***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
December 11, 2019, ALL ELITE WRESTLING (AEW) made its Texas debut, broadcasting AEW DYNAMITE on TNT, live from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
Jon Moxley, the #1 ranked contender for Jericho’s AEW World title, entered thru the crowd to face Alex Reynolds.
Mox blasted his competitor with the Paradigm Shift for a quick and decisive victory.
John Silver ran in and was greeted with a DDT from Mox!
The AEW World Champion, Le Champion, Chris Jericho, walked down the ramp, surrounded by all the members of the Inner Circle.
The Inner Circle stood outside while Jericho entered the ring with a microphone. Jericho acknowledged the long history that he and Moxley share. He said that Moxley came to him for advice years ago, and that he taught Moxley how to become a main event level superstar and a champion. And years later, Jericho said, when Moxley needed help to reignite his passion for the business, Moxley called Jericho, and Jericho helped navigate him to the waters of AEW.
Jericho invited Moxley to join the Inner Circle. Jericho said he doesn’t want an answer from Moxley tonight, but he wants him to take his time, think hard, choose wisely, and “…when you’re ready…we’ll be waiting.”
Jericho placed an Inner Circle t-shirt on Mox’s shoulder and exited the ring.
A video package aired hyping the Texas Street Fight between the teams of Proud & Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) and the Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson).
The Butcher & the Blade (accompanied by the Bunny) made their AEW in-ring debut tonight against “The American Nightmare” Cody and QT Marshall.
Cody and the Blade squared up with a collar and elbow tie-up. An aggressive Cody hit a lightning quick slam on the Blade, who tagged out to the Butcher. Cody tagged in a fresh QT Marshall. The Butcher shrugged off a right hand from QT. Outside, the Bunny distracted QT, allowing enough time for the Blade to dive onto him. QT hit an enziguri out of desperation on the Blade. After some impressive double team maneuvers from the Butcher and the Blade, the Butcher began using his size advantage to work over QT Marshall.
The Blade missed a splash on QT, and QT got the hot tag on Cody, who came in with a big boot, a lariat, and then the disaster kick on the Butcher. Cody went off the top with a blind cross body block on the Blade for a two count! Cody hit a beautiful cutter on the Blade for another close two count! Cody tried for the figure four, but the Blade kicked Cody to the ropes, who had his eyes gouged by the Bunny. QT Marshall tagged himself in and cleaned house on the Butcher and the Blade! The fans were on their feet! The Blade hit a stunner on QT and then the Butcher hit a massive lariat on QT. After hitting their finisher, the Butcher and the Blade pinned QT Marshall in a highly competitive, close match!
Cody sat outside the ring dejected.
Darby Allin stormed down the ramp and extended his hand to Cody, helping Cody to his feet and then to the back.
Later, MJF, along with Wardlow, came to the ring with a microphone.
MJF made a member of the AEW camera crew kiss his ring, and then he nailed the crew member with the Cross Rhodes.
MJF wanted to deliver a message to Cody and said, “…to quote a legend, Cody, you do not throw rocks at a man with a machine gun!” MJF said, “When I think of the word ‘fake,’ I think of you, Cody,” claiming that Cody doesn’t care about the AEW fans. MJF said Cody won’t get him fired for his comments, because then Cody would be letting down the fans, who want to see MJF take on Cody. MJF said, “You’re on! But I’ve got a couple of stipulations but I won’t tell you them here in Texas. Cody, I’m going to give you the stipulations in Jacksonville [on January 1st on DYNAMITE].” The Texas fans responded in kind to MJF’s disparaging remarks. “I’m better than you, Cody, and you know it!”
Alex Reynolds was shown watching TV in his hotel room, and the Dark Order seemed to be recruiting to their numbers via a subliminal message on Reynolds’ television.
Big Swole, making her AEW DYNAMITE debut, competed against Emi Sakura. Hikaru Shida, the #1 ranked female wrestler in AEW, was shown sitting ringside.
Big Swole had the distinct strength advantage, hitting Sakura with a heel kick. Sakura rebounded quickly with a hair whip on Swole, tossing her across the ring.
Swole backhanded Sakura. The veteran Sakura put pressure on Swole with the Romero Special, wrenching Big Swole’s head backwards!
Sakura hit a diving cross body in the corner to Swole’s midsection, and then a Tiger driver, but didn’t cover Swole for the pin. Sakura applied the cobra twist on Swole, who managed to escape and speared Sakura!
Big Swole went for another spear, this time through the ropes, but Sakura caught her with a stiff knee to the back of Swole’s head. Sakura connected with a twisting Vader bomb on Big Swole for a two count! Sakura missed a moonsault press from the top rope, and Big Swole countered with strikes and uppercuts to Sakura. Big Swole tried for Dirty Dancing and connected on the second attempt for the three-count victory on the #3 ranked female competitor in AEW, Emi Sakura!
AEW broadcaster Jennifer Sterger was backstage to interview PAC. “I came to this company for one reason: opportunity,” declared PAC. “I have put out dominating performance after dominating performance. This is my final warning! Kenny Omega and AEW, give me my rubber match or I will not be held accountable for what I do next!”
