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It is Wednesday and AEW Dynamite is at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Our commentary team is Excalbur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone.
MJF (AEW Champion) vs Adam Cole in an Eliminator match
A couple of things as we start off. First, I did not know it was an Eliminator match. Second, since it’s starting off the show, does that mean we will have some sort of screwy finish?
This is MJF’s 4th match so far this year.
After they run the ropes, MJF goes into stalling mode, working the crowd while Cole waits for him in the ring rather than going to the outside to brawl. When tMJF goes back into the ring, once Cole starts beating him down in the corner, MJF tries to beg off and get out of the fight. Add to this that MJF concentrates his attacks on Cole’s arm to get him up for the arm bar finisher. MJF is working like an old school heel, no high flying, to fancy moves. OIt works on a couple of levels, since the AEW crowd looks for flashy moves and high flying.
Cole gets a flurry of offense in the middle of the match, and he also doesn’t do muAfter the commercial break, they move to trading chops. They then move to kicks where Cole shines. MJF then takes over again, and hits a flying elbow from the top onto Cole on the timekeeper’s table. The first big high flying move gets a huge AEW chant, MJF rolls into the ring and collapses as the ref starts counting Cole out.
MJF then tries the bit where there is a ref bump, he tosses the title to Cole and falls down, but the Ref does not recover. This allows Cole to nail MJF with the belt and then covers for a two count. MJF then grabs the ref and hits an obscured low blow on Cole. MJF then puts on the Dynamite Diamond ring, but the ref stops him and takes it off. This allows Cole to hit the Panama Sunrise and the Boom Knee for the pin, but the bell rings before the three count.
Winner: Time Limit Draw
I figured they would do something screwy, but they didn’t emphasize the time, just announcing the 30 minute time limit at the start of the match during the standard announcements.
Cole asks for 5 more minutes. MJF, wisely, grabs the belt and bails.
We get a video package for CM Punk’s return on Saturday. He says he has a lot of things to get off his chest.
Renee is in the ring and she calls out Sammy Guevara. He talks about how he will be making some changes so that he can be holding the AEW Championship with his family by his side.
Darby Allin comes to the ring, mic in hand. He says it sounds like people are starting to love him again, but will he stay with the Jericho Appreciation Society? This brings out Chris Jericho. He says that Darby needs to mind his own business. He says while he was chasing the title, he never contacted Jericho once. Jericho says they need to reunite the Sex Gods to show Sammy who the boss really is.
Darby says when Jericho steps in the ring, the magic is gone. Jericho asks if darby wants to challenge Jericho all alone. Darby says he’s not alone.
IT’S THE MAN CALLED STING!
Sting comes to the ring with a baseball bat, and he and Jericho circle each other. They put their baseball bat under the other’s chin. Sting knocks Jericho’s bat out of his hand, casually, and Jericho bails from the ring.
We get a video from Sanada letting us know there will be an open challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Keith Lee, Sting, Darby Allin, and Orange Cassidy vs Brian Cage, Swerve Strickland, Kaun, and Toa Liona
The match starts and they go to picture in picture incredibly quick while Darby is still hitting the initial attack. When we come back, Swerve is working over Darby on the mat. The Mogul Embassy keeps him in the ring with quick tags. Darby is able to get the hot tag after hitting a stunner on Swerve. Swerve tags out before Lee can get in the ring and Lee cleans house ont he rest.
All four of the Ambassy team up so that they can hold Lee while Swerve hits a Meteora for two. Next up is where everyone takes out the next person until Sting is taken out by Liona. Darby gets a coffin drop from the top onto a bunch of people on the floor, Sting gets the scorpion death drop on Brian Cage for the pin and the win.
Winners: Keith Lee, Sting, Darby Allin, and Orange Cassidy
An OK TV match where we see Sting pulls out all of his best known moves, and everyone has a moment to show how strong they are. It didn’t move anything forward, but I have to admit that I am OK with any match where Sting does the greatest hits.
We then get a recap of the match last week where the Gunns helped Bullet Club Gold win. Renee asks them what is the relationship between the two teams. The Gunns say they are just being polite, and they are the best Brother Tag Team, and they challenge the Hardy next week to prove it.
