This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite aired live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, featuring the final Dynamite before this weekend’s Forbidden Door.

MJF IN BUFFALO & WE’LL HEAR FROM DANIEL GARCIA

– MJF made his way to the ring to open the show, but was quickly interrupted by Daniel Garcia. Garcia thanked MJF for saving him last week before pointing out that he got involved in his business. Garcia told MJF that he was going to do what no one in the back had done before: say nice things about him. He talked about challenging MJF for his world title last year and it being one of the most embarrassing moments of his career. Garcia said that that loss catapulted him into taking part in some of the biggest moments in AEW. Garcia put over how he was ready to be more than a pillar, but the backbone of AEW.

– MJF said that he wasn’t here to trash talk before briefly plugging his match on Collision. MJF said that he was going to ask Garcia to come out to thank him. He put over how Garcia actually acknowledged the nice things he did, unlike the people in the back not talented enough to take his spot. MJF said that he gave Garcia a world title because he earned it, pointing out how similar they were. MJF reminded Garcia that he whipped his ass when they faced off, but he had seen him grow exponentially over the past year. He said that Garcia was The Grind and suggested they should have a rematch at All In at Wembley Stadium.

– Will Ospreay interrupted to praise Garcia’s run of matches recently and give him a title match next week, alongside the world championship. Ospreay walked away and had a brief face-off with MJF. Garcia tried to respond to MJF’s challenge, but MJF told him to focus on his title match next week.

– Backstage, Swerve Strickland called Will Ospreay out for already handing out world title matches.

(1) BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPÓN (Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & Titan)

Castagnoli knocked Takagi down with a shoulder tackle, only for Takagi to put him in a headlock. Takagi and Castagnoli traded forearm strikes, until Castasgnoli clocked Takagi with a pair of uppercuts. Takagi dropped Castagnoli with a hip toss, forcing him to tag Yuta in. Hiromu took Yuta down with a hurracarrana, followed by a basement dropkick. LIJ knocked Yuta down with a double shoulder tackle, setting him up for a flying corner clothesline from Titan.

Titan took Yuta down with a dropkick and a suicide dive for a two count. Yuta caught Titan with an atomic drop and an enzuigiri, but Titan was able to respond with a series of kicks on Castagnoli. Castagnoli countered a high crossbody from Titan with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. BCC knocked LIJ off the apron, as AEW Dynamite went to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Moxley threw Hiromu out of the ring and tossed him over the barricade. Titan caught Castagnoli with a dropkick to the knee and a double stomp to the back. Titan blasted Moxley with a leaping Mule Kick, reaching Takagi for the hot tag. Takagi pummeled Moxley with a series of forearm strikes and drove Moxley into Castagnoli. Takagi dropped Moxley and Castagnoli with a double DDT before laying Yuta out with a Brainbuster.

Moxley and Takagi exchanged various forearm strikes and lariats, until Takagi shut Moxley down with a short lariat. Yuta and Hiromu tagged in to traded forearm strikes, until Hiromu blasted Yuta with a thrust kick. Yuta took Hiromu down wiht a German suplex before receiving a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Hiromu knocked Moxley off the apron with a thrust kick and prepared to go for Time Bomb 2, until Moxley attacked him with a chair shot to the back.

WINNERS: Los Ingobernables de Japón at 10.52 via DQ (***1/4)

– Everyone started brawling in the ring, until Tetsuya Naito showed up to confront Moxley. They traded strikes on the ramp and away from the ring. Shingo Takagi pummeled Wheeler Yuta with anvil elbow strikes, until Bryan Danielson entered the ring to have a face-off with him.

[Commercial Break]

(2) JAY WHITE (w/Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) vs. REY FENIX (w/Penta El Zero Miedo & Alex Abrahantes) – Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinals Match

Before the match could start, Penta and the rest of Bullet Club Gold taunted each other and grabbed chairs, until the referee ejected them. Fenix surprised White with a roll-up before receiving shoulder thrusts and chops to the chest. White nailed Fenix with a back elbow and a chop to the chest before blocking a handspring back elbow with a forearm to the back. 

