**CONTAINS SPOILERS**
Tonight’s episode of AEW DYNAMITE: “Holiday Bash Night 1” was held live from the historic Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC!
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
Tony Schiavone, “The Human Suplex Machine” Taz, and Excalibur were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
Adam Cole #BayBay vs. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy!
“Adam Cole is sitting at 5-0, and that’s a very impressive record,” said Taz.
Adam Cole and Orange Cassidy had a stare down until Orange took down Cole and kissed him. Orange hit an arm drag and cradled Cole for a near fall. Orange worked over Cole with a side headlock.
Cole rallied back with a backstabber to Orange Cassidy!
“What a backstabber. Cole is locked in,” said Taz.
Adam Cole whipped Orange into the turnbuckles and then hit a double biceps pose. Cole ascended to the top rope where he met Cassidy. Orange shoved Cole off the top and then met Cole on the mat with a tilt-a-whirl DDT!
The Young Bucks—Nick and Matt Jackson—and associate stooge Brandon Cutler walked down to the ring. Orange jumped out of the ring and onto Cutler! The Best Friends came out to even up the odds! Orange Cassidy connected with a tope suicida on the Bucks! Adam Cole rammed Orange into the steel ring steps. Cole attempted the running knee strike but Orange rolled out of the way and Cole collided knee-first into ring steps!
“What a battle we are witnessing in our opening contest,” said Excalibur.
Cole hit Orange with forearms and dared Orange to strike back. Orange blasted Cole with a thrust kick! Cole came back with a brainbuster on the knee for a near fall on Orange!
“Wow, Orange landing on the back of Cole’s knee. That was nasty,” said Taz.
Cole rocked Orange with a pump kick. Orange came back with the Stun Dog Millionaire. He followed up with a diving DDT for a near fall on Cole!
“That was ultra-close,” said Taz.
Cole nailed Orange with a low pump kick and screamed “Stay down!”
Cole headed up to the middle rope, getting in position for the Panama Sunrise, but Orange backed out of the way. He sucked in Cole for the Michinoku Driver for a near fall! Orange put on his aviator shades, placed his hands in his pockets, and jumped off the top rope—but Cole connected with a thrust kick! Cole followed up with the Panama Sunrise but Orange Cassidy kicked out!
Cole charged in with the knee but Orange moved! Orange drilled Cole with the Beach Break! Orange was setting up for the Orange Punch but Cole rolled out of the ring. Bobby Fish ran down to the ring and got in the face of ref Bryce Remsburg.
Kyle O’Reilly—“the Violent Artist”—jumped in the ring and attacked Orange Cassidy while the ref was distracted! Cole finished off Orange with the Boom Kick and pinned him! Best Friends tried to help Orange but Fish, Cole, and O’Reilly triple teamed Best Friends!
The Bucks walked back out to the ring, perplexed at Cole’s surprise. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish left the ring without the Bucks.
Tony Schiavone interviewed AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page!
Tony asked Page about the rematch happening in two weeks.
“Hangman” Adam Page: “After 60 minutes covered sweat, covered in blood, I was handed back this championship. And as we went to commercial, I managed to walk up the ramp and I saw the reflection of my face in this championship—and I never felt less than a champion. So the only feeling I have after last week is disappointment.”
“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson interrupted the interview.
Danielson: “Wait, entitled, millennial cowboy, still has the AEW Championship around his shoulder, and he’s still disappointed. Aw, poor cowboy. You know who should be disappointed? The AEW fans. Because I kicked your ass for 60 minutes and if anyone should be AEW Champion it should be me.
“But I’m not somebody who’s going to cry about my feelings. No, we have a rematch on January 5th and I’m going to kick your ass again. You managed to survived 60 minutes only because I hurt my leg a little in my match with John Silver.
“I’m not going to wrestle until January 5th. But there’s another problem but if Adam Page goes out there and stalls for 60 minutes, we’re in the same position, with the rightful champion standing empty handed, and that piece of cowboy shit standing in the ring with the title.
“But I didn’t come out here to complain. I came out here with a solution. I propose we have judges so if you decide to stall out again, then everyone will know that the true AEW World Champion is Bryan Danielson. Certainly all of you idiots realize I won that match last week.”
Page: “That’s real creative of you. Last week you took me past 30, past 40, past 50, you took me out to deep waters. But in the final seconds, I swam, and had I just three more seconds, I would have drowned you.
