CONTAINS SPOILERS
AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live on TBS from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA!
Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means!
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland came out to the ring with Prince Nana to start the show!
Swerve: “Are you ready for the Forbidden Door coming up in a few weeks. In one corner we’ve got the International Champion Will Ospreay challenging AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland in the main event for my championship. The biggest stars of this generation colliding, two absolute killers…well, more like one killer in that ring.
“Will, I told you about 10 years ago once you developed that killer instinct, there wouldn’t be anyone able to stop you. Last year you were in the ring with Kenny Omega, and I saw an assassin get the job done. Fast forward a few months, you against Takeshita, an assassin got the job done. And I saw you against Bryan Danielson and once again an assassin got the job done. I didn’t see that so much at Double or Nothing.
“But I respect you because you’re a fighting champion. Unlike some EVPs who haven’t defended their belts since they got those things.”
The Elite walked onto the stage—AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada, AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks, and Jack Perry!
Okada: “Stop, stop, stop. Whose house? It’s my house, bitch.”
Nicholas: “Relax, Okada. Sorry about that Swerve, he gets very defensive over his friends. But right now, I want to talk about how dominant the Elite have been. We took out Omega. We helped break Eddie Kingston’s leg. And at Anarchy in the Arena, we destroyed Team AEW. Half the roster is gone because of us! All the trolls and the bots still doubt us! Even the wrestlers in the back don’t think we’re violent enough! Well guess what? We challenge AEW’s best in the most violent match in AEW—BLOOD & GUTS!”
Matthew: “Hey Swerve, this is where you come into the picture. We don’t exactly love all the things you said about us, but we dig your style. You’re young and you’re a champion just like us. So, we came out here to ask you a question. Do you want to stand out here with winners? Do you want to change the world? Swerve, traditionally Blood & Guts is five against five and there’s only four of us. Swerve, will you be our fifth man? And to make it official, I always wanted to see what you’d look like in a pair of our new sneakers.”
Swerve: “First of all, I don’t wear size nine. And I’m a businessman, I do my own thing.”
Matthew: “Do you hear that? It’s an injury bug and it just landed on you, champ!”
The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn sprinted to the ring to even up the odds for Swerve!
Christopher Daniels: “Stop! Listen normally I’d let a brawl go all night long! But we’ve got a packed show tonight, so I need all of you out of that ring and backstage right this minute. Except you Jack Perry, because you are wrestling right now against this man…”
TNT Championship Ladder Match Qualifier!
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. “Scapegoat” Jack Perry!
Jack Perry raked Dustin’s eyes. Dustin fired back with a big lariat. Jack Perry ripped off the middle turnbuckle pad. Jack Perry shoved Dustin out of the ring and into the steel ring post! Perry pushed Dustin into the steel ring steps. Jack exposed the cement, peeling back the protective padding on the arena floor. Jack Perry tried to piledrive Dustin onto the cement, but Dustin countered with a back drop. Dustin Rhodes was busted wide open, blood gushing from his forehead.
Jack Perry lined up Dustin for the V-Trigger, but Dustin countered with a powerslam. Dustin followed up with a running bulldog. Dustin was looking for the Cross Rhodes, but Jack Perry escaped. Dustin jabbed at Jack and then delivered an American elbow. Dustin drilled Jack with the Cross Rhodes for a near fall!
Jack Perry sent Dustin headfirst into the exposed turnbuckle. Perry plastered Dustin’s head on the concrete outside the ring with a DDT! Jack Perry kicked Dustin with a low blow when the ref had her back turned. Jack Perry cracked Dustin with a charging knee strike and pinned Dustin Rhodes!
“Jack Perry advances to the TNT Championship Ladder Match at FORBIDDEN DOOR live on pay-per-view for the vacant TNT Championship on Sunday, June 30th,” said Excalibur.
“El Toro Blanco” Rush vs. Deonn Rusman!
Rush clobbered Deonn with a big elbow strike! Rush whipped Rusman into the barricade.
“I hope MJF is paying attention,” said Taz.
“I think Rush has become the single most violent man in AEW,” added Tony Schiavone.
Rush blistered Deonn with chops in the corner. Rush smashed into Rusman with the Bull’s Horns and then pinned Rusman!
“I think you can make a case for Rush being one of the hottest wrestlers in AEW right now,” said Tony Schiavone.
Rush: “Typical American, like all of you, weak!”
Rush put Rusman back into the corner and was about to hit the Bull’s Horns again when MJF’s music hit!
MJF ran to the ring and MJF and Rush began to exchange big strikes! Security tried to separate both of them. MJF chomped on Rush’s head! Rush pulled MJF out of the ring and whipped MJF into the barricade. Rush and MJF brawled into the crowd! The fight went on backstage! MJF muscled up Rush and smashed Rush through a table! The locker room emptied to pry them apart!
