***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
“The American Nightmare” Cody (on a 5 match singles winning streak) vs. “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela kicked off tonight’s DYNAMITE!
The two started off with a handshake. After a missed arm drag from Janela, Cody rolled up Janela for a one-count. Janela and Cody then traded near falls in a rapid pinning sequence. Cody baited Janela in for a chop. Cody lifted Janela and pancaked him forward with a standing vertical suplex.
Janela fought back with fists and then an Irish whip on Cody to the turnbuckle, followed by a running splash. Janela stomped on the back of Cody’s head, and then applied the Joe Stecher body scissors.
“This is a very competitive match,” noted Jim Ross.
On the outside, Janela threw Cody into the steel barricade. Janela saw an opening and tried to take advantage. Janela starched Cody with chops. Janela got a running start on the ramp but Cody ducked it. Cody connected with a moonsault off the stage onto Janela!
Cody displayed some fiery offense including a bicycle kick, but soon Cody walked into a superkick from Janela. “The Bad Boy” dropped a top rope elbow onto Cody! Janela went back up to the top but Cody ran up to meet him on the turnbuckle. Cody gave a reverse suplex to Janela off the top turnbuckle! Cody didn’t hook the leg and Janela escaped the pinning predicament!
“Cody is wrestling angry tonight,” said Jim Ross.
Janela hit a spinning back elbow; he tried for a package pile driver but Cody countered. Cody went for a Disaster Kick off the ropes but Janela caught him with a suplex! Janela hit a stiff running clothesline on Cody. The tide shifted as Cody used a cutter off the top rope!
They traded forearms in the center of the ring.
“This match is devolving into a bar fight and Janela is one man you don’t want to get into a bar fight with,” said Excalibur.
Out of nowhere, Cody connected with the Cross Rhodes on Janela for the pin!
“Joey Janela tested Cody at every turn,” said Excalibur.
As a sign of mutual respect, Cody and Janela shook hands with each other after their tremendous battle.
AEW Women’s World Champion “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose vs. Kenzie Paige was next!
Rose clobbered Kenzie with a knee and a hip toss.
“I run this place!” screamed Rose.
Rose suplexed Kenzie. The champ sprung to the top rope and did a senton on Kenzie. She covered Kenzie but pulled up Kenzie’s shoulders at two, not finished making her very physical statement. Rose blasted Kenzie with two powerbombs and then finished her off with the BeastBomb for the decisive victory!
“Who will be next to step up to Nyla Rose?” asked Jim Ross.
A video played of MJF from earlier in the day:
“After being on national television for only five to six months, I’m the guy. People are comparing me to legends like Ric Flair and Roddy Piper. Every guy in this sport is insecure of this 24-year-old kid who is going to be a champion in the blink of an eye. Newsflash: this 24-year-old kid is a man. That’s why I can afford to sit back, miss a few weeks, and watch some wrestling. Because my throne will be here where I left it without a scratch, and next week, I sit back on my throne.”
“The Chairman” Shawn Spears was shown in a vignette.
Spears said it’s Cody’s fault for what happened to Dustin Rhodes in his match against Lance Archer.
“You alone could have stopped that onslaught, Cody, but you decided not to. Why? Is it because you think you alone can carry on the Rhodes’ legacy? Dustin’s career is over. As someone who has a brother, I don’t think I could live with that Cody.”
At ringside, Tony Schiavone interviewed MJF (with Wardlow) and Shawn Spears.
MJF said Spears was brave for calling out Cody and labeling him as the psychopath that they both know he is. MJF also said his “injuries” have healed and he’s ready for action next week.
Schiavone said he heard from Tony Khan and he has breaking news: it’s going to be MJF vs. Jungle Boy at AEW’s DOUBLE OR NOTHING pay-per-view on May 23rd!
Up next for the first time ever was AEW World Champion Jon Moxley (67 days as champ and counting) vs. SCU’s Frankie Kazarian (accompanied out by Scorpio Sky and Christopher Daniels)!
