AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. In addition to the takeaways below, AEW announced several themed shows to close out December and begin the New Year.
Dynamite Results (12/9)
- Young Bucks def. TH2
- FTR def. Varsity Blondes
- Dustin Rhodes def. 10
- The Butcher, The Blade, and Eddie Kingston def. Lucha Bros, and Lance Archer
- Abadon def. Tesha Price
- MJF def. Orange Cassidy to retain the Dynamite Diamond ring
Here are the takeaways from this week’ show:
Young Bucks def. TH2
AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks faced Jack Evans & Angelico (TH2) in the first match of the night. TH2 attacked Matt and Nick Jackson before the bell rang but the Young Bucks quickly battled back. Matt and Nick knocked TH2 out of the ring with a couple of Dropkicks.
Nick flipped onto TH2 and then the action returned to the ring. Angelico caught Nick with a right hand to the face but Nick responded with an Arm Drag. Matt tagged in and connected with a Leg Drop. Nick Dropkicked Jack Evans off the ring apron as Matt sent Angelico to the corner.
Jack Evans flipped onto Nick and then hit Matt with a Double Stomp. Jack connected with a 450 Splash on Matt for a two count. Nick hit Evans with a Superkick and Matt delivered on to Angelico as well. Nick planted TH2 with a Clothesline/Bulldog combo and went for the cover but Angelico kicked out at two.
Matt Jackson Powerbombed Evans onto the Acclaimed in the crowd. Back in the ring, Nick hit Angelico with a knee to the face and Young Bucks followed it up with Risky Business for a two count. Jack Evans tagged in and planted Matt with a Backbreaker. Evans followed it up with a springboard 450 Splash for a two count.
Angelico tagged in and walked into a boot to the face from Nick. Matt lifted Jack up in the Electric Chair and Young Bucks hit him with Doomsday Device. Back in the ring, Young Bucks hit Angelico with stereo Superkicks but somehow Angelico kicked out at two.
Matt went for a flip but tweaked his leg. Jack Evans hit Matt with a Hurricanrana and then flipped onto Nick outside the ring. Angelico locked in a submission hold targeting Matt’s knee as Jack tried to prevent Nick from getting back in the ring. Nick avoided Jack and broke up the hold by connecting with a Senton off the top rope.
Young Bucks set up for the Meltzer Driver but Jack broke it up. Jack Evans tried to flip onto Matt but he caught him. Young Bucks then connected with the Meltzer Driver on Jack outside the ring. Back in the ring, Nick booted Angelico in the face and Young Bucks hit him with stereo Superkicks. Young Bucks followed it up with the BTE Trigger for the pinfall victory. After the match, the Acclaimed tried to get into the ring but SCU showed up. The Acclaimed retreated as SCU and the Young Bucks stood tall in the ring.
Sting Interrupted Cody
Darby Allin was shown a series of images tonight in a Rorschach test. Darby saw Brian Cage and said he was the #1 contender and it is time he got a shot at the TNT Championship. The final image was clearly Sting and Darby chucked to end the video.
Cody came to the ring with Arn Anderson for an interview with Tony Schiavone. Tony asked for Cody’s reaction to Sting coming to the ring last week as Team Taz was beating him down. The lights went out and Sting’s theme hit. Sting joined Cody, Arn, and Schiavone in the ring.
Arn grabbed the microphone as a loud “Sting!” chant erupted in Daily’s Place. Arn said he had to get a little closer to Sting to make sure that this is real. Anderson said that Sting and Cody have an agenda and for now he is just going to see his way out of the ring. Tony gave Sting the microphone and went to leave but Sting stopped him.
Sting gave Tony a hug and asked him to shout “it’s Sting!” one more time. Tony obliged and gave Sting another hug. Cody welcomed Sting back and thanked him for the assist last week. Cody stated that he has been waiting to share the ring with Sting for a very long time.
Sting told Cody that he is not here for him, at least not for right now. Sting said that there is something really familiar about this place and pointed to Darby Allin sitting in the stands. Sting stated that this is the jungle and the stinger has come full circle and is back on TNT.
Cody once again welcomed Sting back and stared at him. Sting stated that he is officially signed with AEW and he plans on being close with the AEW fans and in this promotion for a long time. Sting told Cody that the way he chooses to play is his business. Sting grabbed Cody by the shoulder and said “see you around, kid” to end the segment. Team Taz then cut a backstage promo and claimed that Tony Khan had to sign Sting to save his two golden boys (Cody & Darby Allin).
FTR Picked Up A Win
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) battled the Varsity Blondes (Griff Garrison & Brian Pillman Jr.) tonight on Dynamite. FTR dominated the action early and isolated Pillman in the ring. Pillman leveled Wheeler with a Dropkick and tagged in Garrison. Griff got in a couple of shots before tagging Pillman back in.