Wardlow (TNT Champion) vs Jake Hager
Hager attacks Wardlow during his entrance, and beats him down to the ring and then in the ring as we hear the bell. Wardlow recovers quickly and goes after Hager with big power moves. As they fight in the ring, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker come to the ring to interfere, and Arn Anderson pulls out the Brock instead of the Glock and Brock fights them up the ramp.
Wardlow hits a senton off the top and the straps come down, so how many power bombs does Jake get?
Just two and Wardlow gets the pin and the win.
Winner and still TNT champion: Wardlow
After the match, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus are on the screen, and the audio doesn’t work until Cage says that he and Luchasaurus challenge him to a match on Saturday, and they have Arn Anderson behind them, his head bloodied.
We then get a video of Hiroshi Tanahashi challenging MJF. Renee asks if he accepts the challenge. And he says he will no show Forbidden Door, much like Dave Scherer.
Renee is with Orange Cassidy, she asks what is next for him, and he says he knows how it works, and someone will probably come in to challenge him before they are done. Zach Sabre Jr. says he wants to face Cassidy at Forbidden Door. Daniel Garcia comes in and says he wants the Ring of Honor Pure title so where is Katsuyori Shibata?
Cassidy says he and Shibata will take on Sabre and Garcia next week.
Toni Storm (AEW Women’s Champion) vs Skye Blue
Blue starts out hot and gets most of the offense before the commercial. When Storm is tossed from the ring, she and Ruby Soho get to jaw jacking with Blue’s mom at ringside until Storm sprays her with the green spray paint, allowing Blue to attack them both. Storm takes over on the small screen, and Blue starts fighting back as they return to full screen.
As Ruby is distracting the ref, Storm is able to bring the spray paint into the ring. Blueher own spray paint and sprays it in Storm’s face. Blue is able to get a pin and holds Storm for a count of at least five while the ref is distracted. Blue runs over to knock Soho off the ap[ron and runs back into a Storm Zero, but Storm only holds it for two. Storm then locks on a Texas Cloverleaf and Blue has to tap out.
Winner and still AEW Women’s champion: Toni Storm.
Ruby joins with Storm for the post-match beat down and Willow Nightingale charges the ring for the save. Storm and Soho bail.
While there are women in AEW who have gotten more attention, Blue is the one that is improving the most, and looked good in this match.
Renee is in the back with Hook and Jungle Boy and Jungle Boy says it’s the summer of Jungle Hook and he wants a belt of his own, so he accepts Sanada’s title. He asks Hook to have his back at Forbidden Door. They fist bump.
We then get a video package setting up Brian Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega.
Brian Danielson joins commentary.
Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) vs The Elite (Matt and NIck Jackson, and Adam Page)
No, I will not call them the Hung Bucks. Geez.
They all throw hands in the middle of the ring as the bell rings. The Bucks and Page hits the high flying moves early and once it is back in the ring, Mox starts with brawling. It moves back to the Bucks flying out of the ring onto people, but again, when they return to the ring, Mox is in control.
I think that’s a pretty cool way to set up the match to make it seem different than their previous matches.
When we come back, it looks like Mox may have hurt his elbow. Page then hits a series of leaps onto the other members of the BCC on the outside. Matt gets his locomotion Northern Lights Suplexes on Yuta. Everyone gets a big move on the next person until Yuta gets a suplex into a two count. The crowd is really into this, going to their feet for the near falls.
As we move into the final third of the match, it’s a Bucks spotfest enting with Page getting the Buckshot lariat into Yuta for the pin and the win.
Winners: Matt and NIck Jackson, and Adam Page
They cut to Danielson, who looks physically pained that his team has lost.
The BCC attack after the bell and Eddie Kingston charges the ring to go after Claudio. Mox and Eddie go face to face, and Matt Jackson goes after Mox, but Eddie pulls him off. Eddie and Mox go face to face and Konsuka Takeshida runs to the ring and everyone bails. Omega rushes to the ring and takes out Takeshida and the Bucks help clear the ring. Will Ospreay sneaks into the ring and hits Omega with a super kick.
Ospreay hits Omega with a Storm Breaker and Danielson stands on the stage applauding.
Just a nuts ending, and we are desperately out of time!
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