A long time ago, in a promotion not that far, far away, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage were thick as thieves. They came up together, made history as a tag team and then went on to be successful as singles competitors too. But times done changed since then, and we’re about to see the full extent of how much on AEW Dynamite tonight from Montreal.
When Copeland first made his well-publicized move to AEW a few months ago, he made it clear that he wanted to get the band back together, so to speak, and team with Cage for one last run. Christian, being the villainous sort, not so politely told him to “go f–k yourself.”
After Copeland took out Cage’s minions, the TNT Champion appeared to reverse course and see if his old friend would forgive and forget. But Copeland saw it coming and responded not just by laying Cage out but giving him the same expletive back in return.
As both men are proud Canadians, it’s only fitting that they meet in Montreal. Copeland was quoted as saying that it’s more important to him that their match take place in Canada than on pay-per-view, which says a lot. It should be captivating TV, for sure.
And it’s not the only thing this episode has going for it, not by a long shot. The AEW Women’s World Championship will be on the line as “Timeless” Toni Storm defends against Skye Blue. MJF and Samoa Joe will join forces to take on two of The Devil’s masked men. And there will be three more Continental Classic matches to boot.
We’re ready for this one to begin, so let’s light that fuse.
AEW Dynamite results from Montreal:
(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)
- Jon Moxley def. Rush by submission in a Continental Classic Gold League match, meaning others in the group are now in danger of elimination
- A promo is shown for the Jay White-Jay Lethal match coming up later tonight
- Renee Paquette welcomes Roderick Strong (and The Kingdom), who says that MJF is going to put the dagger into Samoa Joe’s back tonight and that actions have consequences .. but he’s not going to suffer his any more, as he discards his wheelchair
- While Paquette waits to talk to MJF, she instead catches up with Hangman Adam Page, who admits that Swerve Strickland has beaten him but he still took something from Swerve he’ll never get back, and it’s not over between them; MJF pops out and congratulates Page sarcastically, and after some more pleasantries, they accuse each other of being the Devil, and Samoa Joe has to step in before they come to blows
The #AEW World Champion MJF & the former #AEW World Champion Hangman Adam Page take a painful walk down memory lane.
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@The_MJF pic.twitter.com/R7z0GM1XQ1
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 7, 2023
- Swerve Strickland def. Mark Briscoe by pinfall in a Continental Classic Gold League match
- Mariah May tells Paquette that her meeting with Tony Khan went well but says tonight is all about Toni Storm
- Samoa Joe heads to the ring for his tag team match and soon finds himself surrounded on all four sides by the Devil’s minions, who then disappear … and on the big screen, MJF is shown laid out backstage, apparently by a bottle to the head
- Moxley says he expected to win the Continental Classic because he’s the Ace of the World, but Swerve shows up to threaten him while Prince Nana laughs
- Ben Mankiewicz does his thing, introducing “Timeless” Toni Storm
- Toni Storm def. Skye Blue by pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship …
- … but she’s confronted by a returning Riho, who drives her out of the ring and makes it clear she’s hunting that championship
- AEW is returning to Canada in March for a four-city tour, and tickets go on sale Friday, Dec. 15
- A hype video is shown for the Adam Copeland-Christian Cage main event
- Jay White def. Jay Lethal by pinfall in a Continental Classic Gold League match
- Christian Cage def. Adam Copeland by pinfall to retain the AEW TNT Championship, in large part due to Shayna Wayne hitting Copeland with the title belt
Jon Moxley puts Rush to sleep, gets to 9 points
The announcers point out that a Moxley victory can start eliminating some people from contention to advance from the Gold League since he’ll be at nine points. They get right to the strikes once the bell rings, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
Rush hits a belly-to-belly throw and a dropkick to force Mox out to the floor. Into the crowd they go, with Rush maintaining his grip on the action.
Moxley finally retaliates by hurling his foe into the barricade and they fight way out past the floor seats again. One random security guard’s empty chair is used as a prop before they head back toward the squared circle.
Rush has Moxley down in the corner, the perfect place for him to do his tranquilo pose. Mox comes right back with double birds, letting his foe know exactly what he thinks of that, and the fans respond.
A Rush powerslam gives him a near fall, the first of the bout. Moxley offers a cutter as a reply, hammers Rush in the corner and follows with a superplex for a two count.
The battle goes outside again, which is unfortunate for Moxley as he is powerslammed into the barricade. Commercials arrive for side-by-side picture time.
Rush lands hard and is holding his leg when we return, with Taz noting both his legs are banged up. He powers through and hits a piledriver, forcing a kickout from Mox.
A superplex allows Rush to get another near fall, but his confident look is washed away when Moxley hits him with a suicide dive, and the ref tells both men they need to get it back in the ring.
They do so they can trade strikes, and a stiff forearm sends Moxley to his butt in the corner. He pops up to stop the Bull’s Horns on the way in but gets pummeled in the corner … until he hits a King Kong lariat. Mox executes the Death Rider but only gets two.
An undeterred Moxley switches to his bulldog choke, and though Rush fights it, he eventually goes out.
Swerve Strickland joins Mox with 9 points, Mark Briscoe is mathematically eliminated
It’s win or the end of the tourney for Briscoe, and Swerve is one of the hottest stars in AEW right now, so that’s not good news for Mark. Briscoe tries to slow the pace and keep Strickland from getting any momentum, which seems wise.
Briscoe crashes home a high boot and chokes Swerve along the turnbuckles. Strickland fights back and earns the first near fall, but Briscoe sends him to the outside and hits a dropkick through the ropes.
