This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite aired live from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, featuring the start of this year’s Owen Hart Foundation tournaments, as well as much anticipated clash between MJF and Rush.

(1) MJF vs. RUSH

They immediately started exchanging strikes, until MJF walked over Rush’s back. They traded chops, until MJF poked Rush’s eyes. Rush caught MJF off-guard with a headbutt, followed by a bunch of stomps. Rush dropped MJF with a back body drop and clobbered him with a palm strike to the head. MJF withstood a mocking kick to the head to pummel Rush down, until Rush shut him down with a stomp to the abdomen. Rush cracked MJF with a sliding knee strike, but missed the Bull’s Horns. MJF surprised Rush with an inside cradle, a backslide and a thrust kick before spiking him with a cradle DDT for a two count.

MJF raked Rush’s back and nailed him with a piledriver, only for Rush to stop the referee’s count. Rush launched MJF into the corner with a belly-to-belly suplex into the corner. MJF caught Rush with a pop up Mule Kick before receiving a forearm strike and a straight jacket piledriver for a nearfall. MJF knocked Rush off his feet with a flying forearm strike and threw his body into the barricade four times in a row. Rush distracted the referee with a chair before whipping MJF with a cable to the back.

MJF tripped Rush into a chair at ringside, but couldn’t hit him with a brainbuster on the apron. Rush clocked MJF with a forearm strike and laid him out with a brutal belly-to-belly suplex from the apron to the floor. MJF blocked the Bull’s Horns with a surprise lariat to the abdomen, followed by a load of right hands and a bite to the head. MJF spiked Rush with the Heat Seeker and flattened him with a Brainbuster for the victory.

WINNER: MJF at 14:19 (****)

– After the match, Cage of Agony showed up on-screen to taunt MJF. They announced that after his comments towards the EVPs from last week, he was now booked to take on Hechicero at Forbidden Door.

– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Cassidy, Briscoe, O’Reilly and Dante ahead of their match. Briscoe talked about letting his team down and how the words for today were vengeance and redemption. Before Briscoe could continue, Jack Perry passed by and stared at his opponents.

[Commercial Break]

SWERVE STRICKLAND & WILL OSPREAY FACE-TO-FACE

– Ospreay told Swerve that he shouldn’t doubt him when he says that he can hold the weight of two titles. Swerve put over how he has been able to handle the worlds of wrestling and entertainment on his own. Swerve asked Ospreay if he would use Don Callis and his family to beat him like he did at last year’s Forbidden Door. Ospreay claimed that he could beat him without any interference from the Don Callis Family. Ospreay listed Omega, Okada, Takagi and Jericho back-to-back as the people he beat. He said that while Swerve had a hit row, he had a hit list and didn’t miss any of them.

– Ospreay asked Swerve what would happen if his killshot was centimeters off. Ospreay said that he could beat Swerve with the Storm Breaker or the Hidden Blade, didn’t need the Tiger Driver and Swerve should be thankful for it. Swerve said that this was Ospreay’s first main event because he got rid of them to get to where he is. He asked Ospreay what would happen if he broke his leg because if it happened to himself, he would still be a mogul, businessman and podcaster.

– Swerve told Ospreay that he had to sacrifice everything, including the love of his wife and his son. Ospreay told Swerve to not make this personal, until Prince Nana stood in between them to tell them to save their energies for Forbidden Door. Before Ospreay could leave, Swerve said that he wanted to make this personal and told Ospreay to send his regards to Al and Harry.

– Backstage, Don Callis told the rest of his family that he knew Will Ospreay better than his own mother and they didn’t have anything to worry about.

[Commercial Break]

(2) MARK BRISCOE, KYLE O’REILLY, ORANGE CASSIDY & DANTE MARTIN vs. DON CALLIS FAMILY (Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher), RODERICK STRONG (w/Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) & ZACK SABRE JR

Everyone started brawling while Cassidy and ZSJ faced off in the middle of the ring. Fletcher and Briscoe took Cassidy and ZSJ down before they started trading strikes. Fletcher clocked Briscoe with an enzuigiri and a suicide dive, only for O’Reilly to take him down with a diving knee. O’Reilly in a knee bar using the ropes while Takeshita blocked a Tope con Hilo with a chair from Briscoe.

Cassidy sent Takeshita out of the ring with a dropkick, only for ZSJ to trap him in a modified armbar using the ropes. Briscoe crashed into Fletcher with a Tope con Hilo while Dante took Takeshita down with a hurracarrana. Dante crushed everyone with a top rope cannonball, as AEW Dynamite went to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, ZSJ caught Cassidy with a pinning combination and rolled out of the ring to distract Cassidy. Takeshita cracked Cassidy with a forearm strike, only for Strong to steal the tag. O’Reilly pummeled Strong and Takeshita with kicks to the chest, until Bennett grabbed his foot. Strong hit O’Reilly with a jumping knee, followed by a backbreaker. O’Reilly smashed Strong’s shoulder on the match, reaching Dante for the tag.