Excalibur announced breaking news! Next week on AEW Dynamite it’ll be MJF against Rush kicking off the show commercial free!
Up next: Trios Match!
ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, & “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy
vs.
Roderick Strong (with The Kingdom—ROH World Tag Team Champions Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) & The Don Callis Family’s ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher, “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita (with Don Callis & Trent Beretta)!
Fletcher and O’Reilly squared off. Fletcher hit a shoulder block on O’Reilly. Briscoe tagged in but Takeshita gouged Mark’s eyes. Mark tagged out to Orange and Orange tried for a diving crossbody, but Takeshita caught Orange and planted him. Takeshita followed up with a running knee strike!
Trent distracted Orange outside the ring while Takeshita knocked the block off Orange Cassidy! Takeshita turned Orange inside-out with a lariat for a near fall. Roddy grabbed a tag, as did Kyle O’Reilly. Roddy tagged out to Fletcher. O’Reilly walloped Fletcher with a flurry of strikes. Mark Briscoe and Roderick Strong traded strikes. Fletcher ate a combination from Mark Briscoe. Briscoe clocked Strong with redneck kung fu!
Orange spiked Fletcher with a diving DDT for a two-count!
“That was impressive! Great kick out by Fletcher,” said Taz.
Orange was looking for the Orange Punch, but Takeshita grabbed Orange’s leg and Fletcher nailed Orange with a half and half. Briscoe blasted Roddy with a fisherman bomb! Takeshita rocked Mark with a Blue Thunder Bomb! Orange planted Takeshita with a DDT! Fletcher ate a StunDog Millionaire from Orange! Orange climbed to the top rope and Roddy went to grab him, but Kyle O’Reilly kicked Roddy away. Briscoe grabbed a blind tag while Fletcher pulped Orange with a turnbuckle brain buster! Briscoe splashed Fletcher with a Froggy Bow, but Roddy broke up the pin attempt!
Fletcher blocked the Jay Driller from Mark! Takeshita jumped into the ring and clocked Mark with a wicked forearm! Takeshita cracked Mark with a power drive knee strike! Fletcher spiked Mark with a piledriver and scored the pin fall victory!
“Wow, that was a big win for the Callis Family,” said Schiavone.
Trent grounded and pounded Orange on the arena floor after the match! Willow Nightingale’s music began to play. Statlander had grabbed Willow from behind and assaulted her through the entrance tunnel!
Stokely Hathaway: “Willow, wake up! I tried! When you go back and watch this. Here’s a message for you. The next time you get into our business, we’re not going to be dragging you through the stage. We’re going to be dragging you to the ER!”
A video package aired hyping Shingo Takagi, “Rampage Dragon”, the NEVER Openweight Champion!
Takagi said he was ready for the AEW Owen Hart Foundation Tournament! “Now the ‘Japanese Dragon’ is in America. That is all I wanted to say!”
Interim EVP Christopher Daniels was backstage: “I’ve got some news for The Elite. Next week, Tony Khan has decided that The Bucks and Okada will wrestle in Eliminator Matches, matches where if your opponents win, they will earn title shots for the World Tag Team Championship and the Continental Championship respectively. All seconds will be barred from ringside during the Bucks’ match and we’ll get to see how elite you really are!”
Premier Athletes—Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari (with “Smart” Mark Sterling)
vs.
Samoa Joe & HOOK (with Katsuyori Shibata)!
HOOK and Samoa Joe ambushed the Premier Athletes on the ramp! Samoa Joe jabbed Nese in the ring! Hook took down Tony Nese with a lariat.
Ariya tagged in and he and Nese double teamed Hook with stomps in the corner. Hook escaped and suplexed the Premier Athletes. Shibata wiped out Sterling outside the ring with a kick! Samoa Joe put Nese in a rear naked choke. Hook locked in the Red Rum on Daivari and Daivari tapped out!
“Is this the birth of a new trio here in AEW? It very well could be,” said Excalibur.
TBS Championship Match!
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné (c.) vs. CMLL’s Zeuxis!
Zeuxis used a flying mare into a chin lock to take down Mercedes. Mercedes used the déjà vu to drop Zeuxis. Zeuxis dropped Mercedes with a roundhouse kick. Mercedes launched off the announcers’ desk to take down Zeuxis with an arm drag!
Zeuxis sent Mercedes to the floor with a dropkick and then a tope suicida! Zeuxis power bombed Mercedes for a near fall. Mercedes blasted her opponent with a bulldog. Mercedes smashed Zeuxis with a meteora for a near fall! Zeuxis nailed Mercedes with a double underhook into a lung blower for a two-count! Mercedes hit the MoneMaker and pinned Zeuxis!
Renee Paquette was backstage with AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm and Mariah May!
