes.  Storm scrapes her boot and then nails a hip attack to send Shida out where Saraya and Soho add injury to insult.  During Picture in Picture, Storm keeps on the pressure and takes the air out of her challenger.  She goes for another hip attack in the corner, but Shida catches her and nails a German suplex, places Storm in the corner, and once again rains punches on the champ from above.  She then goes up top for a Meteora and covers Storm for a two count.  She props her on the top turnbuckle for a superplex, but Soho interferes and Storm reverses to a tornado DDT and then nails the hip attack for a cover of one, two…nope, Shida is still in this fight.

Both women are throwing big bombs, and then Shida connects with a falcon arrow but only gets a two count.  Saraya slides the kendo stick to Storm, but Shida grasps it and snatches it away and is poised to strike, but realizes if she does that she will be disqualified.  So she cracks it on Soho and Saraya’s heads.  As the ref puts away the kendo stick, Storm spray paints her in the eyes and lands Storm Zero to cover for one, two…kick out.  Storm goes back to her finisher but Shida reverses for a rollup and the ref counts Storm’s shoulders down for the one, two, three.

Your Winner, And New AEW World Women’s Champion:  Hikaru Shida

The streamers go off, and Shida is elated as she is now a two-time Women’s champion in AEW, and it is a perfect way to end the show after 200 episodes.

AEW Dynamite - 08/02/2023
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Final Thoughts:

What can be said after 200 episodes, other than:  Well done, AEW!  Yes, there have been growing pains, but they now have a strong headwind going into the All-In PPV in a few weeks.  MJF and Adam Cole is the bromance we need at the moment (sorry, Roddy) and Shida claiming the title in the main event is the icing on the cake.

Boris will be back next week, but catch me this weekend for your AEW Collision report.