Dante toko ZSJ and Strong down with a double hurracarrana before clocking Takeshita with an enzuigiri and crushing Fletcher with a high crossbody. Fletcher swept Dante off the top turnbuckle, allowing Takeshita to lay him out with an avalanche powerbomb for a nearfall, as AEW Dynamite went to an ad break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Briscoe got the hot tag to blast ZSJ with a big boot and clobber Strong and Fletcher with chops. Briscoe sent Strong out of the ring with an enzuigiri and flattened Takeshita with a Death Valley Driver. Briscoe, O’Reilly, Dante and Cassidy crushed Takeshita with a Froggy Bow, a diving knee drop, a frog splash and a low-effort splash for a nearfall. ZSJ grabbed Cassidy’s boot, allowing Takeshita to nail him with a big boot into the corner. ZSJ put Cassidy in a wrist lock before receiving a Xploder from Briscoe.

Fletcher spiked Briscoe with a Brainbuster, only for O’Reilly to trap him in a guillotine. Strong dropped O’Reilly with a backbreaker, but Dante took care of him with a jumping knee. Takeshita sent Dante out of the ring with a jumping knee before Cassidy blocked a suplex with Stundog Millionaire. O’Reilly immediately clobbered Takeshita with an axe kick and a forearm, setting him up for Dante’s springboard cannonball.

Dante blasted the Kingdom with a suicide dive while Briscoe put Takeshita with down with a blockbuster. ZSJ hit O’Reilly with a Penalty kick to the arm and a back elbow. ZSJ shocked Cassidy with the European Clutch, but O’Reilly broke the pinfall. Cassidy and O’Reilly caught Fletcher with Total Elimination while ZSJ gave Strong the tag. Strong clobbered O’Reilly with a jumping knee before being knocked out with an Orange Punch.

WINNERS: Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy & Dante Martin at 16:41 (***3/4)

– After the match, Jack Perry clobbered Dante Martin with a forearm strike on the ramp while Mark Briscoe started brawling with Konosuke Takeshita. Orange Cassidy and Zack Sabre Jr stood in the middle of the ring and had a face-off.

– A video package was shown where Mercedes Mone showcased her training in lucha libre

– Backstage, Don Callis told a dejected Rush that every failure was an opportunity in Spanish.

– Backstage, Kazuchika Okada mockingly cut the audio to Max Caster’s microphone to stop his rap.

(3) YOUNG BUCKS (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) vs. THE ACCLAIMED (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster)

They started brawling at ringside, until Bowens dropped Nicholas with a back body drop. Caster clocked Matthew with uppercuts, followed by a neckbreaker from Bowens. The Acclaimed attacked Nichols with corner splashes, setting him up for Scissor Me Timbers. Caster put Matthew down with hip tosses, until Nicholas hit him with an illegal enzuigiri. Matthew knocked Bowens off the apron with a dropkick to his damaged knee and made Caster crash over the top rope, as AEW Dynamite went to commercials.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Caster crushed the Bucks with a high crossbody, reaching Bowens for the hot tag. Bowens pummeled the Bucks with chops and dropped Nichols with a modified Famouser. Bowens struggled to remain on his feet due to his damaged knee, allowing Matthew to shut him down with a superkick for a two count. Matthew knocked Bowens off the turnbuckle with a superkick to the knee, setting him up for a senton bomb from Nicholas. Bowens managed to block the EVP Trigger and beat the Bucks down with chops.

Matthew blocked a superkick, allowing Nicholas to superkick Bowens’ damaged leg. The Bucks blasted Bowens with a double superkick, but Caster broke the pinfall. The Bucks took care of Caster with a Penalty kick from the apron. Bowens shoved Matthew into Nicholas to block the TK Driver, but Matthew hit him with a low blow behind the referee’s back. The Bucks cracked Bowens with the EVP Trigger, only for Caster to break the pinfall at the last moment.

Nicholas took care of Caster with a suicide dive before throwing him over the barricade. The Bucks laid Bowens out with a tag team avalanche Sliced Bread, but he managed to kick out at two. Matthew targeted Bowens’ damaged leg with a series of kicks, only to miss a belt shot. Nicholas accidentally clobbered Matthew with his belt before being catapulted out of the ring. Bowens flattened Matthew with the Arrival, setting him up for the Caster’s Mic Drop and the win.

WINNERS: The Acclaimed at 10:18 (***1/2)

– Backstage, Samoa Joe led Hook to the Premier Athletes’ locker room to assault them. In the room, they found a letter challenging Joe, Hook and Shibata to a trios match on Collision.

TONI STORM & MINA SHIRAKAWA CONTRACT SIGNING

– Mariah May introduced Mina Shirakawa and Toni Storm for their contract signing. May put over how tough Storm and Shirakawa were before telling them that she loves them both. Shirakawa took the mic from May and told Storm that she has gotten soft and weak; and that nobody wanted her anymore. Storm threatened Shirakawa for raising her voice to May before telling her to watch for the shoe.

