***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Excalibur and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
Taz was filling in for Tony Schiavone.
Kicking off tonight’s show—an AEW TNT Championship match with TNT Champ “The American Nightmare” Cody (with head coach “The Enforcer” Arn Anderson) vs. “The Concrete Rose” Sonny Kiss!
“This is the biggest night of Sonny’s career,” said Excalibur.
Cody booted Sonny with a pump kick right at the bell! Cody tried to end it quickly with a Disaster Kick! Sonny kicked out at two and rolled to the outside while Arn gave Cody some tough coaching. They went back into the ring and Sonny blasted Cody with a forearm and then an axe kick!
Sonny attempted an elbow out of a backflip but Cody caught him with a full nelson. Sonny escaped with a split, then popped to his hips and suplexed Cody! Sonny sprung off the middle rope and landed with a moonsault.
“Cody has not found his rhythm,” noted Jim Ross.
Tully Blanchard was sitting in the crowd scouting the match.
Sonny countered Cody’s offense with CrossRhodes for a near fall. Sonny was quick to follow up with a beautiful 450 splash onto Cody for another near fall!
Sonny had Cody in head scissors but Cody powered out. Cody planted Sonny onto the ramp and then hit the Alabama slam! Cody dropped Sonny on the crown of his head but Cody was unable to seal the deal. Cody seemed frustrated and pulled off his weight belt, tossing it to Arn Anderson on the outside. Cody went up top and executed a precise superplex on Sonny but Sonny kicked out again! Cody had Sonny in the cross-face submission but Sonny forced the break when he reached the ropes with his powerful legs.
Cody started dropping straight right hands on Sonny, and then removed the turnbuckle pad from the corner. Sonny reversed the hold and sent Cody flying headfirst into the steel of the exposed turnbuckle!
Sonny swung wildly at Cody, but “The American Nightmare” dodged the strikes and pinned Sonny after a vicious CrossRhodes!
Squaring off for the first time ever it was FTR—Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler—vs. The Lucha Brothers—Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix!
The Lucha Brothers pulled up in FTR’s stolen truck with The Butcher and The Blade dropping them off at the arena.
“Both teams stand for two different things in pro wrestling,” noted Taz.
“These two teams stylistically couldn’t be farther apart,” added Excalibur.
Pentagon stomped on Dax Harwood, but Dax got back up quickly and they traded stiff chops! Fenix came in and they double-teamed Dax. Fenix went for a suplex but Dax blocked it! Dax got the tag and Cash came in with an elbow drop onto Fenix!
FTR cut the ring in half, isolating Fenix, working him over with quick tags.
Pentagon came in and he and Fenix hit stereo superkicks on Cash! The Lucha Brothers lit up Cash’s chest with knife-edged chops. Fenix jumped off the top rope but Cash caught him with an uppercut and tagged in Dax, who proceeded to clean house on the opposition!
Dax suplexed Fenix and followed up with a running uppercut. Dax’s chest was bleeding from the chops earlier in the match.
The Lucha Brothers took down Cash with tandem offense. They looked for the spiked piledriver but Cash avoided it. Cash carried Fenix over to FTR’s corner and Dax came off the top turnbuckle with a bulldog onto Fenix! Dax went back up to the top for a superplex on Pentagon. Both teams wrestled defensively at this point until the match broke down into a Donnybrook!
Pentagon connected with a sling blade on Cash! Penta tried for a package piledriver on the apron but Cash blocked it. Cash then countered with a tope suicida into a DDT on the outside on Pentagon!
Dax pulled the lucha libre mask off Fenix! As Fenix was distracted trying to conceal his identity, Dax rolled him up for the pin!
The Butcher and The Blade taunted FTR afterwards, dangling their stolen truck keys. The Young Bucks hit superkicks on The Butcher and The Blade and retrieved the keys. The Bucks headed to the ring and gave the keys back to FTR. Kenny Omega came to the ring and offered FTR cold beers as a peace offering for the previous week. FTR took the beers and emptied them on Omega’s head.
