This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite aired live from the Blue Arena in Loveland, Colorado, featuring the return of MJF, the full Blackpool Combat Club reuniting and a world championship match on the main event.
WE’LL HEAR FROM SWERVE STRICKLAND
– Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana made their way to the ring to talk about facing Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door. Swerve put over how the top two stars in wrestling were about to clash, but only one of them was a killer. He recapped how Ospreay was an assassin when he beat Kenny Omega, Konosuke Takeshita and Bryan Danielson. Swerve pointed out how Ospreay hesitated at Double Or Nothing and if he did that at Double Or Nothing, he would be the one to take the killshot. Swerve praised Ospreay’s numerous title defense, comparing them to the lack of defenses from the EVPs.
– The Elite interrupted to respond to Swerve’s comment before gloating about their win at Double Or Nothing. Matthew Jackson complained about the trolls and bots doubting them; and challenged the best AEW had to offer to a Blood and Guts match. Matthew offered Swerve the final spot in his team while giving him personalized sneakers. Swerve told the Bucks that he did his own thing while Nana threw the shoes into the crowd. The Elite prepared to fight with Swerve, until The Acclaimed showed up to make the save. Christopher Daniels showed up on the ramp to order everyone to leave the ring for the first match of the night. Daniels told Perry to stay in the ring to face his opponent, as Dustin Rhodes made his way to the ring.
(1) DUSTIN RHODES vs. JACK PERRY – AEW TNT Championship Qualifier Match
Dustin blasted Perry with chops to the chest and a clothesline before choking him out with his shirt. Perry took the turnbuckle and threw Dustin out of the ring where he smashed his head into the ring post and the steel steps. Perry exposed the concrete floor, only for Dustin to plant him with a back body drop on it, as AEW Dynamite went to commercials.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Perry pressed his knee on Dustin’s back of the head, but Dustin countered a V-Trigger with a snap powerslam. Perry clobbered Dustin with a bunch of forearms, only for Dustin to take him down with a big boot and a bulldog. Dustin pummeled Perry with a load of right hands, followed by Shattered Dreams behind the referee’s back. Perry blocked Cross Rhodes, only for Dustin to knock him down with a bunch of right hands and an elbow strike.
Dustin nailed Perry with Cross Rhodes, but he managed to kick out at two. Perry caught Dustin with a knee strike and smashed his head into the exposed turnbuckle. Perry spiked Dustin with a DDT on the exposed concrete, nearly winning the match via Count Out. Dustin moved the referee out of the way, only for Perry to hit him with a low blow. Dustin gave Perry the middle finger before receiving the Glass Jaw for the three count.
WINNER: Jack Perry at 10:05 (***)
– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly and Mark Briscoe about their match. Kyle put over how they are pros that are able to wrestle each other and work together. Cassidy said that he had someone that definitely had his back as Willow Nightingale showed up. Briscoe put over how they were the most unpredictable men in a very impassioned and rambly tone.
(2) RUSH vs. DEONN RUSMAN
Rush immediately clobbered Rusman with a forearm strike and threw him out of the ring. Rush blasted Rusman with a series of chops to the chest, setting him up for the Bull’s Horns and the win.
WINNER: Rush at 1:30 (*1/4)
– After the match, Rush grabbed a mic and called Rusman weak as the typical American. MJF showed up to brawl with Rush before a bunch of security guards ran down. Rush and MJF took them out before continuing their brawl. Rush pulled MJF out of the ring, only for MJF to throw him over the barricade. They took the brawl backstage where Rush threw a case into MJF’s back. MJF managed to put Rush through a table, only for Rush to whack him with a trash bin to the head. Numerous wrestlers, agents, referees and guards managed to separate them. It was officially announced that Rush and MJF would battle each other in next week’s opening match.
[Commercial Break]
(3) MARK BRISCOE, KYLE O’REILLY & ORANGE CASSIDY vs. RODERICK STRONG & DON CALLIS FAMILY (Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita w/Trent Beretta)
Fletcher and O’Reilly started exchanging forearm strikes, until O’Reilly nailed him with a knee to the abdomen. Briscoe nailed Fletcher with a chop to the chest and a forearm strike, forcing him to tag Takeshita in. Takashita gouged Briscoe’s eyes before receiving a palm strike to the chest. Takeshita caught Cassidy’s crossbody and used his body to take Briscoe and O’Reilly down before clocking him with a sliding knee strike.