Dax tagged in and beat Pillman down in the corner as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Tully hit Pillman with a cheap shot while the referee wasn’t looking. Pillman bounced Wheeler’s face off the apron and followed it up with a shoulder block in the ring.
Griff and Dax tagged in and Garrison connected with a couple Clotheslines. Garrison sent FTR to the corner and hit them with a Splash. Garrison followed it up with a Spear on Harwood for a near fall. Dax shoved Griff to the outside and Pillman tagged in. Dax planted Pillman Jr. with a Brainbuster and tagged in Cash. FTR then hit Pillamn with the Goodnight Express for the pinfall victory. After the match, FTR shoved Jurassic Express in the crowd.
Dustin Rhodes Declined To Join Dark Order
Dark Order’s #10 faced Dustin Rhodes tonight. Lee Johnson accompanied Dustin to the ring. Rhodes beat the hell out of 10 in the corner of the ring to start off the match. Dustin threw !0 out of the ring and smashed his face off the barricade. 10 battled back and bounced Dustin’s head off the apron before the action returned to the ring.
10 connected with a big Spinebuster and followed it up with a kick to the face that sent Rhodes out of the ring. 10 took his time following Dustin to the outside and Rhodes rolled back into the ring. 10 kicked Aaron Solow in the face and returned to the ring. Dustin capitalized and planted 10 with a Running Bulldog for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Evil Uno and the rest of Dark Order came to the ring. Evil Uno said he is not here to fight and stated that Dustin’s legacy has gone through five decades. Uno claimed that Dustin is the third most important Rhodes in AEW and asked him to become “7” of the Dark Order. Dustin slapped Evil Uno in the face and he fell to the canvas. Evil Uno told Dark Order to back off and told Dustin that he will come begging for it once he sees the light.
Brandi Threw A Drink In Shaq’s Face
Tony Schiavone and Brandi Rhodes interviewed Shaq tonight on Dynamite. Shaq said he was watching Jade Cargill’s interaction with Cody a couple weeks ago and told Brandi that he didn’t appreciate what she did her to arm. Brandi noted that she didn’t deserve that because Jade came into her house.
Shaq said he would love to see Brandi and Jade Cargill settle it on Dynamite. Shaq added that he was just messing around with Cody on Twitter and has nothing but respect for wrestlers. Shaq suggested that Brandi Rhodes watch Jade Cargill for some pointers while her arm is in a sling. Brandi got pissed off and threw a drink in Shaq’s face. Brandi called Shaq an “overgrown asshole” to end the segment.
Inner Circle Is Staying Together
Inner Circle came to the ring and Jericho said that the shit that has been going lately is not what he wanted and called it embarrassing. Jericho claimed that Santana is so pissed off that he didn’t even bother showing up for work this week. Jericho asked if they will move forward or is it time to end Inner Circle.
MJF claimed that he loves all of them like brothers but is starting to understand what is going on here. MJF suggested that he might be the issue because people think he wants to break up or take over this group. He stated that he chose to be in Inner Circle because he wanted to be a part of the greatest faction in wrestling.
MJF told Sammy that he loves him dearly and suggested that he was the one that was going to throw in the towel during the Jericho match. Chris said everyone watches Dynamite and knows that MJF was going to throw in the towel not Sammy. Ortiz said that MJF & Wardlow are great talents and demanded that Sammy shake MJF’s hand.
Ortiz added that in life you don’t get to choose the cards you are dealt but Inner Circle is the winning hand. Ortiz told Sammy to be the better man because he is better than MJF and he knows it. Guevara told Jericho and MJF that if anything else negative happens here he will quit the Inner Circle. Sammy then shook MJF’s hand and Jericho said he appreciates that everyone is on the same page now.
Hager grabbed the microphone and asked why Wardlow keeps starting at him. Wardlow said Hager was the one who was staring and the two called each other creeps. Jericho suggested that they both stop staring at each other and Wardlow & Hager agreed. MJF vowed to beat Orange Cassidy tonight in the main event and Jericho told him that he was ruining the moment. Inner Circle then posed together to conclude the promo.
Eddie Kingston, Butcher & Blade Dominated
Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade faced Lance Archer, Pentagon, and Rey Fenix. Before the match, Butcher slammed Pentagon through a table outside the ring. The match started and Butcher leveled Fenix with a Crossbody in the ring as Pentagon was helped backstage by AEW officials.
Blade tagged in and continued to beat Fenix down in the corner of the ring. The Bunny hit Fenix with a cheap shot as Blade distracted referee Aubrey Edwards. Eddie tagged in and Fenix planted him with a Cutter. Lance Archer tagged in and battled with Butcher in the middle of the ring.
Archer hit Butcher and Blade with Splashes and then a Flying Clothesline as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jake Roberts distracted Blade and Archer capitalized with a German Suplex. Fenix tagged in and hit Blade with a Crossbody. Fenix booted Butcher in the face and then planted Kingston with a Hurricanrana.
Fenix hit Kingston with a Suicide Dive that sent Eddie crashing into the barricade. Back in the ring, Butcher and Blade hit Fenix with a Powerbomb/Neckbreaker combo for the pinfall victory. After the match, Lance Archer beat Butcher & Blade down before they retreated.
Shida Hit Abadon With A Kendo Stick
Abadon faced tonight on Dynamite. Abadon took control of the action right away and quickly connected with a Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory. After the match, Abadon continued to beat Tesha down until AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida showed up with a kendo stick. Abadon charged at her and Shida hit her over the head with the kendo stick. Abadon sat up and Shida & Tesha retreated.
Kenny Omega & Don Callis Spoke
AEW Champion Kenny Omega showed up in a helicopter and made his way to the ring with Don Callis. Tony Schiavone said he has been in the wrestling business since 1983 and has never been more disgusted than what went down last week. Don said that Tony Khan is upset and he shouldn’t be because he invited him here.
Callis said that this took years of planning and that he has known Omega since he was ten years old. Don claimed that they created AEW and one cannot steal what they create. Omega said that he never begged Tony Khan to get his friends and family a payday. Kenny said that the AEW Championship is the biggest prize in professional wrestling and last week was inspirational because everyone fell for it.
Kenny revealed a black eye and said Moxley gave it to him. Omega noted that he used the microphone to hit Moxley but nobody kicks out of the One Winged Angel. Callis said some people make matches, some people make money, but Kenny Omega makes history. Kenny said “goodbye and goodnight” to end the promo.
Opinion: I thought that this promo accomplished absolutely nothing. This was billed as a “special announcement” from Omega but was really just the same promo as the one that aired during Impact Wrestling last night.
MJF Retained The Dynamite Diamond Ring
MJF battled Orange Cassidy for the Dynamite Diamond ring in this week’s main event. Best Friends and Inner Circle were ringside for the match. MJF went right after Cassidy and stomped him to the canvas. MJF connected with a Suplex and went for the cover but Cassidy kicked out at one.
MJF hit another Suplex for another one count. Cassidy went for the Orange Punch but MJF dodged it and Cassidy crashed into the ring post. MJF then Powerbombed Cassidy on the ring apron and then dared Trent to hit him. MJF bent back Cassidy’s fingers before rolling him back into the ring.
Orange Cassidy sent MJF into the turnbuckle but MJF quickly battled back and stomped on Cassidy’s hand. MJF elbowed Cassidy in the face for a two count. MJF threw Cassidy out of the ring and Inner Circle attacked Cassidy as the referee was distracted.
When Dynamite returned from a break, MJF was still in control as Best Friends brought some wrestlers ringside to even the odds. Cassidy hit MJF with a Crossbody off the top rope and followed it up with a DDT. Orange climbed up to the top rope and connected with a diving DDT for a near fall.
MJF avoided a splash and stomped on Cassidy’s hand once again. Cassidy rolled up MJF for a two count and then got launched into the turnbuckle. MJF hit Cassidy with a Shoulder Breaker and followed it up with a Tiger Driver for a two count. Cassidy sent MJF out of the ring and then flipped onto Inner Circle outside the ring.
Back in the ring, MJF planted Cassidy with a Piledriver and went for the cover with his foot on the ropes for leverage. Best Friends pointed it out and then hopped on the apron. MJF brought a bat into the ring and tried to make it seem like Cassidy hit him. The referee didn’t buy it and Cassidy connected with the Beach Break for a near fall. MJF stomped on Cassidy’s hand and went for the Salt of the Earth Armbar but Cassidy got out of it. Cassidy then hit the Orange Punch and went for the cover but MJF kicked out at two.
Cassidy hit another Orange Punch but Wardlow put MJF’s foot on the bottom rope to break it up. Miro rushed the ring and leveled Cassidy as the referee was distracted with the brawl ringside. MJF then put his arm over Cassidy for the pinfall victory. MJF will hold the Dynamite Diamond ring for another year. After the match, Best Friends brawled with Kip Sabian and Miro on the entrance ramp. Miro beat down some security guards and production staff to close the show.
Opinion: The Dynamite Diamond ring doesn’t really mean anything to me. MJF used the ring as a weapon a couple of times to win matches. Other than that, I’m not sure what the value of the ring is and it hasn’t really done anything for MJF in my opinion. He is already a star and the Dynamite Diamond ring is an afterthought.
Overall, this week’s Dynamite was packed and was an entertaining show. I will say that it seems like every single match on Dynamite has some kind of shenanigans after it. Whether it is a brawl, an attack from behind, or Dark Order showing up, there is always something and I find it pretty annoying. I hope that a second show on TNT will help fix that issue because it appears like AEW is trying to cram three hours of storylines into a two hour show every week.