***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
We fade in to Jake “the Snake” Roberts, sitting alone in a room. He addresses “The American Nightmare” Cody.
“Tick…tock…tick…tock, here were are again folks. My history will not be my destiny. Famous words…quoted by me. Let me ask you a simple question: Would you stand in front of a train that was barreling down that track?
“Would you jump out of an airplane without a parachute?
“Would you stand in the ring and look at Lance Archer and think you’ve got a prayer of winning?
“See all three things, you’ll wind up in the same position: done. You step in the ring with Lance Archer and it is done!
“You see what happened to poor Marko, and I know what happened to you, Marko. Nobody else wanted it and you saw that as an opportunity to prove to everybody—you thought—that you were willing and you were a man. Marko sometimes it’s better to be thought a fool than to speak up or take action and erase all doubt. You’re an idiot.
“Now Cody please don’t let this one slip away from you. I gotta funny feeling about this one that you might just get beat by Shawn Spears. That’d surprise everyone but me. See I’m looking for you to do that, to let him get away from you, banana peel slip, ‘Oh, I didn’t mean for that to happen.’ So you don’t have to face us. Cody are you a man or a mouse? Squeak up. Tell me.”
Fade out.
This week’s DYNAMITE kicked off with Tony Schiavone and Le Champion Chris Jericho doing commentary.
Tony asked Jericho what he thought of Jake “the Snake” Roberts’ comments.
“He’s the master of manipulation. Jake Roberts is one of the greatest minds the wrestling business has ever seen and now he’s instilling all of that knowledge and attitude into Lance Archer,” said Jericho.
Our opening contest was The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer against Alan Angels!
The Murderhawk Monster began right away mauling the competition. Archer gave Angels an overhand suplex from a chokeslam position!
“I’ve never seen anything like that before, Tony!” said Jericho.
“Archer will face Colt Cabana in the first round of the tournament coming up,” added Tony.
Lance Archer finished up with a running elbow and then “the Blackout” for the three-count!
“He blacks out another one, decimating Alan Angels,” said Tony.
“Lance Archer dominates tonight!” concluded Jericho.
Our next match was Dr. Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida (10th week as #1 Title Contender)!
Baker ducked out of the way from Shida. They got into a shoving match, but Baker pulled Shida’s hair. Shida fought back with forearm strikes. Baker took out Shida’s educated feet, and began pulling Shida’s hair again. Shida had enough and started pulling Baker’s hair. Baker gave a high knee lift to Shida and almost scored an early victory. Shida kicked out at two! Baker was throwing hard punches to Shida’s face!
Baker stretched Shida over the ropes, pulling back on her arms. Baker and Shida started brawling on the outside. Baker was draped over the steel barricade and Shida delivered a running knee!
Shida almost got the win with a vertical suplex on Baker. Shida rolled up Baker with a triangle choke/armbreaker combo, but Baker was able to grab a rope to cause the ref to break the hold. Baker countered with a sling blade and then a butterfly suplex for a near fall!
“These two ladies have turned it on!” said Tony.
Baker used a side leg sweep and tried for the mandible claw, but this time Shida grabbed a rope! The two slugged it out in the center of the ring and then traded thrust kicks. Baker was bleeding from the nose.
“She might have a busted nose,” observed Jericho.
Shida hit the Tiger Driver on Baker! Baker countered by rolling up Shida for a two-count! Baker trapped Shida and asked the ref for a rubber glove before she applied the mandible claw. Shida capitalized on the momentary delay and blasted Baker with a running knee to the bloodied nose!
“These girls are pounding the hell out of each other,” said Tony.
Shida deadlifted Baker on the turnbuckles and dropped her straight down! Shida finished Baker with a giant running knee for the three-count!
“We have seen a battle!” said Tony.
Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa were shown from earlier in the day getting ready for tonight’s match.
“What’s it been like, six, seven years? We made a good team in DDT. But we need a name. Any ideas?” asked Kenny.
“Yeah. The Best Friends,” replied Nakazawa.
“AEW already has a team named ‘The Best Friends,’” laughed Kenny.
“Yeah, but we really are best friends. You’re an EVP. You can make it happen. Change it,” said Nakazawa.
“I’ll think about it,” said Kenny.
The door opened from inside their trailer and Orange Cassidy popped out, seemingly having listened to the entire conversation. Cassidy was not pleased and he let Trent and Chuck Taylor inside.
“We heard everything you said and you should be ashamed. You wanna take our name?!” yelled Trent.
“We’ll put it on the line!” added Chuckie T.
“I guess it’s a match and if we win, we’ll be ‘The Best Friends,’” Kenny said to Nakazawa.
A highlight package aired previewing next week’s Empty Arena No Holds Barred Match! It’ll be “The Big Hurt” Jake Hager challenging the champ Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship!
“Me and Jake Hager are not in the business of putting smiles on people’s faces. This is a fight. This is gonna be ugly. This is violent,” said Moxley.
Hager: “I’m a prizefighter. I don’t want to be champion for the love of the sport. I want to be champion because it pays more.”