“But you know what? If we keep the time limit and you want judges, let’s get some old guys some paydays. But you’d better make sure you pay them in advance because they will not earn it. I have come too far for this, spilled too much blood for this, to have someone tell me I’m a B+ player. That’s horseshit. So if the question is in two weeks, can ‘Hangman’ Adam Page beat Bryan Danielson in less than an hour, the answer is yes!”
“Big time challenge accepted by the champ,” said Taz.
AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page vs. “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson II! Live! Wednesday, January 5th on TBS 8/7c!
MJF was backstage addressing The Pinnacle. MJF asked Wardlow if he paid him good money to protect him. Wardlow replied, “Sure do.” MJF said this was part of CM Punk’s mind games.
“Mr. Mayhem” Wardlow (with Shawn Spears) vs. “Captain” Shawn Dean!
Wardlow grabbed Dean and planted him with a powerbomb!
“Wardlow is on a 14-match winning streak,” said Schiavone.
Wardlow pancaked Dean with another powerbomb! And then a third! And then a fourth powerbomb! Wardlow placed his boot on the chest of Dean and pinned him!
Spears smacked Dean with the steel chair after the match!
American Top Team’s Dan Lambert was in a skybox with The Men Of The Year—Scorpio Sky and “All Ego” Ethan Page!
“Tony Khan-man uses the buddy system. Scorpio Sky pinned Chris Jericho not once, but twice. Ethan Page has wrestled better than anyone in this company since he got here. Yet on Christmas night they’ll be watching Cody wrestling.
“You want more proof of Tony Khan’s buddy system? Look how Tony Khan is treating me? He gave me an impossible task. He actually wants me to get you to cheer for Cody Rhodes? How am I going to do that when Cody is a bigger dick than I am?
“Newsflash! I don’t care who you cheer for or who you boo in Sammy’s title defense against Cody on Christmas night. My only concern is that one of my guys gets the next title match and we don’t need any help from Tony Khan!”
AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Tony Schiavone’s Christmas Party!
Tony asked Baker about her upcoming match against Riho.
“I didn’t slide in and take anyone’s spot. I am the pulse of AEW. If you think 2022 is going to start with Riho dethroning me, you have another thing coming. You’re out of your league, Riho. You’ll shoot your eye out kid.”
A very special video package aired with details of the Owen Hart Cup Tournaments!
TBS Women’s Title Tournament Semi-Final!
“The Native Beast” Nyla Rose (with Vickie Guerrero) vs. “The Runaway” Ruby Soho!
The winner of this match faces the winner of the Thunder Rosa/Jade Cargill bracket.
Nyla pulled the jacket up on Ruby, like a hockey jersey, and began to pummel her with fists! Soho tried to take Nyla off her feet with a running body press but Nyla shoved Ruby down! Nyla hurled Ruby across the ring!
Ruby went for a backheel trip but Nyla back elbowed Ruby. Nyla clubbed Ruby with a lariat! Nyla threw Ruby out of the ring and then jumped off the ring apron with a double sledge!
Ruby battered Nyla with lefts and rights outside the ring, and then smashed Nyla with head butts! Ruby charged at Nyla but Vickie pulled Nyla out of the way! Ruby collided with the steel ring steps!
Ruby turned the tables and DDT’ed Nyla! Nyla pulled a chair out from beneath the ring but Ruby kicked the chair back into Nyla’s face! Ruby climbed the top rope but Vickie shoved Ruby, and Ruby landed on the top rope. Nyla hit the flying knee drop onto Ruby’s shoulder.
“Nyla will not be denied,” said Excalibur.
Nyla lifted Ruby up but Ruby countered with a Dragon Sleeper. Vickie tried to interfere again! Ruby kicked Vickie off the apron but turned into a Beast Bomb from Nyla. Ruby barely kicked out! Ruby rallied back with the No Future finisher and pinned Nyla Rose!
“One damaged arm and she was still able to come away with the win,” said Tony Schiavone.
“Ruby perseveres and advances to the finals of the TBS Championship Tournament,” added Excalibur.
Malakai Black vs. The Varsity Blonds’ Griff Garrison (with Brian Pillman, Jr.)!
“He is cultivating, he is building the House of Black here in AEW,” said Excalibur of Malakai.