Fenix clobbered White with a chop to the chest and sent him out of the ring with a dropkick. Fenix blasted White with a suicide dive and hit him with a thrust kick, only for White to sweep him off the apron. Back in the ring, White dropped Fenix with a modified backbreaker, as AEW Dynamite went to an ad break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Fenix attacked White with a series of chops, until White gouged his eyes. Fenix caught White with a thrust kick and the top rope Penalty Kick, setting him up for a Frog Splash. Fenix took White down with a rolling hurracarrana, followed by kicks to the abdomen and back. White blocked a thrust kick and spiked Fenix with a DDT, setting him up for a Brainbuster and a nearfall. Fenix countered a sleeper hold with a roll-through, but White quickly shut him down with a uranage for a two count. Fenix blocked the Blade Runner and cracked White with a roundhouse kick. White countered a fireman’s carry move with the Bladerunner for the win.

WINNER: Jay White at 9:20 (***1/2)

– After the match, The Patriarchy came out to face the Bang Bang Gang from the ramp.

– Backstage, the Young Bucks claimed that The Acclaimed took advantage of them and the result would be different when their titles are on the line. The Bucks announced that after Forbidden Door, Jack Perry would have the TNT title. They claimed that their Wild Card would run through the Owen Hart Foundation tournament to win the world title and take it to the Elite.

– The Acclaimed made their way to the ring.

[Commercial Break]

WE HEAR FROM THE ACCLAIMED

– The Acclaimed stood in the middle of the ring to gloat about their victory over the Young Bucks. Max Caster told the Bucks that they couldn’t beat them while Anthony Bowens told them that there wouldn’t be any excuses when they become two-time champions. The Elite interrupted to challenge The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn to a match at Forbidden Door. Billy told them that he knew some people in high places, including a president. Billy presented a video package, announcing President of NJPW Hiroshi Tanahashi as their partner.

– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly. Briscoe started cutting a rambly and fired up promo against Zack Sabre Jr, until Kyle took over.

(3) THE OUTCASTS (Saraya & Harley Cameron) & ANNA JAY vs. TONI STORM (w/Luther), MARIAH MAY & MINA SHIRAKAWA

Shirakawa blocked a suplex and a kick to the chest before blasting her with a kick to the back. Shirakawa clobbered Jay with a forearm strike and a kick to the head before tagging May in. May and Shirakawa crushed Jay with a double dropkick, only for Cameron to shut May down with a bunch of elbows to the back. May dropped Cameron with a spinning side slam, but Storm and Shirakawa fought over who tagged in next. Saray and Jay pulled Storm and Shirakawa off the apron and threw them into the steel steps, as AEW Dynamite went to a commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, May and Cameron knocked each other down with running facebusters. Storm tagged in to floor Saraya with a German suplex and a running hip attack, only for Shirakawa to steal the tag. Cameron nailed Shirakawa with a backstabber, but May broke the pinfall. May took Cameron down with a headbutt before receiving a flatliner from Jay. Storm knocked Jay down with a Thesz Press, only for Saraya to take her out with a thrust kick. Shirakawa cracked Saraya with a backfist, following it with a backfist and the Mina Driver on Cameron for the win.

WINNERS: Toni Storm, Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa at 6:58 (**3/4)

– After the match, Mina Shirakawa pulled out glasses to drink champagne and celebrate with Mariah May and Toni Storm. Shirakawa tried to clobber Storm with a bottle, but accidentally hit May.

– A video package was shown highlighting the rivalry between Mercedes Mone and Stephanie Vaquer.

– Backstage, Mercedes Mone gloated about standing tall over Stephanie Vaquer with both belts. Mone told Vaquer that she would watch her match closely on Collision this week.

WE HEAR FROM CHRIS JERICHO

– Chris Jericho came out with Big Bill and an injured Bryan Keith. Bill pointed out how Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata took out Keith and then challenged them to a trios match. Jericho said that he was here for the young guys, so it wasn’t fair that Keith was taken out. Jericho said that he had found one of the toughest men in Japan before presenting a video package, announcing Minoru Suzuki as their partner. Suzuki spoke in the video package and declined the offer to team with the Learning Tree, instead challenging Jericho to an FTW title match. Joe, Hook and Shibata showed up to tell Jericho that he sucked before forcing them to retreat.

