AEW Dynamite usually promotes a bunch of matches and segments well ahead of time. For tonight’s show in San Diego? Not so much.
That’s not to say we didn’t have any advance notice about what’s on the card. For instance, the mixed tag match pitting Adam Cole and Britt Baker against Chris Jericho and Saraya was advertised last week. And after his dramatic betrayal of The Elite Sunday at Double or Nothing, we knew we’d hear from Konosuke Takeshita (and, sadly, Don Callis).
But the rest of the slate was a mystery until this afternoon. Now we know some more of the matches, starting with a title defense by a champ whose reign has only been a few days. TBS Champion Kris Statlander has issued an open challenge, and it was answered by Nyla Rose.
Other wrestlers who were prominent at Double or Nothing will also be in action. The Blackpool Combat Club is undoubtedly riding high after defeating The Elite, but they’ll have to be on top of their game to defeat the Lucha Bros. and Bandido. Swerve Strickland, Big Bill and Trent will collide in a three-way dance, and Orange Cassidy will team with Darby Allin to face the Gates of Agony.
So that’s a lot more info than we had before. Plus we haven’t even gotten to the thing that has been the subject of equal parts excitement and eye-rolling, another announcement from Tony Khan about the debut episode of AEW: Collision next month. Will he confirm the participation of a certain Mr. Brooks? And will anyone be salty if the announcement is anything else?
(Spoiler: Yes. Yes they will.)
Let’s see how this all goes down.
AEW Dynamite results from San Diego:
- Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta) def. Lucha Bros. and Bandido by pinfall
- Matt Jackson says the BCC brings out the worst in The Elite, Nick Jackson says one setback won’t bring them down, and Hangman Adam Page is interrupted by what’s left of the Dark Order, who seem jealous; Page also confirms that Kenny Omega has left the country … but he’s not in Canada
- Tony Schiavone talks to Jay White and Juice Robinson, who say Ricky Starks doesn’t have any friends and call FTR “a little bit slow,” and after beating the Top Guys up, they flee as Starks chases them off and challenges White to a match next week
- Tony Khan has another announcement about the debut of AEW: Collision, and it’s what we expected: the show will feature CM Punk
- Swerve Strickland def. Big Bill and Trent by pinning Trent
- The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass tell Rene Paquette they want gold again, and that Billy Gunn deserves to hold gold one more time — an idea that proves popular with the fans
- Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita come to the ring to plenty of boos, with Callis saying his new family is going to cut The Elite out of AEW
- Arn Anderson and Wardlow tell Luchasaurus if he wants to be next in line, so be it
- Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy def. Gates of Agony by pinfall, and Sting is on hand to prevent a post-match beating from the Mogul Embassy
- A pre-recorded MJF promo has the champ claiming that no one is on the level of the Devil
- Schiavone welcomes Hook to the ring, and when La Faccion Ingobernable attacks him, a chair-wielding Jack Perry comes to his aid
- Toni Storm and The Outcasts scoff at the idea that there’s anyone good enough to hang with them
- Kris Statlander def. Nyla Rose by pinfall to retain the AEW TBS Championship, as Taya Valkyrie looks on backstage
- Britt Baker and Adam Cole def. Saraya and Chris Jericho by pinfall, with Hikaru Shida and her kendo stick on hand to neutralize the other Outcasts