Yes, it’s the week of a certain really big show in another wrestling promotion, and thanks to Supercard of Honor, even AEW has its eyes partially on L.A. But AEW Dynamite has business elsewhere this week, and specifically in St. Louis.
If you’ve been watching AEW programming the last few weeks, this is a big night because it marks the long awaited in-ring return of Adam Cole. While his emotional battle to come back from concussions is playing out on “AEW: All Access,” the cool part is that we know the ending, and it’s a happy one. Alas, Daniel Garcia is poised to make it somewhat less joyful when they meet in the ring tonight.
Kenny Omega turned in a rare singles performance on Dynamite last week, introducing the wider wrestling world to the wonder that is El Hijo del Vikingo. Yet he’s going to be right back at it this week, defending his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Jeff Cobb. The two have yet to meet one-on-one, so it should be a fun matchup.
And while Orange Cassidy would probably bristle at the idea of being called the hardest working man in AEW since it runs counter to his personal ethos, he really is since he puts the International Championship (and its predecessor) on the line weekly. He’s doing again in St. Louis, as The Butcher will look to take his gold away. No word on whether he gets the backpack to carry it around with him too.
AEW Dynamite results in 60 seconds:
- “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry def. Matt Hardy by pinfall, but MJF joins him afterward and the two have plenty to say before briefly coming to blows
- Don Callis asks Kenny Omega why he assumed Hangman Adam Page attacked Callis last week and says he’ll apologize to Hangman
- The Jericho Appreciation Society wined and dined The Acclaimed to try to get them to join
- Blackpool Combat Club def. Dalton Castle and The Boys by pinfall
- A video package plays up the title match between Omega and Jeff Cobb later tonight
- Page is approached by Callis and wonders if his apology is for real, but neither has time to resolve anything as the BCC comes by and lays them both out
- Kenny Omega def. Jeff Cobb by pinfall to retain the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship, but …
- … he gets attacked by the BCC afterward, including Bryan Danielson, who teases aiding him before joining his teammates in their assault
- The Gunns tell FTR they are one of the best tag teams ever, but they’re no heroes to the champs, who don’t respect them, and vow to end their careers next week
- Orange Cassidy def. The Butcher by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
- Jade Cargill is still upset about Taya Valkyrie, and wants her team to handle things legally for stealing her move and all
- Juice Robinson warns Action Andretti their meeting on Rampage will be a fight, not a match, one designed to deliver a message to Ricky Starks
- Ruby Soho def. Willow Nightingale by pinfall, and Jamie Hayter leads a charge afterward to chase off The Outcasts before having a brief friendly staredown with Riho
- Powerhouse Hobbs says the TNT Championship is never leaving his waist
- Adam Cole def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall
- Britt Baker joins Cole in the ring, and streamers rain down on the couple while the fans salute him; Chris Jericho comes to get Garcia but has a look of disdain for Cole
Please scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.
Jack Perry gets a big win, but MJF is unimpressed
Dueling chants for both men is definitely interesting. The announce crew frames this as an important bout for Perry against a bona fide legend. Facts.
Perry uses his speed to keep Hardy at bay early on, but Ethan Page steps in and keeps Jungle Boy from a follow-up dive to the floor. When he finally launches himself, Hardy is ready, countering with a Side Effect as Darby Allin is shown watching backstage.
He gets to see Perry take another Side Effect on the apron, which looks painful and leads to Hardy controlling the action during side-by-side commercials.
Perry is getting a lot better at selling specific damage, or so it seems to us. Page intervenes again, and Hardy tries to capitalize with a superplex that only gets two.
Who can even the odds? Hook, of course. Perry manages to counter a couple of Hardy’s signature moves, and a Flatliner sets up a running elbow to the back of the head to give Jack the pin.
No time to celebrate, however, as MJF makes his way to the ring. The champ disses the St. Louis fans and takes issue with Perry’s assertion that he had it easy in his climb to the top. He does give Jungle Boy credit for clawing his way up but thinks Jack should be upset with himself.
Say what? MJF says he thought a previous meeting with Perry showed him they would be rivals at the top level forever. He gave Jack some advice, which Perry remembers as needing to dump all his friends and stop being a nice guy. MJF says everyone he palled around with betrayed him, and Hook will do the same eventually.