Cassidy took care of Fletcher and Takeshita with a double hurracarrana, setting Takeshita up for a knee from O’Reilly. Cassidy and Briscoe nailed Strong with a sliding dropkick and a suicide dive. Fletcher knocked Briscoe down with a suicide dive, only for Cassidy to crash into everyone down with a top rope cannonball. Cassidy faced Trent, until Takeshita cracked him with a single forearm strike, as AEW Dynamite went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, O’Reilly got the hot tag to pummel Strong with kicks to the chest and hit Takeshita with a dragon screw into the ropes. O’Reilly swept Fletcher off his feet and made him and Takeshita crash into each other. O’Reilly put Takeshita and Fletcher down with a double dragon screw before tagging Briscoe in. Briscoe and Strong traded forearms and chops, until Briscoe hit him with a palm strike to the jaw. Briscoe caught Strong with an enzuigiri and sent him out of the ring. O’Reilly nailed Takeshita with a big boot while Briscoe put Fletcher down with a blockbuster off the apron.
Back in the ring, Cassidy spiked Fletcher with a diving DDT for a close two count. Takeshita grabbed Cassidy’s leg, allowing Fletcher to throw him away with a snap dragon suplex. O’Reilly cracked Fletcher with a jumping knee, only for Strong to put him down with a backbreaker. Briscoe laid Strong out with a fisherman buster, only for Takeshita to floor him with a Blue Thunderbomb. Cassidy spiked Takeshita with a Satellite DDT and nailed Fletcher with Stundog Millionaire.
O’Reilly immediately clocked Fletcher with an axe kick and a forearm, setting him up for High Low alongside Cassidy. Fletcher took Cassidy down with a brainbuster on the turnbuckle, only for Briscoe to shock him with a Froggy Bow for a nearfall. O’Reilly took care of Strong with a Guillotine while Takeshita caught Briscoe off-guard with a knee to the head. Fletcher immediately spiked Briscoe with a piledriver for the victory.
WINNERS: Roderick Strong & Don Callis Family at (***3/4)
– After the match, Trent Beretta assaulted Orange Cassidy while the Don Callis Family held Kyle O’Reilly down. Willow Nightingale tried to make the save, but Kris Statlander immediately shut her down and beat her up on stage. Stokely Hathaway warned Willow to stay out of their business or they would have to drag to the ER.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, Renee Paquette put over how Rey Fenix was a former multi-time champion, as Fenix got ready for his match tonight.
– A video package was shown, announcing that NJPW’s Shingo Takagi would take part in this year’s Owen Hart Cup.
– Backstage, Christopher Daniels announced that The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada would have Eliminator matches next week with everyone barred from ringside.
– Backstage, Samoa Joe led Hook and Katsuyori Shibata who carried a camera to the entrance way. Joe and Hook assaulted the Premier Athletes as they made their entrance and threw them into the ring.
(4) SAMOA JOE & HOOK (w/Katsuyori Shibata) vs. PREMIER ATHLETES (Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari w/Mark Sterling)
Nese tried to stomp Joe down, but Joe shut him down with a back elbow. Joe pummeled Nese with a series of right hands and body shots, setting him up for a pair of lariats alongside Hook. Nese managed to take Hook down and give Daivari the tag to keep on stomping Hook. Nese walked away from a splash from Daivari and laid Nese out with a T-Bone suplex. Sterling tripped Hook, only for Shibata to knock him out with a lariat. Joe put Nese in the Coquina Clutch while Hook forced Daivari to tap out with the Redrum.
WINNERS: Samoa Joe & Hook at 2:30 (*1/2)
– A video package was shown where Stephanie Vaquer talked about traveling the world to defend her title while Mercedes Mone walked red carpets.
(5) MERCEDES MONE vs. ZEUXIS – AEW TBS Championship
Zeuxis immediately pushed Mone to the ropes before knocking her off her feet into a headlock. Zeuxis nailed Mone with a shoulder tackle, but Mone responded with a headscissors takeover and a basement dropkick. Mone put Zeuxis down with an arm drag, only for Zeuxis to catch her off-guard with a deep roll-up. Zeuxis cracked Mone with a roundhouse kick before receiving an arm drag on the floor. Zeuxis swept Mone off her feet to blast her with a pump kick and a suicide dive, as AEW Dynamitew went to a commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Zeuxis in a bow-and-arrow lock, but Mone broke it and nailed her with a kick to the abdomen. Zeuxis planted Mone with a modified Liger Bomb for a close two count. Mone countered a powerbomb with a hurracarrana, but she managed to kick out at two. Zeuxis tackled Mone into the corner, withstood a roundhouse kick and crushed Mone with a Meteora. Mone caught Zeuxis off-guard with a bulldog, followed by a pair of double knee strikes and a Meteora for a nearfall. Mone tried to go for the Three Amigos, only for Zeuxis to shock her with a double underhook lung blower for a close two count. Zeuxis missed a moonsault, allowing Mone to knock her out with the Mone Maker.
WINNER: Mercedes Mone at 10:09 (Still AEW TBS Champion) (***1/4)
– A video package was shown where Mariah May highlighted all of Mina Shirakawa’s accomplishments as well as her relationship with Shirakawa.
– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Toni Storm about the closeness between Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa. Storm dismissed it while May thanked Storm for getting her a spot in the Owen Hart Cup. May confirmed that Shirakawa would be back next week for a contract signing.
TV TIME WITH PRIVATE PARTY
– Big Bill stood in the middle of the ring to introduce Chris Jericho accompanied by Bryan Keith. Jericho put over the release of his new t-shirt before explaining how to properly grow corn. Jericho introduced Private Party to the ring to criticize the way they wrestle, claiming that he was trained better. Private Party asked Jericho to show them how to properly climb the top turnbuckle. Jericho climbed the turnbuckle while explaining each step, only for Private Party to trip him. Private Party sent Bryan Keith and Big Bill out of the ring before crushing Jericho with a Swanton Bomb and a Shooting Star Press.
– A video package was shown, recapping the story between Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito, ahead of their match at Forbidden Door.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, the Bang Bang Gang made fun of the House of Black, challenging them to a match on this week’s Collision.
(6) DANIEL GARCIA vs. NICK COMOROTO (w/Jacoby Watts)
Garcia stomped Comoroto down and clocked him with a running boot to the face. Garcia blocked a press slam and planted Comoroto with a backdrop driver. Before Comoroto could react, Garcia put him in a Guillotine and finished him with a Gorebuster.
WINNER: Daniel Garcia at 1:11 (*1/4)
– Backstage, Will Ospreay was watching Daniel Garcia’s match before Renee Paquette showed up to interview him. Ospreay talked about having to split himself between his title defenses and his title shot at Forbidden Door.
[Commercial Break]
– Backstage, PAC complained about his losses since his return to AEW, calling them humiliating. PAC said that he was done with apathy and felt angry before confirming that he would take part in the Owen Hart Cup. PAC said that he was damned if he didn’t have a moment in Wembley and didn’t hold the world title. He finished by saying that they wouldn’t forget what the Bang Bang Gang did to them.
– Will Ospreay handed Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana an envelope with their contract, as he made his way to the ring.
(7) WILL OSPREAY vs. REY FENIX – AEW International Championship
Ospreay avoided a hook kick and blocked a Lethal Injection while Fenix evaded a roundhouse kick. Fenix took Ospreay down with a hurracarrana, but Ospreay ducked the top rope Penalty kick. Ospreay knocked Fenix off the apron with a big boot, only for Fenix to floor him with a hurracarrana on the floor, as AEW Dynamite went to an ad break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Fenix trapped Ospreay in an Octopus Stretch, only for Ospreay to drop him away. Ospreay put Fenix down with a springboard forearm strike, followed by a handspring enzuigiri. Fenix stopped Ospreay atop the turnbuckle with a rolling uppercut and a leaping spin kick to the face. Fenix launched Ospreay away with an avalanche hurracarrana, only for Ospreay to land on his feet.
Ospreay tried to spike Fenix with a Satellite DDT, but Fenix did a flip to land on his feet. Fenix clobbered Ospreay with a hook kick and Ospreay retaliated with a thrust kick. Both mennailed each other with thrust kicks, until Fenix blocked a Spanish Fly and Ospreay transitioned an Air Raid Crash with a modified Falcon Arrow, as AEW Dynamite went to its final commercial break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Fenix trapped Ospreay in an Octopus Stretch and shut him down with a crucifix bomb for a two count. Fenix floored Ospreay with a moonsault into a German suplex for a nearfall. Fenix countered the Storm Breaker with a roll-through, but Ospreay caught him with an enzuigiri. Ospreay avoided a thrust kick and put Fenix down with the OsCutter for a close two count. Fenix blocked the Hidden Blade with a hurracarrana, setting him up for a thrust kick. Ospreay blocked the rolling cutter with a Hidden Blade, following it with the Swerve Stomp. Ospreay immediately hit Fenix with one final Hidden Blade for the victory.
WINNER: Will Ospreay at 15:12 (Still AEW International Championship) (****)
– After the match, Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland faced off in the middle of the ring. Swerve called Ospreay a little child that wasn’t strong enough to hold both belts on his shoulders. Ospreay took the belt off of Swerve’s hands and laid them on his shoulders in front of Swerve. Swerve told Ospreay that he was lucky they were friends because he would put anybody else in a grave.
Announced for this week’s AEW Rampage:
- Toni Storm vs Alex Windsor
Announced for this week’s AEW Collision
- Christian Cage Father’s Day Special
- Blackpool Combat Club vs TMDK (Haste & Nicholls), Lio Rush & Rocky Romero
- Bang Bang Gang (Robinson & The Gunns) vs House of Black
Matches announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite:
- MJF vs Rush
- Young Bucks vs The Acclaimed