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It is Wednesday and Dynamite is in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY. Our commentary team is Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, JIm Ross, and Taz.
Nigel McGuinness comes to the ring and then we hear Bryan Danielson’s music, and Bryan does NOT come out. Nigel grabs a mic and starts heeling him and he asks for a ten count. The ref starts counting. At 6 we get the opening chords of Final Countdown.
Bryan Danielson (AEW World Champion) vs Nigel McGuinness
The announcers put over how important this match is. When they lock up, each of them gets a hard strike and the other takes time to recover. We then get a long sequence of chain wrestling as they work arm bars and wrist locks into strikes. They move to each trying a ground and pound. Both are looking to grind out a victory and build slowly as the match goes.
When they start fighting on the floor, McGuinness works the right arm, and Bryan tries to fire back, but not working a specific body part. They return to the ring and Nigel uses a specific arm bar that he used to use as a finisher and Bryan gets to the ropes. We move to each getting a big move and then because it didn’t end the match, they have to take time to recover.
One thing they are doing that I like is that Nigel is tricking Bryan into using the injured arm, and Bryan sells it. Nigel keeps going for London Dungeon, the special arm bar. Nigel gets the hammer and anvil elbows and lifts Bryan over his head to set him on the top turnbuckle for the Tower of London bulldog for two. Nigel grabs the London Dungeon from behind and pulls Bryan back onto his knees, but Bryan reverses it ansd lays in the hammer and anvil elbows and both men are down.
Bryan works his kicks and strikes and Nigel is more surgical working the right arm. Other than the spot with the steel steps, this is a simple ring based match that spends a lot of time using psychology to keep the crowd in her match. When we get to the end, Bryan locks on the Labell lock and before Nigel taps out, he says “Thank you.”
Winner and still AEW World Champion: Bryan Daneilson
A clean finish in the middle of the ring with no post match beat down. It lets the match settle and have the importance it deserves.
We get Christian Cage’s music and he comes to the stage with his contract. Cage opens the contract case and pulls out a pen, and Kip Sabian sneaks up behind him and grabs the pen and takes off. Cage chases him and we see that right near the entrance tunnel are Pac and Claudio Castagnoli.
Jim Ross leaves commentary
Hook (FTW Champion) vs Roderick Strong w/Matt Taven and Mike Bennett
They start with arm bars and move to mat wrestling. When they get to the ropes, Taven and Bennett pull Strong out of the ring. Hook follows them to the floor, and Hook follows Strong to the floor and they brawl around the ring. Strong gets a Kendo stick, but Hook drops him, takes it from him and goes after Taven and Bennett. As all four men brawl, Hook gets tossed into the ringpost.
Hook starts his comeback as we come back to full screen, and Taz explains that Hook is using Judo moves on Strong. When Strong takes down Hook, Strong is given a chair and he wedges it in the corner and Hook gets driven into it. Strong gets up a pair of chairs in the ring, and Hook is able to fight his way free from Strong and gets a judo throw into the chairs. They then start going back and forth with big moves followed by two counts. Hook is able to grab Redrum in the middle of the ring and Strong has to tap out.
Winner and still FTW Champion: Hook
After the match, Strong shakes Hook’s hand and gives him a hug.
Tony Schiavone says the FTW title was born a few miles from the stadium in 1998. Hook says that all good things must come to an end. He thanks everyone who has ever competed for the title. He thanks the fans for supporting the FTW championship. He then says the FTW Championship is retired and he gives it to Taz, who takes it and hugs him.
I think this is a good move. It’s an “unsanctioned” title, and it was used to get people on Taz’s team over, and then for his son to get over. It’s done its job, and AEW has too many titles, so putting it back in Taz’s hands is a nice moment for Taz and lets Hook get a big moment with his father.
The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) AEW Tag Team Champions vs Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher
Don Callis joins commentary.
The Bucks are still heels, but the whole Executive Vice Presidents Running Things” has cooled off with the Jon Moxley storyline.
The Bucks dominate the early going before they move into the “bumbling heels” they have been lately, allowing Fletcher and Ospreay to get in some big moves. After the commercial break, the Bucks get some of their tandem offense. The Bucks hit their senton off the ropes powerbomb combo, which is just so impressive visually.