[Commercial Break]

– Orange Cassidy was on commentary for the next match.

– The Undisputed Kingdom and Gabe Kidd sat in the crowd for the next match.

(4) KYLE O’REILLY vs. ZACK SABRE JR

Kyle put ZSJ in a Straight Jacket lock and nearly picked his legs for another move. Both men nearly put each other in cross armbreakers. ZSJ put Kyle in a headscissors lock, but Kyle retaliated with a kick to the back. Kyle put ZSJ in a sleeper hold, until ZSJ attacked him with a neck twist. ZSJ stomped Kyle’s elbow, as AEW Dynamite went to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Kyle hit ZSJ with forearm strikes, only for ZSJ to put him in an Octopus Stretch. Kyle picked ZSJ’s leg and knocked him off his feet with a barrage of kicks to the chest and legs. Kyle swept ZSJ off his feet, but ZSJ hyper-extended his arm and nailed him with a Pele kick to the arm. ZSJ surprised Kyle with an inside cradle, only for Kyle to drop him with a Falcon Arrow into an armbar.

ZSJ transitioned into an ankle lock and an armbar before Kyle countered it with an ankle lock of his own. Kyle laid ZSJ out with a back suplex, followed by an axe kick and a forearm strike. Both men clocked each other with roundhouse kicks, but Kyle caught ZSJ with a knee to the face. They traded numerous slaps to the face, until ZSJ knocked Kyle off his feet with a Triangle Choke. ZSJ trapped Kyle in a modified Fujiwara Armbar to score the submission win.

WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr at 10:58 (***1/2)

– After the match, Orange Cassidy checked on Kyle O’Reilly, only for the Undisputed Kingdom to shove him out of the way. ZSJ and Cassidy had a face-off, until Shane Haste and Robbie Eagles joined ZSJ’s side. Tomohiro Ishii showed up to stand by Cassidy’s side while Kidd taunted both sides from the apron.

[Commercial Break]

(5) SWERVE STRICKLAND (w/Prince Nana) & WILL OSPREAY vs. GATES OF AGONY (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)

Kaun and Liona immediately attacked Swerve and Ospreay from behind. Liona threw Swerve into the barricade while Ospreay clobbered Kaun with a shot into the turnbuckle. Ospreay floored Kaun with a monkey flip, followed by a springboard elbow strike for a one count. Swerve dropped Kaun with a flatliner, setting him up for a standing moonsault from Ospreay for a nearfall. Ospreay nearly kicked Swerve on the head before Liona took both men out with a double clothesline. The Gates laid Swerve out with a double slam for a two count, as AEW Dynamite went to its final commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Swerve kicked Liona away and catapulted Kaun out of the ring. Swerve clobbered Liona with a forearm strike while Kaun pulled Ospreay off the apron. The Gates dropped Swerve with a double spinebuster for a two count. Kaun hit Swerve with a gutbuster, but accidentally sent Liona out of the ring with a shotgun dropkick. Swerve dropped Kaun with a Brainbuster, reaching Ospreay for the hot tag. Ospreay blasted Kaun with a clothesline, followed by a handspring double Pele kick and a running Shooting Star Press. Kaun stopped Ospreay atop the turnbuckle and planted him with an avalanche Jackhammer for a nearfall.

Swerve cracked Liona with a headbutt and low-bridged him before knocking him out with a Swerve Stomp. Ospreay hit Kaun with a Spanish Fly, but couldn’t go for the Storm Breaker. Ospreay accidentally knocked Swerve off the apron with a thrust kick, allowing Liona to pounce him into the ropes. Swerve nailed Kaun with a pump kick before he and Ospreay hit Liona with a pump knee and poison rana combination. Ospreay dropped Liona with the OsCutter, but he managed to kick out at two. Swerve snapped Kaun’s arm while Ospreay knocked Liona out with the Hidden Blade.

WINNERS: Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay at 10:06 (***1/4)

– After the match, Will Ospreay grabbed Swerve Strickland’s belt, only for Swerve to hit him with a kick to the knee and the House Call.