Frankie executed a nice drop toehold and float over onto Mox. He shoulder tackled Mox and went right back down into a side headlock. Mox reversed it and applied a hammerlock to Frankie.
Mox and Frankie continued to chain wrestle and Frankie used his core strength to bridge out and apply another headlock to Mox. The champ pushed Frankie into the corner turnbuckle, forcing the ref to break the hold. Ring veteran Frankie kept his wits about him and grabbed another headlock on Mox. The champ escaped with a backbreaker on Frankie.
Moxley used his slight size advantage to turn the tables on Frankie. He rammed his shoulder into Frankie’s midsection, and then dropped him down with another backbreaker.
Frankie took down Mox with a leg lariat. The challenger went for another headlock but Mox powered out, dumping Frankie over the top rope. Frankie’s knee took the brunt of the fall onto the ramp.
Mox followed Frankie to the outside of the ring and the two men began brawling. Frankie did his best to protect his injured knee. Mox pulled Frankie back inside the ring and hurled him with a suplex! Mox ran with a knee to Frankie’s head, sending him outside through the ropes. Mox jumped off the top rope to the outside but Frankie caught Mox with a boot to the chin! Frankie spring boarded in and took the champ off his feet. He caught Mox with a DDT for a two count!
“It was a great offensive sequence by Frankie Kazarian that created that near fall,” noted Jim Ross.
Mox hit a release German suplex on Frankie and ducked a clothesline but Kazarian countered with a backstabber on the champ for a two count! They started slugging it out. Frankie used a shotgun dropkick, but Mox used one of his own on Kazarian!
Kazarian tied up Mox with a 3-on-1 submission, but Mox used his boot heel to free himself from Kazarian’s impressive hold! Moxley went for the spear through the ropes but Kazarian capitalized with a leg drop to the back of Mox’s neck! Kazarian planted Mox high with a release German suplex! Kazarian changed levels with his offense but Mox fought back with a brutal clothesline! But Kazarian used a victory roll for a near fall on Mox. Frankie went to the top rope, jumped right over a charging Moxley, but Mox pulled out the Paradigm Shift for the three count!
Members of The Dark Order stormed the ring like hyenas and mauled Jon Moxley. Christopher Daniels and Scorpio Sky sprinted from the back, down the ramp to the ring to try to rescue Mox, but The Dark Order swarmed SCU! Brodie Lee walked out with a steel chair and nailed Daniels with it. He calmly approached Moxley in the ring and walloped him with a lariat!
“I’m just here to answer the bounty that you put on your own head last week, Moxley. No one is here to save you. This, Mr. Moxley, this is the energy you feel now, you understand me? No one is here to save you. I am a leader. I make lives extraordinary and at any point, any one of these noble, distinguished men will stand up and sacrifice themselves for me. You are the unfortunate soul that has come into possession of something I want, something I desire, something I need. You have the crown jewel of professional wrestling. And this is a challenge for the AEW World Championship. Answer my challenge, Mox, or we will make you!”
Brodie Lee tossed the microphone down at Moxley.
“Dude, all you had to do was ask,” said Moxley, clearly exhausted.
Moxley was down on his knees, laughing, and The Exalted One, Mr. Brodie Lee, decimated him with a running boot! As The Dark Order minions kept assaulting Mox, Brodie Lee walked away, taking the AEW World Championship with him!
In a video from earlier in the day, Brandi Rhodes responded to Jake “the Snake” Roberts and Lance Archer:
“I’ve studied you long enough and I think I know what happens next: a confrontation. Today there’s a hole in your plot, Jake, it’s not 1991 anymore. Today if you slap me in the face, I’m going to hit you back. You might know our family, our history, but you don’t know me. I’m Brandi Rhodes, Chief Brand Officer, and from now on, you will keep my name out of your dirty, old mouth!”
“The MurderHawk Monster” Lance Archer (with Jake “the Snake” Roberts) vs. QT Marshall (accompanied by Brandi Rhodes)!
QT hit Archer with several forearms. His offense was short-lived as he inadvertently ran into an elbow from The MurderHawk Monster! Archer squashed QT in the corner after three running shoulders. Archer choke slammed QT onto the ring apron!