Griff charged at Black and Black blasted him with a high kick! Malakai went outside the ring toward Pillman but Griff surprised Black with a spectacular tope suicida!
Back in the ring, Black grabbed a leg lock on Griff until Griff grabbed the ropes to force the break. Black landed upwards of 10 uncontested strikes on Griff!
Griff booted Black in the jaw and then cracked him with a rolling elbow! Black rocked Griff with a knee strike! Black applied a single leg crab submission and Griff tapped out! Pillman jumped into the ring to stop Black from punishing Griff. Black knocked Pillman’s block off with a vicious roundhouse kick!
CM Punk, Darby Allin, & Sting vs. The Pinnacle—FTR’s Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood—and 3x Dynamite Diamond Ring Winner MJF!
Punk had face paint on like Sting’s, Darby was wearing classic surfer style Sting face paint, and Sting was wearing face paint with Punk’s logo!
MJF and Punk were about to square off when MJF quickly tagged out. Dax used a side headlock takeover on Punk. Harwood hit a shoulder tackle on Punk, but Punk followed up with a deep arm drag!
Darby tagged in but was lit up with a solid back elbow to the jaw by Cash Wheeler! Darby nailed Cash with a dropkick!
MJF tagged in and Punk chased him around the ring. MJF tagged to Cash Wheeler, putting considerable distance between himself and CM Punk.
Sting tagged in and wrenched the arm of Cash Wheeler!
“Listen to the ovation for Sting!” said Schiavone.
Sting was looking for the Scorpion Death Lock and Cash bailed to the outside. MJF tagged in and tried to hit Sting with a knife edge chop but Sting didn’t budge. Sting dropped MJF with a short arm clothesline and tagged Punk in.
MJF retreated to the outside of the ring and then jump over the barricades and ran away. Punk chased MJF up the stairs and out into the concourse. MJF sprinted back down the stairs toward the ring and tagged to Dax Harwood! Darby launched himself out of the ring onto FTR and MJF!
Cash dropped Darby face-first across the top rope. Darby landed on the arena floor and then Dax rammed Darby into the barricade. FTR double teamed Darby in the ring. MJF finally tagged in and body slammed Darby. MJF mocked Punk and then tagged out to Dax. Dax body slammed Darby and then tagged out to Cash. Cash tried for a body slam but Darby rolled Cash up for a near fall! Darby scoop slammed Cash and made the tag to Sting!
Sting cleaned house on FTR with right hands! Sting planted MJF with a spinebuster and then hit Stinger splashes on FTR! Sting applied the Scorpion Death Lock on Dax but MJF jumped in and interfered while ref Paul Turner had his back turned.
Punk tagged in and single-handedly took out FTR, going to work on them with a bulldog clothesline combo! He followed up with a tope suicida to Dax! Punk hit a diving crossbody on Cash for a near fall! Punk signaled for the GTS but FTR tried to double team him. Punk fought his way out of it and nailed Dax with a neck breaker! Punk climbed to the top rope but Dax shoved him.
Dax was looking for the brainbuster off the top rope but Punk reeled back and landed an elbow strike on Dax! FTR came back with tremendous teamwork for a near fall on Punk! Dax was wiped out by a roundhouse kick from Punk!
Dax Harwood and CM Punk traded strikes in the middle of the ring, going punch for punch! Punk tried for the GTS but FTR smashed Punk with the Big Rig! Sting made the save until MJF jumped in! Sting tossed MJF over the top rope onto FTR! Sting jumped off the top rope and out onto FTR and MJF!
“Sting is out of his mind!” said Taz.
Punk was about to hit the GTS on MJF when Dax shoved him out of the way, taking the bullet for his teammate! Punk hit the GTS on Dax! Darby Allin crashed down onto Dax with the Coffin Drop and then Punk pinned Dax!
“What a spectacular main event on this first night of AEW’s Holiday Bash,” said Excalibur.
Be sure to tune in next Wednesday to AEW DYNAMITE: New Year’s Smash live on TNT from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL!
Don’t miss AEW RAMPAGE: “Holiday Bash Night 2” on a special night and time this week—Saturday night, December 25th at 9pm ET/8pm CT on TNT featuring:
-TNT Champion Sammy Guevara vs. “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes!
-“Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander!
-Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy!
-Hook vs. Bear Bronson!
Happy Holidays!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!