There are referee shenanigans where the Ref doesn’t count for a bit as he figures out who is the legal man, and the crowd is not happy about that bit. We then move into fast paced moves until all four men are down. They quickly go into another fast paced series ensign with a TK Driver on Fletcher on the apron. Fletcher is on the floor and doesn’t get into the ring until the Ref hits 9.
They come back from the second commercial break to Ospreay and Fletcher getting stereo Styles Clashes for two. They also have a camera shot from the upper rows of the Stadium, and it looks like they got a big crowd and people are in the uppermost seats. Ospreay gets the hidden blade and stormbreaker combo for two, but the pin is broken up by Nick. When Fletcher tags in, the Bucks are able to work him over easily until Ospreay joins in.
From here, Ospreay and Fletch hit a series of finishers for two. After Fletcher dives to the outside, Callus gives Fletcher a screwdriver. The ref is distracted. Ospreay grabs Fletcher’s arm and tells him not to use the screwdriver and takes it away from him. The Bucks nail Fletcher with the tag team belts twice for a two count. The Bucks then hit the BTE trigger on Fletcher for the pin and the win.
Winners and still tag team champions: The Young Bucks
This furthers the story of Fletcher not being able to win the big ones, the announcers put over that Callis’s interference cost them the match. This also ties in to how Ospreay left the Callis Family because fo Callis’s tactics.
In the back Renee Paquette is with the Conglomeration and they welcome Rocky Romero into the team. They hype up the trio match they will have on Saturday with Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith.
On the stage, Tony Shiavone calls for Prince Nana to come to the ring and give an update on Swerve Strickland. Nana says that Serve is not cleared to wrestle but he is fighting to come back. MVP then comes out and puts over Swerve Strickland. He then asks why Swerve isn’t getting revenge for what Adam Page did to him. MVP says that he says it is a failure of management, and he wants Nana to give him his business card.
Mariah May (AEW Women’s Champion) vs Yuka Sakazaki
Yuka attacks before the bell and gets a cover for two right as the bell rings. Yuka and May throw hands and the fight spills to the floor. May is able to take over on the floor with a shotgun dropkick. In the ring, May is in control and Yuka is able to turn the tide after blocking a hurricanrana from the top. Yuka gets to spin May around while in a leg scissors. May gets a pair of near falls and Yuka is able to get a Northern Lights Bomb in May.
Yuka goes for the magical girl splash and May gets her knees up and hits the storm zero for the pin and their win.
Winner and still AEW Women’s Champion: Mariah May
AEW has fallen into the trap of building someone up with two to three wins and then tossing them to be cannon fodder for the champ, which then cuts the legs out from the challenger.
After the match, May goes to attack Yuka, but Willow Nightingale cuts her off. Mina Shirakawa’s music hits and that distracts Willow so that May can drop her. May goes to the stage and Mina acts confused as she has said in the past that she doesn’t know what has happened to May.
Jon Moxley w/Marina Shafir vs Darby Allin for the Number 1 Contendership
Jim Ross rejoins commentary.
Mox goes right to work beating down darby and this looks to be where Darby takes a beating for the majority of the match. When they go to the floor, Darby takes over. And when they return to the ring, Darby is able to get Mox’s arm IN the ringpost and beats on it. Darby keeps at it and then cannonballs into Mox on the floor. Darby is able to suplex Mox into a chair, but Shafir stands between them and the chair.
They return to the ring and Mox distract the ref so that Shafir can attack Darby on the floor. After a commercial break, Mox takes back over and is working on breaking down Darby in order to get a submission. Darby finally gets the drop kick on Mox in the chair at ringside. Mox takes back over and it’s nothing but Big Attacks from him now.
Mox and Shafir expose the ringside floor. Darby escapes a death rider and shoves Mox into the steel steps. Mox dodges a dive from Darby and he lands back first on the floor. Mos then tosses Darby into the steel steps.
When they return to the ring, Darby goes for a coffin drop, and Mox grabs him in a body lock/sleeper. Darby is able to crawl to the ropes for the break. Mox gets an avalanche Death Rider from the top rope for the pin and the win.
Winner and facing Bryan Danielson at Wrestledream: Jon Moxley
Bryan hits the ring and goes to choke Mox, but he is pulled off by Shafir, Pac, and Claudio. Private Party and Komander show up to help Bryan. Mox and his crew escape and Bryan says at Wrestledream, he will kick Mox’s ass.
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