The next match was Best Friends—Chuck Taylor & Trent (accompanied by “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy) vs. Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa!
Shawn Spears was sitting in the front row and yelled to Michael Nakazawa to impress him, because Spears is still looking for a tag-team partner.
Omega and Taylor squared off first for their respective teams. Taylor took down Omega with two quick arm drags a la Ricky Steamboat. Trent was tagged in and came down with a double-ax handle onto Kenny’s arm.
Nakazawa poured baby oil down his chest. Trent tried to chop him, but he kept slipping off. Omega and Nakazawa showed off some tremendous tag-team strategies, working over Trent in the corner.
“This is part of Kenny Omega’s brilliance. He has many different styles,” said Le Champion.
The Best Friends showed off tandem offense of their own with twin topes. Orange Cassidy entered the ring and was able to distract Omega and Nakazawa for The Best Friends. Nakazawa squirted baby oil into Orange’s eyes, but Orange’s sunglasses protected him. Orange jumped onto Omega on the outside!
Omega connected with a backstabber and then the snapdragon suplex on Trent! Omega went after Chuckie T., but Trent stopped Omega with a running boot. Chuck planted Omega with a powerbomb, but Michael Nakazawa stopped the count short with interference.
Nakazawa put the Ultimate Venom Arm on Trent! He tried again and inadvertently connected with partner Kenny Omega! Trent gave Michael Nakazawa a nasty piledriver, and then The Best Friends spiked him with their combo for the three count!
Both teams gave a big group hug of friendship after the match.
A video aired of The Exalted One—Brodie Lee.
He pulled up in a Mercedes and asked the minions awaiting outside if they understood the concept that perception equaled reality.
“I am here to make every single life I touch extraordinary. And when it gets laborious, when it becomes a sacrifice to you, that means you are looking at the exit ramp and not the highway ahead where the next sign reads: Unlimited Power. Unlimited Success.”
Mr. Brodie pointed to one of the minions who was wearing a necktie and said he had a job for him, and he escorted him through a back door marked with a sign that read:“AEW”.
Matt Hardy greeted us at the Hardy compound.
“Chris Jericho, last week you insulted my allies The Elite. I know the Circle that is Internal thinks they are going to take over All Elite Wrestling. But I cannot and will not allow that!”
Hardy called for Vanguard 1, who had set fire to the shirt that it had taken from Chris Jericho last week.
“It’s a dumpster fire. This is what is going to happen to the Inner Circle. They are going to become a dumpster fire because they shall be broken! Myself and The Elite shall Delete! Delete! Delete them!”
Hardy challenged Le Champion Chris Jericho. “I have a very special offer for you. Accept my invitation. Come to the Hardy compound. Face me in the Elite Deletion!”
Lee Johnson vs. “The Exalted One” Brodie Lee was next!
Lee Johnson tried for a dropkick as the bell rang, but he was swatted away by The Exalted One! Mr. Brodie used a senton on his opponent, and then a spinning slam! He followed up with a spinning discus lariat, making short work of Lee Johnson!
In a Quarter Final Match in the TNT Championship Tournament—it was “The Chairman” Shawn Spears vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody (accompanied to the ring by Brandi Rhodes)!
The two locked horns and Cody took down Spears with a headlock. Spears grappled his way out from Cody’s grip. Spears lifted a knee to Cody’s midsection and lit him up with chops! Cody took down Spears again, this time with a leg sweep. Spears rolled to the outside to buy some time.
Cody used the ropes to springboard into a cutter for a two-count on Spears! Cody worked over Spears arm, but Spears rolled Cody up for a near fall. Cody knocked Spears into the corner with stiff forearm shots. Spears kicked out of multiple pinning attempts by Cody.
Spears rolled out of the way of a moonsault and then planted Cody with a piledriver! Spears whipped Cody into the turnbuckles. Cody rolled to the outside and Spears followed him. Spears disassembled one of the guardrails and propped it against the side of the ring. Spears suplexed Cody down onto the metal guardrail!
Back in the ring, Spears scoop slammed Cody. Spears went for a springboard splash but Cody lifted up his knees just in time! Cody started a comeback with knees and a big powerslam! Cody missed “Beautiful Disaster” and Spears countered for a two-count!
Spears slid a table from underneath the ring, but Cody knocked him down with a running dive! Cody climbed to the top rope but Spears met him there and launched him onto the mat!
Spears countered the Cross Rhodes and went for his C4, and instead he flung Cody over the top rope, sending him crashing down through the table! Cody managed to get back to the ring before ref Aubrey Edwards counted to 10!
Spears tried for the C4 again but Cody countered with not one, but two Cross Rhodes! Spears kicked out at two!
Cody applied the figure four leglock onto Spears! Cody shifted his body weight, never letting go of the figure four, and the ref counted Spears shoulder down for the three-count victory!
“The American Nightmare” Cody advances to the next round of the tournament!
Catch all the explosive action as AEW DYNAMITE is broadcast on TNT next week!