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It is Wednesday and this week Dynamite is at the Centre Videotron in Quebec, QC. The commentary team is Tony Schiavone, Taz, and Excalibur.
They are starting off hot tonight with the first match:
Will Ospreay vs Katsuyuri Shibata
Still nothing tying Ospreay to Don Callis, which I think they should just quietly drop, since the crowd wants to cheer for Ospreay.
They start with mat work, as they work we see that Shibata is stronger, but Ospreay knows the best counter holds to stay equal with him. As they move past the mat wrestling, they move to bigger moves, including dives. As they brawl on the outside, they do some inventive camera work, having the camera almost at floor level as the strike hits. Taz is the lead announcer in this one, which works well as he talks about the match in terms of moves in MMA terms.
They fire into huge moves when they come back from commercial. They have a cool bit where Ospreay fires in a series of forearms and Shibata leans into them, and when Shibata nails him, Ospreay drops. Shibata grabs a STF from Ospreay coming off the ropes and we are told Ospreay has only got out of submissions via the ropes. This leads to Shibata getting a sleeper in the middle of the ring, and Ospreay gets out of the hold by charging into the ropes.
Shibata gets out of an Oz cutter and one, and Ospreay follows with big finishers that Shibata kicks out of. Ospreay finally gets the pin after the hidden blade.
Winner: Will Opsreay
A great match, and this time without the crazy, scary stuff Ospreay has done in his previous AEW matches. Solid way to build Ospreay as something special, and actually made Shibata seem special, since most of his matches have been on Ring of Honor.
Next up is a video package about Bryan Danielson, who is facing Ospreay at the PPV.
Renee Paquette interviews the Young Bucks, and Nick blows up at her. The Bucks say Okada will not be at ringside. They then say their top goal is to get their tag team titles back.
We then see a red Ferrari for Kazuchika Okada arrives, and he is here, but will not be at ringside.
The Young Bucks (Matthew and Nicholas Jackson) vs Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) a match in the Tag Team Championship Tournament.
If you know these teams, you know what kind of match it will be. Lots of quick moves, lots of double team stuff, and lots of high flying stuff. They are pushing this as the Bucks went on a big losing streak after losing to Private Party last year, so the Bucks want revenge.
Through the commercial, Quen has been the babyface in peril and when Kassidy gets the hot tag, the crowd doesn’t explode until he gets a moonsault to the floor. It doesn’t take long before Quen is back to being the babyface in danger. When they move into finishing moves, the crowd is completely on Private Party’s side. The Bucks do a lot of typical heel stuff, and the crowd chants against them in French, so this unilingual American has no idea what they are saying.
The Bucks hit a EVP trigger with Matt slipping so it’s a stutterred move, and they both cover for the pin and the win.
Winner and Going On In The Tournament: The Young Bucks
We then get a video package for Konosuke Takeshita
Mercedes Mone shows up backstage to join commentary as we go to commercial.
We then get a video of Darby Allin and Tony Hawk about their charity to found skate parks.
Next up with Jericho and Hook with Renee, and Jericho puts Hook over for beating him last week.
Willow Nightingale vs Anna Jay vs Kris Statlnder vs Skye Blue winner gets a shot at the TBS Title
Mercedes Mone joins commentary.
Statlander comes to the ring with Willow and then again with Statlander.
The match quickly turns into a series of one on one matchups, where someone gets a near fall, and the person who was nearly pinned rolls out after the pinfall is broken up by a new person. Mone at commentary doesn’t downtalk Willow but does say they have unfinished business. They all brawl on the floor through the break, and that is when the match really picks up with real fire and emotion as they work during that segment.
When we come back to full screen, we start getting near falls and bigger moves in the ring. Al;l four women are working in the ring, and lots of interesting combinations. A nice bit where Blue tries to clothesline Willow and Statlander, and they just turn and attack together. In the end, Willow gets the Doctor Bomb on Anna for the pin and the win.
Winner and getting a TBS Title Match at Dynasty: Willow Nightingale
After the match, Julia Hart nails Willow with the belt and faces off with Mone, but leaves the ring when Statlander returns to the ring.
Renee is with Dustin Rhodes and he says he has started 2024 with a bang, and everyone in AEW is a banger. As he goes on, The Butcher shows up and challenges Dustin for a match on Rampage.
We then get a video of Ben Mankiewicz (host on Turner Classic Movies) with Toni Storm with a nice bit of cross promotion where he won't say her catchphrase.
Next is a video about Swerve Strickland to build to the main event.
Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta vs Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven and MIke Bennett) w/Roderick Strong in the Tag Team Tournament
As Taven and Cassidy fight on the floor, Beretta and Bennett fight in the ring. We get dives almost immediately before the Kingdom takes over with Beretta as the babyface in peril. The story of the match is just getting the crowd to explode when Cassidy finally gets the hot tag. When Cassidy gets the hot tag, the Kingdom is able to cut him off.
Cassidy and Beretta are fighting from behind all through the match, and Cassidy doesn’t get a lot of time in the ring. When Strong gets on the apron, Taylor pulls him down. Strong goes after Taylor, and Caqssidy goes after him, diving onto him on the floor. As this is happening, Taylor knocks Taven off the top. This allows Beretta to get a jack knife pin for the win.
Winners and moving on in the tournament: Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta
After the match, the Bucks come to the stage to taunt Cassidy and Beretta.
Renee is with Kyle O’Reilly and he says it was great to get a victory last week, but AEW has a stacked roster, and he knows he has to prove he belongs. It’s the start of a hook, but we need to know who Kyle is before we can care about him.
We then get a video of Adam Copeland after he won the TNT title from Christian Cage. He says the chapter with Cage is done, but now he issues an open challenge for the TNT title.
Swerve Strickland vs Konosuke Takshita for the number one contender spot
Don Callis joins commentary.
They tentatively shake hands then it becomes a slight tug of war before they lock up. They quickly go to hard hitting moves with Takeshita working stiff. As they move into the match, they have Big Move, then recovery as if it’s a Big Man match.
They each get a dive, and other than that, it’s just been Big Man moves, which is different from the other matches on the show. It also makes it feel like they're almost training to face Samoa Joe. They have a hard hitting match and both guys look great as they move into near falls. It’s just a big hoss fight, and it reminds me that Swerve can have any kind of match and look good in it. Swerve turns a pop up powerbomb into a Swerve stomp, followed by Big Pressure for the pin and the win.
Winner and number one contender: Swerve Strickland
Backstage, Renee asks a visibly upset Samoa Joe what he thinks. He says Swerve may be happy now, but he has just signed a ticket to destruction and next week, when he signs the contract, Joe will remind him of what he is in for.
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