There’ll be a contract signing next week on Dynamite between Storm and Mina Shirakawa ahead of their match at Forbidden Door, but Mariah May assured Toni that she’d help host it and make sure everybody is on the same page!
FTW Champion Chris Jericho’s TV Time With The Learning Tree: Special Guest—
Private Party—Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy!
The “Redwood” Big Bill welcomed the audience to TV Time with The Learning Tree Chris Jericho and then introduced FTW Champion Chris Jericho! Jericho walked out to the ring with “Bad Apple” Bryan Keith.
Jericho: “Hi guys! Who wants more TV Time? You know I do! I also want to say thanks to all the branches. My new t-shirt is already one of the fastest selling shirts in AEW history! We all respect each other here. I respect all of my branches in the Jericho Vortex. There’s a couple of youngsters who need a little advice to get to the next level, so I’m going to bring out Private Party right now!”
Zay and Quen came down to the ring!
Jericho: “You guys have been doing some great work here in AEW, but you haven’t been winning matches. The reason for that is your basics just aren’t to snuff. I don’t know who trained you. Since I was trained by the late, great Stu Hart, 33 years ago in the Dungeon in Calgary, I know a thing or two about doing the basics properly. You guys are technically unsound.”
Zay: “How about you teach us? I want to see it. I know Quen wants to see it.”
Jericho: I’m going to show you guys right now how to climb the top rope the way the late, great Owen Hart showed me.”
Jericho climbed to the top rope and Zay knocked Jericho down. Private Party wiped out Bryan Keith and Big Bill with topes. Zay hit a senton on Jericho! Quen followed up with a shooting star press on Jericho. Private Party left the ring before Big Bill and Bryan Keith could grab them!
A hype package aired for Forbidden Door where IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley will defend against Tetsuya Naito!
AEW Unified Trios Champions Juice Robinson and The Gunns were backstage! The Collision Cowboys challenged the House of Black to a match this Saturday on Collision!
Daniel Garcia vs. Nick Comoroto!
Nick charged at Garcia, but Garcia dodged him. AEW International Champion Will Ospreay was watching Garcia on a monitor backstage. MJF was watching from a separate monitor. Garcia locked in a guillotine and then rocked Comoroto with the Red Cross, scoring the pin!
“An emphatic victory tonight for Daniel Garcia,” said Excalibur.
“The Bastard” PAC announced he’d be entering the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament!
“I’m angry again and I’m at my very best when I’m angry! This will be my redemption story. And one more thing. Bang Bang Gang, don’t think for a second that the Death Triangle forgets what you did to us. We never forget!”
Dynamite Main Event Time! AEW International Championship Match!
Will Ospreay (c.) vs. Rey Fenix!
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland was in the front row. Ospreay handed Swerve the contract for the Forbidden Door main event, and Prince Nana took it from Ospreay.
Ospreay blocked an Os Cutter from Rey Fenix, the action off to a red hot start! Fenix took down Will with a rana. Ospreay connected with a running boot to Rey Fenix. Rey stunned Will with a frog splash for a near fall!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Rey Fenix went for a hurracanrana off the top rope, but Will landed on his feet! Rey Fenix connected with a heel kick. Ospreay nailed Fenix with a version of the Air Raid Crash!
It was made official that AEW: Blood & Guts will take place on Dynamite on Wednesday, July 24 in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena! Tickets go on sale this Saturday at AEWTix.com!
Rey Fenix rocked Will with a crucifix bomb for a near fall. Rey Fenix flipped off the turnbuckles and nailed Will with a German Suplex. Fenix reversed a Storm Breaker, but Will escaped. Ospreay planted Rey Fenix with an Os Cutter for a two-count!
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
Ospreay removed his elbow pad. Rey Fenix countered the Hidden Blade with a snapping hurricanrana for a near fall. Ospreay walloped Fenix with the Hidden Blade. Ospreay climbed to the top turnbuckle and stared at Swerve! Ospreay used the Swerve Stomp and then the Hidden Blade to pin Rey Fenix!
“That’s a heavy message sent to Swerve,” said Taz.
Swerve got on the ring apron and then entered the ring. Will extended his hand to Swerve.
Swerve: “You still think this is a damn game. You’re still an immature little child. You can’t hand my title on your shoulder. You’re not strong enough!”
The World title slipped out of Swerve’s hand and Will grabbed it. Will held both titles on his shoulders. Swerve snatched the AEW World Title back.
Swerve: “You’re lucky we’re still friends because anybody else who’d do this…I’d put them in their grave.”
This Friday tune in to AEW RAMPAGE at 10/9c on TNT!
Don’t miss the ONE YEAR Anniversary of AEW Collision on Saturday on TNT at 8/7c from the Covelli Centre in Youngstown, OH!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA!
Tickets On Sale Now! – www.AEWTix.com
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!