“Superbad” Kip Sabian (accompanied to the ring by Penelope Ford) teamed with “the Chairman” Shawn Spears to wrestle the duo of “the Hangman” Adam Page and “the Cleaner” Kenny Omega!
Shawn Spears is on a four match-winning streak here in AEW. Spears tagged himself out to Sabian before the action got underway, and Sabian and Page traded offense. Omega was tagged in, and he and Page double-teamed Sabian with chops. Omega went to high-five Page, but Page walked away back to the team’s corner, not acknowledging Omega.
An aggressive “Hangman” delivered shot after shot to Sabian and Spears! It didn’t take long before Sabian and Spears gained control on offense on Page. Finally, Omega was tagged in and his offense was on fire! Omega attempted to dive onto Sabian, but Penelope Ford stood in his way allowing Spears to use the backstabber knees on Omega. Sabian used a hurracarana on Omega. Sabian kicked Omega to the side of the head, and then a swinging DDT on Omega for the near fall. Page attempted to get involved from the outside, but Penelope Ford took him out with a hurracarana from out of nowhere! Kenny, who decimated Sabian with the V-Trigger, countered Sabian’s Deathly Hollow maneuver.
The lights in the arena went out. When the arena lights came back on, Joey Janela had Tully Blanchard tied to a steel chair at the top of the ramp. Spears ran outside, deserting his partner to rescue Tully Blanchard, his manager.
Now two-on-one, Omega hit the snap dragon suplex on Sabian, then a devastating V-trigger. Before Omega could cover Sabian, Page tagged himself in and scored the pin fall on Sabian.
Brandi Rhodes was shown from an undisclosed location and said she was waiting for Kris Statlander to join her “Nightmare Collective.”
Chris Jericho’s music played, and he went to the broadcast table. Jericho, along with “Big Hurt” Jake Hager, joined Jim Ross on commentary. Jericho told Excalibur and Tony Schiavone to leave.
“The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara vs. Luchasaurus (accompanied by Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt) was up next!
Next week is Jericho’s 10-minute challenge (a non title match) with Jungle Boy, which Le Champion reminded the AEW faithful of on commentary tonight.
Sammy ducked a tail whip kick from Luchasaurus, and then began working on the masked dino’s thigh. Luchasaurus gave Sammy a head-butt on the outside and then slammed him into the ring apron. Luchasaurus went for a choke slam, but Sammy escaped, and then the “Spanish God” planted Luchasaurus on the crown of his head. Sammy went for the moonsault but Luchasaurus rolled out of the way, and then he pancaked Sammy for the pin fall victory.
Jericho and Hager ran down to the ring to attack Luchasaurus, but Jungle Boy ran down to aid his partners. After some rapid fire offense, Jungle Boy unofficially pinned Jericho during the melee. Jericho screamed, “That didn’t count! That didn’t count!”
A huge announcement was made: the next AEW pay-per-view spectacular will be held on Saturday, February 29th, as AEW presents REVOLUTION from Chicago!
It was time for the main event of the night! It was the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) against Proud & Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) in a Texas Street Fight!
Before they could get to the ring, the Bucks were ambushed by P&P! Brandon Cutler jumped in to lend a hand to his friends, but was power bombed through the stage by Santana and Ortiz. Sammy G. was out there helping Proud & Powerful. Nick hit the IndyTaker on Sammy! Nick followed up with a senton through a table onto Ortiz. Matt Jackson lifted his brother Nick, allowing Nick to give an elevated dropkick on Santana.
The tag champs, SCU, were shown sitting at ringside.
In the ring, Matt and Nick Jackson put Santana on their shoulders, but he slipped out and began using a loaded sock on the Bucks! Matt Jackson put on a Dallas Cowboys football helmet and speared Proud & Powerful! Matt hit the locomotion Northern Lights suplex on Santana! Ortiz hit the Bucks with a Singapore cane!
There was plunder-a-plenty scattered around the ring now. Proud & Powerful smashed a cookie tray across the head of Nick Jackson. It was wild and crazy, deep in the heart of Texas tonight! Nick Jackson hit a 450 splash onto a garbage can onto Ortiz, but the ref was taken out by Jake Hager before the pin fall could be counted! Dustin Rhodes ran down to get revenge and teed off on Jake Hager!
Matt and Nick were using their patented tandem offense on Proud & Powerful, with More Bang for Your Buck. Official Rick Knox was knocked out by a stray superkick from earlier in the match, so ref Aubrey Edwards came down as a substitute official to oversee the contest.
P&P used the Street Sweeper onto Matt onto a trash can, but Nick pulled Aubrey Edwards out of the ring before the three count was made! Ortiz started clobbering Nick in the back with the loaded sock! There were two steel chairs set up in the ring, and Nick bulldogged Ortiz onto them. The Bucks hit a double superkick on Ortiz. Matt held a steel chair up to Ortiz’s face, and Nick superkicked it! The Bucks used the Meltzer Driver on Ortiz and scored the victory! What a battle!
Tune in next Wednesday, December 18th, for another explosive episode of AEW DYNAMITE on TNT, from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX!