Huntsville, Alabama, get ready for an explosion. Well, not necessarily, I suppose, because just because something is an explosive doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to blow up. In the case of AEW Dynamite, however,
Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage
If we hadn’t already been there, we’ve now definitely reached the “going up against every member of a stable one by one” phase for Will Ospreay when it comes to the Don Callis Family. Speaking of Callis, he grabs a mic and directs the Aerial Assassin’s attention to the big screen, which shows that Kenny Omega has been laid out backstage. The horror.
Callis banters a bit with the announcers about a mystery new member of his squad. Cage, who looks increasingly like he could be Steve Blackman’s much younger but even bigger brother, doesn’t look like he needs any additional teammates through the first part of this match.
So if you guessed this is a big rally in the making for Ospreay, you’ve got it right. With the fans urging him on, Ospreay manages to get the pinfall. His triumph is fleeting, however …
Winner: Will Ospreay by pinfall
With Callis yelling “finish him off” like he very slightly misremembered “Mortal Kombat,” Lance Archer tries to administer a post-match beating. Omega comes to the rescue, brandishing a chair, but he’s quickly overcome as Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher arrive. Twin package piledrivers take down our heroes and no more help is coming to end the beatdown.
Renee Paquette is looking for Swerve Strickland, but so is Hangman Adam Page, who literally runs into MJF in the hallway. MJF says he won’t let anyone ruin his mood tonight and revels in the thought of Jeff Jarrett getting his butt kicked tonight by Claudio Castagnoli.
Powerhouse Hobbs wasn’t cleared for Dynamite but warns Big Bill that “hell is just the beginning.”
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jeff Jarrett
So on one hand, no one I know asked for a big Jarrett push. On the other, it’s at least interesting that his feud with MJF and quest for a world title(!) are intertwined, and AEW definitely knows how to treat wrestling legends when they are nearing the end of the road (see also: Sting). The assumption here is that Jarrett will find a way to win, but maybe MJF will prevent that.
Castagnoli calls for Wheeler Yuta, but it remains to be seen if he’s there to be anything but a distraction. Jarrett is giving Claudio plenty of his greatest hits, including generous doses of the Figure Four. But Yuta eventually slides in a chair, and while Jarrett avoids a chair shot, Jon Moxley runs down and spikes Double J with a Paradigm Shift. Castagnoli hits the Neutralizer twice and the numbers game claims another victim tonight.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli by pinfall
Always one to kick a man when he’s down, MJF joins Jarrett in the ring and wastes no time clobbering him with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. He says because he respects his elders, he won’t say “I told you so.” But he’s certainly thinking it as he heads to the back.
Paquette lets Ricochet know that while she can’t find Swerve, Tony Khan has declared that if Strickland interferes with Ricochet’s match tonight, he’ll forfeit his shot at Ricochet next week. Ricochet is of course pleased with that but has no time to talk to Renee right now.
Ricochet vs. AR Fox
Fox is one of the most reliable performers around at just doing random stuff that looks like no big deal. Corkscrew brainbuster? Yep, sure, why not? Taking hard bumps like a hip toss onto the apron? Absolutely.
Ricochet fools me into thinking he’s doing the People’s Elbow but it’s a standing moonsault at the end of the sequence instead. Heh. A cool string of moves leads to a successful 450 Splash and a near fall that delights the fans. But this was always going to end one way, and Ricochet eventually gets there with the Spirit Gun setting up the Vertigo for the dub.
Winner: Ricochet by pinfall
To little surprise, Strickland attacks Ricochet right after the bell and is doing great until Ricochet uses Fox as a human shield, threatening him with scissors to make a safe escape.
A snippet of Paquette’s interview with IRL husband Moxley asks the obvious question: Why is he keeping the AEW World Championship in a briefcase? His answer is something about how the “real” world championship is him. Mox is a living, breathing representation of the title so he doesn’t need to show it off or wave it around. Very high concept. Dare I say, maybe the real AEW World Championship is the friends we made along the way. Seriously, though, this might work better if he was a face. Or not. The whole Death Riders run just feels like the vibes are off right now.
Big Bill seems pleased with himself for taking out Hobbs, but during the New York Minute, Chris Jericho says he needs to work harder because he didn’t take out Hobbs permanently. There’s a funny reference to the Mandela Effect by Bryan Keith I wasn’t expecting, so that’s fun.
Jay White vs. Wheeler Yuta
Yuta almost looks offended when White goes for a Blade Runner before the bell rings. He takes plenty of punishment once the match is officially underway, with Switchblade firmly in control until a nasty low dropkick on the outside. Wheeler keeps on going after White’s leg to pretty good effect.
A one-legged White is still plenty dangerous, of course, and he’s able to eventually deliver the Blade Runner he tried from the start.
Winner: Jay White by pinfall
A second Blade Runner arrives after the bell, and White considers a third after the fans goad him into it. That brings out the Death Riders en masse, but this time they’re countered by Cope and FTR. The heels decide to retreat, and Dax Harwood reveals that FTR is challenging the Death Riders to a Mid-South Street Fight on Collision.
A video package shows us the amazing reveal of Toni Storm admitting that she was just playing the “role of a lifetime” with her recent amnesia run. Mariah May comes out to comment on that to Paquette, stating that “Toni Storm is not real.” May suggests that Toni’s most memorable role was bleeding and crying, or maybe walking out of multiple countries because she couldn’t touch Mariah.
Another video package shows us the Gunns working out, training in the ring, etc. We also hear from the new tag team champs, The Hurt Syndicate. Well, just MVP to be fair.
After some review of what happened earlier tonight, Excalibur reminds us of Omega and Ospreay vs. Fletcher and Takeshita at Grand Slam Australia. We also hear from The Vendetta, Deonna Purrazzo and Taya Valkyrie, who deliver a warning to Harley Cameron.
Yuka Sakazaki (challenger) vs. Mercedes Moné (champion) – TBS Championship Match
Taz makes a crack about how Moné doesn’t seem that popular with the fans in Huntsville, though there is a small “TBS” chant when she’s introduced as well. The challenger gets off to a quick start, but Mercedes gradually slows the pace and takes over as we work through the show’s final commercial break.
The announcers put over Moné’s physicality since she started here in AEW, and it’s definitely something she’s good at showing against smaller opponents. Sakazaki perseveres through some footing issues to hit a missile dropkick followed by a sheer drop brainbuster for a two count. Another comes shortly after via a sliding lariat.
Mercedes delivers the Three Amigos and floats over for her own near fall. Both wrestlers pull off some nifty counters which lead to the challenger executing the Merry-Go-Round into a facebuster, though the champ kicks out at two. Yuka also hits a nasty German suplex with Mercedes in the ropes, but her Magical Girl Splash is foiled by twin knees. The Moné Maker is soon to follow, and that keeps the gold in Mercedes’ possession.