Le Champion Chris Jericho came out to the ring with Jake Hager and Santana & Ortiz of The Inner Circle!
Jericho was carrying a jug of orange juice. He said last week on DYNAMITE he had one of the best matches in AEW history against Orange Cassidy, and he won the ratings war too!
“I’m the king of the ratings, man. I’m the demo god,” said Jericho.
Jericho said Orange Cassidy, the advertisers, the network, and the fans want a rematch between him and Orange. Jericho said, “If you want a rematch, you…aren’t getting one. Orange had his chance. He was good but not good enough.”
Jericho and The Inner Circle poured out some orange juice in honor of “Orange’s dead career.”
“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy’s music hit and he gradually made his way down the steps!
“The king of sloth style is not backing down from Jericho,” said Excalibur.
“I’m going to tell you what I really think, Orange. You did great but overall you don’t have what it takes to be with Le Champion. So I’ll say it one more time: there will never be a rematch. So take those sunglasses, fold ‘em up, and shove ‘em straight up your ass! Now get the hell out of my arena,” said Jericho.
Orange Cassidy responded with a thumbs down, and moments later gallons upon gallons of orange juice dropped onto The Inner Circle, drenching them in citrus! Someone tossed Jericho a towel to dry off with and as he unraveled it, it was revealed to be an “Orange Cassidy” towel!
Up next—The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks—Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. The Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, & Marko Stunt)!
Jericho, covered in O.J. and outraged, joined Jim Ross and Excalibur on commentary.
Jungle Boy and Nick Jackson began the match for their respective teams. They exchanged arm drags off the top rope, going hold for hold with one another.
“Hangman” Adam Page was shown pouring himself a stiff drink backstage. He was alone watching the match on a monitor.
Marko Stunt tagged himself in and Kenny Omega batted him to the ground. Marko avoided a hip toss from Omega and then came off the top with head scissors, taking Omega down by surprise. Luchasaurus and Matt Jackson were both tagged in. Matt ducked one monstrous kick but Luchasaurus followed up with another for a near fall on Matt!
“Offensive perpetual motion in this six-man tag,” said Jim Ross.
Marko was outside showing off his dance moves—flossing—but Nick Jackson took his head off with a superkick. Kenny wiped out Luchasaurus with a dropkick and followed up with the Terminator dive to the outside onto The Jurassic Express!
Jungle Boy planted Matt Jackson on the crown of his head with a DDT! Luchasaurus was tagged in and began dishing out chops, clotheslines, and kicks, taking on The Elite by himself!
FTR joined “Hangman” Adam Page backstage for a drink.
Luchasaurus ate a V-trigger from Kenny, who then dropped him with a snapdragon suplex! Kenny followed up with snapdragons on Jungle Boy and Marko! Jurassic Express rallied back and managed to connect with the Extinction Event on Kenny! The Bucks came in and hit stereo superkicks on Luchasaurus to save Kenny. The Elite used a triple Tiger Driver ‘98 on Luchasaurus for a near fall!
Marko Stunt crashed down with a 450 splash on Nick but Matt Jackson broke up the pin fall attempt. Luchasaurus grabbed Matt by the throat for a chokeslam and out of nowhere, Marko sailed off Luchasaurus’s shoulders with a Canadian destroyer on Matt!
Kenny set up the V-trigger and blasted Luchasaurus and then Marko! Kenny tried for the One-Winged Angel but Marko rolled him up for a near fall! Kenny had enough and scored the pin after another attempt at the One-Winged Angel on Marko, this time successfully.
Kenny laughed and began clubbing Marko with fists after the match! The Young Bucks pulled Kenny off Marko. Kenny tried to apologize to Marko, but Marko wasn’t interested in hearing it.
Backstage, Alex Marvez interviewed AEW Women’s Champ Hikaru Shida. She said she was ready for “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose, if Nyla was ready for her!