Archer knocked QT out of the ring again with a boot! Dr.Britt Baker, watching from behind the barricade, hit QT with her shoe! Brandi stole the shoe from Baker and chucked it away, far over Baker’s head.
QT jumped off the top rope but Archer moved and pounced QT with the shoulder tackle! Archer used the Black Out on QT but picked up QT’s shoulders at two! The MurderHawk Monster wanted to punish QT more. Finally, mercifully, Archer got the pin fall with “the EBD Claw” on QT!
Dr. Britt Baker jumped the barricade and hit Brandi from behind. Brandi was knocked out and left prone in the ring. Jake “the Snake” Roberts walked down and entered the ring. Roberts placed a large serpent on an unconscious Brandi, encouraging it to slither across her! Archer and Roberts watched on and laughed maniacally.
Breaking News! AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will be facing Mr. Brodie Lee at DOUBLE OR NOTHING!
Taz interviewed Darby Allin backstage. Taz asked Darby about the loss he suffered to Cody last week. Taz said he’d love to help Darby professionally. Darby pushed the microphone away and stormed off.
It was time for the main event!
“Le Sex Gods” (Le Champion Chris Jericho & “Spanish God” Sammy Guevara, accompanied by The Inner Circle’s Jake Hager) vs. “Broken” Matt Hardy (making his AEW in-ring debut) & Kenny Omega in a Tag Team Street Fight!
As Jericho made his way to the ring, “Pineapple Pete” took a swing at Jericho from behind the barricade. Jericho easily dodged it.
Matt Hardy began the match by biting on Sammy’s hand! Hardy dropped Sammy with the BT Bomb! Omega and Hardy were working together like a well-oiled machine.
Jericho and Hardy brawled to the back. Jericho grabbed Hardy’s arm and sent him crashing into the wall of the entrance tunnel!
Jericho and Sammy double-teamed Omega in the ring.
“This is a two-on-one beat down right here,” said J.R.
Eventually Hardy ran back to the ring, wearing a previous incarnation’s attire. Hardy cleaned house on Jericho and Sammy! Omega hit a snapdragon suplex on Sammy, but Jericho blasted Omega in the stomach with an aluminum baseball bat.
Hardy pulled a ladder out from under the ring! Omega pulled a table from under the ring! They set up the plunder. This was like vintage Hardy!
Omega placed Sammy on the table, while Matt Hardy jumped off the ladder and crashed thru the table with Sammy on top of it! Hardy went for the pin but Hager interfered, pulling Omega out of the ring by the ankles!
Jake Hager worked over Hardy on the outside of the ring on the concrete floor of the arena. Jericho swung a steel chair at Omega! This turned into a complete and total scene of pure chaos! The fight spilled out through the corridors of the arena! Jericho hit Hardy with a 20 lb. bag of ice! Omega hit Jericho and Hager with a metal trashcan! Sammy rammed Kenny into an ATM machine! Omega gave a running powerbomb to Sammy into a steel garage door. Jericho found some plunder and with a full head of steam, he rammed a wheeled storage cart into Omega’s abdomen. Jericho suplexed Omega onto a steel barricade.
Damascus (Another of Matt Hardy’s vessels) emerged from the ice machine and drove a golf cart at full speed, clipping the corner of Jericho. Omega joined Damascus in the golf cart and they both chased Sammy until he too, was run over!
Damascus (Hardy) put Jericho onto a table while Omega moonsaulted off a motorized scissors lift, crashing onto Jericho and Hager! Omega tried for the One Winged Angel on Jericho but Santana and Ortiz jumped him from behind! The Inner Circle powerbombed Damascus through a table! Jericho powerbombed Omega onto the roof of the golf cart! Jericho caught Omega with the Judas Effect elbow and pinned Kenny Omega!
It took all of them, but The Inner Circle walked away with the win!
We are on the road to…DOUBLE OR NOTHING!
Catch all the explosive action as AEW DYNAMITE is broadcast on TNT next week!