***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL.
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
The #1 contender for Chris Jericho’s AEW World Championship, Jon Moxley, vs. Ortiz (a member of Jericho’s Inner Circle, accompanied by Santana) kicked off the program!
Moxley has been #1 in the AEW rankings for nine straight weeks, and tonight he was wrestling with only one good eye. Before the match began the Huntsville crowd was chanting “Moxley! Moxley! Moxley!” Le Champion Chris Jericho walked out with Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara, and they joined the broadcast team for the match.
Mox exploded like a Molotov cocktail, stopping a boot from Ortiz and then pummeling him with knees. Ortiz reacted quickly with a DDT and a head butt. He threw Mox into the metal ring steps on the outside of the ring.
Jericho said, “This is not some gimmick for Ortiz and Santana. They are literally street thugs from the Bronx.” Ortiz put a camel clutch on Mox and then raked his forearm across Mox’s injured eye. Mox fought out with stiff forearms of his own, but Ortiz blocked it and countered with a power bomb. This time Mox had a counter of his own and applied a figure four-leg lock to Ortiz. Mox tossed Ortiz outside the ring, and then hit a tope suicida onto Santana!
“Moxley has an eye behind his head, he’s an animal, but we have a strategy for REVOLUTION!” said Jericho.
Ortiz used some tiger claws on Moxley, and then took flight with a splash off the top rope for a near fall. Ortiz then used a fisherman’s suplex on Mox, good for just a two count on Mox.
Mox reversed a lariat from Ortiz, and followed up with the Paradigm Shift for the victory!
Mox pointed to Jericho but was blindsided by Santana. Mox dished out a Paradigm Shift to Santana for his troubles! Moxley pulled out a pair of car keys and thrust one into Santana’s eye!
“An eye for an eye,” said Excalibur. The Inner Circle ran down the ramp to save Santana, while Mox left through the crowd. Santana was in excruciating pain, covering his eye with his hands.
“There a fine line between genius and insanity, and right now Moxley is straddling that line,” said Jim Ross.
SCU (Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian, without Chris Daniels) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent, along with Orange Cassidy) was up next!
Trent and Frankie locked up, with Frankie taking his opponent down with a side headlock. The two exchanged chops to the chest, but Frankie starched Trent with a right hand.
Sky was tagged in and was met with a shoulder tackle from Chuckie T., but Sky got big air with a dropkick to “the Kentucky Gentleman.” Sky gave an over-the-top cutter to Chuckie, but Trent hit a spear on Sky! Kazarian grabbed Trent and connected with a wicked German suplex onto the floor.
Back in the ring, it was Frankie with the assisted swinging DDT onto Trent. The Best Friends pulled out a “sole food half and half combination” and it was Best Friends back in the driver’s seat! They were looking for Strong Zero, but SCU reversed it with the Yoshi Tonic for the pin fall!
The Dark Order stormed the ring, mauling SCU and Best Friends. Orange Cassidy, not threatened by the numbers, entered the ring. Evil Uno offered a mask to Orange, who declined, placing his hands in his pockets. The Dark Order took the boots to Orange Cassidy until Chris Daniels sprinted to the ring. The Dark Order retreated from the ring before Daniels could get his hands on any of them!
The next match of the evening was Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D against “the Magical Girl” Yuka Sakazaki, making her DYNAMITE debut!
Baker used her height advantage to place an arm bar on Sakazaki, and then whipped her into the corner turnbuckle. Baker used both hands to throttle Yuka Sakazaki around the throat. Sakazaki used leg scissors, and then the Magical Girl Splash to the outside onto Baker! Baker was stunned, and Sakazaki followed up with a clothesline.
The two began exchanging strikes, but Baker stopped it with a thrust kick! Baker went for Lock Jaw, but Sakazaki escaped with a rollup for the pin!
As Sakazaki was celebrating in the ring, Baker used the steel ring bell and blasted Sakazaki in the back of the head with it. Baker then placed Sakazaki’s mouth on the ring ropes and stomped down on her head. Sakazaki began pleading for help, blood pouring out of her mouth. A frightened Sakazaki looked down, clutching a broken tooth, as blood pooled into her hands. Dr. Britt Baker applied her Lock Jaw on Sakazaki, adding insult to injury!
AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega & Adam Page and the Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. the Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) and the Butcher & the Blade (with the Bunny) faced off in an 8-man tag bout!
“Hangman” Page didn’t wait for the Elite, coming down to the ring without them. Page lit up the Blade with chops and then a big boot. Page tagged in Omega who worked over the Blade with tandem offense. “Good continuity by the champs,” said Jim Ross.
The Elite isolated the Blade in the corner, with quick tags in and out. The Bucks and Omega hit a triple dropkick on the Butcher, while Page merely watched from the ring apron.
Nick Jackson single-handedly took out both members of the Lucha Bros on the outside of the ring! Nick tagged in Matt who hit locomotion Northern Lights suplexes on Fenix. Omega got the tag, but Fenix jumped off Omega’s shoulders to take down Matt. The Lucha Bros double-teamed Omega, and then tagged in the Butcher, who hammered down on Omega.