– Shirakawa started telling May that she must choose, until The Outcasts and Anna Jay interrupted. Saraya said that she was tired of them while Jay and Harley Cameron started attacking Storm, May and Shirakawa. Storm caught Saraya with a German suplex, but missed a running hip attack and crashed through the table in the corner.

[Commercial Break]

– A video package recapping the history between PAC and Claudio Castangoli.

(4) KRIS STATLANDER (w/Stokely Hathaway) vs. NYLA ROSE – Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinals Match

Rose knocked Statlander off her feet with a shoulder tackle and stomped her down. Rose nailed Statlander with a running crossbody and hung her body on the top rope. Statlander shoved Rose off the apron, as AEW Dynamite went to an ad break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Rose hit Statlander with a corner clothesline and turned her inside out with a lariat. Rose crushed Statlander with a cannonball, but couldn’t follow up with the Beast Bomb. Statlander took Rose down with a pair of roundhouse kicks, setting her up for an Axe kick and a two count. Statlander missed a 450 Splash, allowing Rose to clobber her with a running uppercut for a two count. Rose climbed the top turnbuckle before receiving a big boot and a Tombstone Piledriver for the victory.

WINNER: Kris Statlander at 7:50 (***)

– After the match, Stokely Hathaway started running down Willow Nightingale, until Willow showed up on-screen. Willow told Statlander that when she beats Serena Deeb on Rampage, she would see her in the semifinals.

Announced for this week’s AEW Rampage:

• Serena Deeb vs Willow Nightingale – Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinals Match
• Lio Rush vs Action Andretti – TNT Championship Qualifier Match
• Private Party vs Metalik & Komander

– A recap of Private Party assaulting Chris Jericho last week was shown.

– Backstage, Private Party discussed their upcoming match against Chris Jericho and their encounter on Rampage against Komander and Metalik. Jericho interrupted to give Private Party advice when taking

– A recap of Daniel Garcia saving Dalton Castle from an assault from Cage of Agony was shown.

(5) DANIEL GARCIA (w/Matt Menard) vs. RHETT TITUS

Titus pummeled Garcia down, only for Garcia to shut him down with a shotgun dropkick and a series of neckbreakers. Garcia put Titus in a Guillotine, setting him up for the Gorebuster and the win.

WINNER: Daniel Garcia at 1:00 (*1/4)

– After the match, Cage of Agony showed up to assault Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard. MJF ran down to immediately knock Hechicero off his feet and bite Brian Cage’s head. MJF hit Kaun and Liona with a double low blow, only for Cage to launch him away with a release German suplex. Hechicero trapped MJF in a modified armbar, until Will Ospreay showed up to make the save. Ospreay caught Cage and Hechicero with a double handspring Pele kick before he and MJF clotheslined him out of the ring. Ospreay and MJF had a face-off in the middle of the ring

[Commercial Break]

– Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Will Ospreay about his confrontation with MJF. Ospreay said that he didn’t care about MJF and he was there to save Daniel Garcia. Brian Cage showed up restrained by security guards and challenged Ospreay to a match. Ospreay accepted the bout, setting up a title match for Collision.

(6) CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. PAC – Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinals Match

PAC immediately nailed Castagnoli with a dropkick and a missile dropkick, only for Castagnoli to shut him down with chops to the chest. PAC drove Castagnoli’s body into the barricades and clocked him with a missile dropkick. Castagnoli rolled out of the ring where he caught PAC off-guard with a pop up uppercut, as AEW Dynamite went to its final commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Castagnoli missed a shoulder thrust into the ring post, allowing PAC to drop him with a diving hurracarrana. PAC clocked Castagnoli with a thrust kick from the apron, setting him up for an Asai moonsault. PAC spiked Castagnoli with a Tornado DDT, following it with a springboard elbow drop for a two count. Castagnoli attacked PAC with an uppercut before receiving a German suplex and a thrust kick. Castagnoli avoided a Shooting Star Press and clobbered PAC with a running uppercut for a nearfall.

Before PAC could react, Castagnoli put him in the Giant Swing and turned him inside out with a running lariat for another nearfall. PAC countered the Ricola Bomb with the Brutalizer, only for Castagnoli to retaliate with the Sharpshooter. Castagnoli stopped PAC from reaching the ropes by transitioning into a crossface. PAC took Castagnoli down with a backslide before they traded numerous inside cradle attempts. They got into another pinning combination exchange, until PAC got the three count with a crucifix.

WINNER: PAC at 11:06 (***3/4)

– After the match, Claudio Castagnoli walked out of the ring, refusing to acknowledge PAC.

Announced for this week’s AEW Collision:

• Chris Jericho & Big Bill
• Will Ospreay vs Brian Cage – AEW International Championship
• Kazuchika Okada vs Ultimo Guerro

Announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite:

• The Outscats & Saraya vs Toni Storm, Mariah May & Mina Shirakawa
• Jay White vs Rey Fenix – Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinals Match
• Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay vs Gates of Agony