Onto the apron they go, both landing shots until they spill to the floor. Briscoe is right at home there, but Swerve sends him over the barricade into the crowd and then suplexes him off the barricade back onto the floor. Ouch.
Strickland looks extremely confident after commercials, with the announcers noting that he really should since he’s been in full control for several minutes. He works over Briscoe’s left arm on the mat but gets a taste of Redneck Kung Fu.
A high boot in the corner lands for Briscoe, followed by a fisherman’s buster for a two count. Swerve fires through a flurry of offense for his own near fall, with the fans seemingly as surprised as Strickland to see Briscoe kick out.
A hard uppercut sends Strickland off the top rope to the floor, where Briscoe quickly finds him before delivering a huge lariat back in the ring. It’s two again, and that’s not great for him as Strickland lands the House Call … but not the 450 splash as Mark gets his knees up. He covers and sees Swerve kick out again.
Briscoe puts his foe back down and tries the Froggy Bow, but Swerve counters and nearly pins him. The fans come alive in appreciation as Justin Roberts announces that only five minutes remain.
Strickland executes a Death Valley Driver on the apron, then a Swerve Stomp back in the ring. Is it enough? Yes it is, as Briscoe is mathematically eliminated from the tourney.
Toni Storm retains her title against a game Skye Blue
This is a big opportunity for Blue, who battles alone while the champ has both Luther and Mariah May supporting her at ringside. Both women have their moments in the opening mat exchanges, though an angry Storm ends that by hammering some forearm shots.
Blue is thinking tope but Storm greets her with a right hand. Toni gets on Luther’s shoulders and he runs along the floor so she can fling her challenger off the apron.
Storm lets Blue have it with some chops and delivers a hip attack along the barricade before ads slide in. The full broadcast returns to see Blue nail a high cross body for a two count, but Storm slows her right back down with a nasty suplex.
Blue sees the hip attack coming and hits a thrust kick, and her hip attack doesn’t miss. Code Blue is on target, and Storm barely manages to avoid a three count.
Headbutts from the champ stop whatever Blue has planned from the top rope, and Storm is able to execute a superplex. Storm’s hip attack hits, and when Blue tries to roll her up as a counter to Storm Zero, Toni counters with her own pinning predicament and holds Blue’s shoulders down for three.
Jay White stays alive to advance from Gold League at Jay Lethal’s expense
Like Mark Briscoe earlier, Jay Lethal is in must win territory to stay alive to advance from the group. White is not, but he’d be in big trouble if he lost, so both men look a little cautious early on.
White is able to capitalize when Lethal tries to strut, but Lethal takes control of the next few minutes, earning a near fall and then getting to strut after all. Some back and forth exchanges lead to a DDT for White, and he covers for two prior to picture-in-picture action.
Lethal hits the first big move after we return with a tope suicida. He gets White in the fireman’s carry position and hits a rolling slam, then his big elbow off the top. Lethal covers but sees White strain to kick out in time.
Several kicks spin White around, but he fights out of the corner and hammers Lethal’s left knee in multiple ways. A sheer drop brainbuster leads to a cover, but Lethal kicks out in time.
The Lethal Injection is countered, so Lethal tries a rollup for two; White immediately bounces up for a chop block. As they jostle for position on the mat, Switchblade manages to roll on top of Lethal’s shoulders, and now Lethal is out of contention to advance.
Christian Cage retains in grudge match with Adam Copeland thanks to Nick Wayne’s mom
Here we go. Copeland gets off to a strong start, knocking his former friend off the apron and into the barricade and smashing Cage’s head off the announce table. He’s fired up, for sure.
Cage begs off back in the ring, hearing boos from the fans. He tries for a low blow but Copeland sees it coming, stomping on his hand. The champ is hurled into the barricade multiple times, slumping down on a chair as Copeland breaks the ref’s count.
Cage finally gets some offense in, dropping Copeland’s throat on the barricade and tossing him over it before ads break up the flow. He remains in charge throughout the half-break and is measured as he keeps the pressure on.
The fans get on him as he rains down left hands in the corner, but Copeland bites his other hand and delivers a Russian leg sweep off the second rope — which doesn’t really land right, drawing some jeers from a few members of the crowd.
With Cage on the apron, Copeland climbs to the middle rope to deliver a diving clothesline. The champ fights back with a drop toehold, then returns to the ring with a frog splash that earns him a near fall.
Cage stalks Copeland and rushes in for a spear, but it’s countered by an Impaler for a two count. They fight up to the top rope, where Cage manages to get the upper hand until Copeland pulls on his right fingers and runs out for a Liger Bomb and a closer two count.
The champ thinks Killswitch, setting off a series of counters that ends with an inside cradle for two by Copeland … then another off a counter inverted facebuster.
Copeland switches gears applying a crossface that forces Cage to extend his leg to get a rope break. The challenger just mounts his foe and drops some bombs, and he’s got that look until Cage leaps over a spear to hit the Killswitch. That might be it, but Copeland is able to kick out.
With the ref taking a partial bump, Cage sees an opportunity and kicks him in the groin before grabbing his title belt. He misses his belt shot, but both men go for spears at the same time and end up down on the canvas.
That brings Nick Wayne’s mom to the ring, and she gets the TNT title belt. Alas, she decides to hit Copeland, probably for taking out her son, and Cage delivers another Killswitch. He stands over Copeland holding his title, then stomp’s Adam’s neck into the belt. The ref finally recovers and makes the three count.