The Butcher used a backbreaker on Omega, but Omega used a hurracanrana and then got the tag to Page who cleaned house! The crowd was chanting “Cowboy S—t! Cowboy S—t!” Page wiped out all four members of the opposition with a moonsault to the outside! Excalibur noted that it appeared Page tweaked his knee on the landing.
Omega dished out snapdragon suplexes to the Blade and Fenix! The Young Bucks connected with assisted Sliced Bread on the Butcher! Page came in with the Buckshot Lariat, and then used a fall away slam on the Butcher. Page was clutching his knee again. The Bucks wanted to tag in, but Page turned away from them. The Lucha Bros hit their finishing combo on “Hangman,” and Pentagon pinned him.
“Page refused to tag in,” said Excalibur.
“There’s no logic to that. There’s something brewing there and it’s not healthy,” added Jim Ross.
The Bucks were frustrated with Page and the loss, and Omega tried to keep the peace. Page left the ring, guzzling a beer from a fan at ringside.
Tony Schiavone was in the ring to interview Kenny Omega, but backstage, “the Bastard” PAC interrupted. PAC was standing next to RIHO.
“This was supposed to be a contract signing, but you left Michael Nakazawa for dead. We’ll see if you care about RIHO,” said PAC.
“Stop, stop, stop! You’ve got your match!” screamed Omega.
“I hope you didn’t think I’d put my hands on a woman, Kenny. I’m not a beast. But she is!” said PAC, and with that, “the Native Beast” Nyla Rose attacked RIHO from behind, planting her through a table with a power bomb!
“Superbad” Kip Sabian (accompanied by Penelope Ford) vs. the “Bad Boy” Joey Janela was up next!
It began like a hockey fight, with both men slugging away at one another. Kip kicked Janela square in the face. The “Bad Boy” lit up Sabian’s chest with chops, and then dropped him with a back suplex for a near fall.
Sabian and Janela took turns kicking each other in the back, as if they were daring one another, but Sabian called an audible and applied a sleeper on Janela. The “Bad Boy” fought out and connected with a palm strike to Sabian’s throat. Sabian took out Janela with a basement dropkick. On the outside, Penelope Ford slammed Janela’s head into the ring steps. She clawed at his eyes as her boyfriend Kip Sabian kicked Janela.
“The story of this match is how Penelope has intervened on behalf of Kip Sabian,” said Excalibur.
Janela turned his back for a mere moment and was kicked in the face by Sabian. Janela had Sabian scouted on the next move, though, as he caught Sabian in the air and suplexed him on the outside!
Sabian and Janela got in another slugfest, but after a head and shoulder misdirection fake, Sabian DDT’ed Janela. Penelope Ford locked lips with Sabian, and it was enough to distract Janela. Sabian rolled up Janela for the dirty victory!
MJF’s music started to play, and out strolled MJF with Wardlow. It was time for Cody’s ten lashes!
“The American Nightmare” Cody’s theme song played throughout the arena, and Cody came out to honor the stipulation that he accepted.
“A vicious and cruel woodshed awaits…he will keep his word,” said Jim Ross, as Cody took off his jacket and entered the ring. Cody proceeded to loosen his tie, and then removed his tie and shirt.
“Hold on, hold on, hold on. I don’t know, this is a really nice belt. Far too nice to touch you!” said MJF, as he pointed down at his leather belt. “I want your belt. Now!”
Cody tossed his belt to MJF and turned around, ready to receive his lashes. MJF was all smiles.
“It’s old school, man,” commented Jim Ross.
The Butcher and the Blade, Kip Sabian, and Sammy G. came out on the top of the ramp to witness the lashing.
Cody took two stiff lashes, and then a third, grimacing in pain. The third was enough to cause Cody to lunge forward and grab the ring ropes. Arn Anderson came down to the ring, and MJF said, “You can’t help him now, old man!”
The welts began popping up on Cody’s back. The fourth time MJF hit him with the belt caused Cody to drop to his knees, but Cody stood up for another.
Cody’s brother, Dustin Rhodes, ran down to the ring. Dustin offered to take the remaining lashes. “Unfortunately this is not how it works,” said MJF. “Get out of my ring and watch with everybody else,” he continued.
Two quick ones to the spine, and Cody was back on the mat, clenching his teeth. Now the Young Bucks were out, trying to console their friend. Cody rolled out of the ring, and the Bucks and Dustin Rhodes offered him words of encouragement. “You’re almost there,” said Dustin.
Cody was digging deep, gritting his teeth, and he manned up again in the center of the ring. He had three more to go. MJF hit him with the strap again, and Cody fell again. “Stay down!” screamed MJF.
Cody gave the middle finger to MJF. This time, Wardlow offered his services, and MJF handed the leather belt to Wardlow. A thunderous crack echoed throughout the arena as Wardlow whipped Cody, who collapsed to his feet, his back bleeding, covered in welts.
Brandi Rhodes, Cody’s wife, came down to the ring. “You’ve got one more. You can do this. I love you so much,” she said, as she grabbed his hand through the ring ropes. Cody turned around for number ten and got one right in the chest, but Cody did not quit! MJF finished it off with a low blow to Cody, before he and Wardlow retreated through the crowd!
Tune in next week on February 12th, as AEW DYNAMITE will be broadcasting live on TNT from the H.E.B. Center in Austin, TX!