“The Nightmare Sisters” Brandi Rhodes & Allie (with “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes) took on MJ Jenkins and Kenzie Paige!
Brandi took down Kenzie with a fiery pump kick. Allie was tagged in and used a sliding clothesline and a knee on Kenzie. Brandi had a blind tag and winded Kenzie with a superkick.
Allie used a bulldog on Kenzie and Brandi speared MJ Jenkins! Allie dropped the elbow and pinned Jenkins!
Dustin Rhodes lifted Brandi’s arm in victory and then reluctantly raised Allie’s.
Dasha was in the ring to interview “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose and learn more about her big announcement!
Dasha asked Nyla if there was any word on who her manager might be.
“I’m not telling any of you anything because I’m going to let them say it for themselves,” said Nyla.
Vickie Guerrero came down to the ring!
Dasha asked Vickie what her strategy for Nyla was going to be. “When Nyla Rose and I are ready to go after the AEW Women’s Championship, it’ll be the perfect time,” replied Vickie.
“Who is going to stop Nyla Rose with Vickie Guerrero at her side?” asked Le Champion Chris Jericho.
Tonight’s main event was an AEW World Championship match with AEW champ Jon Moxley vs. FTW Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage (accompanied by Taz)!
“The FTW Championship is not a recognized championship by AEW,” said Excalibur.
Mox was wearing a Danny Havoc shirt in honor of his fallen friend.
Cage took the champ down with a powerful clothesline. He followed up with massive forearm strikes on Mox. The champ went for the armbar on Cage’s surgically repaired arm. Cage powered out and charged Moxley with an uppercut.
Mox flew at Cage with a Johnny Smith-like dropkick off the second turnbuckle, taking Cage off his feet. Mox kicked Cage’s chest and went for another arm breaker. Cage powered out and folded Mox in half with a suplex!
“There’s a singular focus here for Jon Moxley and that makes him extremely dangerous,” said Jim Ross.
Moxley went to the outside onto Cage with a tope suicida! Mox tried for Cage’s bicep again but Cage rammed Mox into the guardrail. Mox trapped Cage’s arm inside of the guardrail, and then he kicked it hard with his combat boot! Moxley was looking for the Paradigm Shift but Cage countered with a suplex onto the guardrail. Taz pointed at Mox and laughed. Cage body slammed Mox onto the steel guardrail!
Cage took Mox back into the ring and worked over the champ’s back with a human torture rack. Cage sat on Mox and stretched him with a camel clutch. Cage hit Mox with a body block, sending the champ flying outside the ring. Cage suplexed Mox onto a steel chair!
Inside the ring, Mox rolled up Cage for a near fall. Cage shut Mox down quickly with a powerslam! Cage came off the top with a moonsault, but Mox moved! Cage tweaked his knee on the way down. Cage went for a discus lariat but Mox countered with the Paradigm Shift! But Cage kicked out of the Paradigm Shift!
Mox applied an armbar but Cage escaped and manhandled Mox, throwing him straight into the turnbuckle!
“Cage is a machine!” said Excalibur.
Cage went for Drill Claw but Mox escaped! Mox applied a cross armbar on Cage, wrenching backwards with all of his weight! Mox transitioned the submission, effectively putting himself in the way of the ropes to prevent an escape by Cage.
Mox gave Taz the middle finger and then Taz threw in the towel, ending the match!
Jon Moxley retained the AEW World Championship!
“Taz is wisely protecting his investment by throwing in the towel. If he didn’t, Mox would have continued to damage Cage’s arm and it would have cost Cage ten more months of rehab,” noted Jim Ross.
After the match, Cage smashed Mox in the head with the FTW belt! Mox was getting clobbered with fists when the arena went dark. When the lights returned, Darby Allin jumped off the top turnbuckle with his skateboard, knocking Brian Cage down and away from Mox!
Darby Allin is back!
Be sure to join us next week for all the fallout from FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN on AEW DYNAMITE on TNT!