Is MJF right? Well, he’s the champ and Perry is “still just Jungle Boy.” Perry said a long time ago he thought they might be friends, and in some ways, Jack wishes he could be like MJF … but it wasn’t him to not care about anyone but himself. If his road to the top is harder as a result, so be it.
MJF agrees maybe they could have been friends, but says Jack is a “massive disappointment” and is weak everywhere, including, he claims Anna Jay said, between the knees.
Naturally, Perry isn’t taking that, and he ends up laying out the champ with a lariat before Max scoots to safety to avoid a running elbow.
Dalton Castle and The Boys get ambushed, figuratively and literally, by Blackpool Combat Club
Castle and company learn the hard way you have to have eyes in the back of your head against BCC even when making your ring walk. A pre-bell assault has Dalton’s side in bad shape, with Claudio Castagnoli finishing one of The Boys in supremely quick fashion.
Then BCC hops the barrier and they leave through the crowd. Job done.
Kenny Omega puts drama aside to defeat Jeff Cobb, but the BCC isn’t done with him
Right before he comes through the curtain, Omega is informed by Tony Schiavone about the BCC attack on Don Callis and Hangman Page, but he tris to shake it off since he has a tough match and needs to focus. Schiavone notes as the bell rings that it could mean a distracted Kenny … or an angry one.
Omega gets in the first big move, landing his tope con hilo but also selling the impact on his already taped ribs. Kenny’s attempt to hoist his foe goes awry, and Cobb hits a running brainbuster to start his first big offensive sequence.
Just when it looks like distracted Omega is the one we’re seeing, he makes a strong rally that leads to a knee strike and a two count. A snapdragon suplex is answered by a huge Cobb lariat, bringing the fans to their feet.
They inevitably end up on the top rope together, where Cobb delivers a delayed vertical suplex from the middle turnbuckle. He’s slow to cover, but gets an even close near fall after a standing moonsault.
Cobb uses Omega’s own V-Trigger against him, then takes things a step too far by trying Kenny’s famous finisher. Omega reverses a Tour of the Islands into a knee, follows with a V-Trigger and uses the ropes to get Cobb up for the One-Winged Angel. He pulls it off and even walks around for a bit before dropping Cobb down for three.
The BCC comes to surround Omega after the bell, but they pause when Bryan Danielson arrives. He looks like he’s going to help Kenny fight off his teammates, but as soon as Omega turns his back, Danielson blasts him with a Busaiku Knee. All four men beat the crap out of Omega, and Danielson berates Kenny before leaving, saying he’s everything wrong with pro wrestling.
Orange Cassidy, Best Friends have to cut some corners to keep Freshly Squeezed the champ
The Blade gets himself ejected from ringside before the bell even rings, which isn’t too effective a way to help one’s partner. The Butcher’s strength is apparent as he gets in plenty of offense, but Cassidy has answers, including a diving DDT for a near fall.
Maybe we were wrong about Blade BTW, because he’s able to lend a hand when the referee isn’t looking, until the Best Friends arrive to neutralize him. Chuck Taylor hits Butcher with the crowbar that Blade had previously used on the champ, and Freshly Squeezed hits the Orange Punch to seal a win.
The announcers don’t let that heel tactic from Cassidy go without a mention, for what it’s worth.
Willow Nightingale learns fighting alone won’t work vs. Ruby Soho, but the champ arrives to chase The Outcasts away
Willow needs to keep here eyes on a swivel here with The Outcasts lurking. She isn’t as happy go lucky as usual and that’s bad early on for Soho, who is taking quite the beating, including repeated body slams.
Of course Soho is willing to bend the rules when the ref isn’t looking, and Ruby delights in causing some extended pain to Willow.
It’s … not really going much better after side-by-side commercials. But then it is, thanks to a big spinebuster that has Soho begging off. A huge Death Valley Driver is next, and Nightingale has a determined look on her face even after Soho kicks out.
Ruby responds by hitting No Future twice in a row, then looks surprised when Willow kicks out. Nightingale nearly wins it with a backslide and connects on a Pounce that smashes Soho halfway across the ring.
Willow wants a Doctor Bomb, but the other Outcasts intervene, and Soho steals a pin using the ropes for leverage. Toni Storm and Saraya quickly attack Willow once the bell rings, and they bring in a steel chair instead of the spray paint can.
Here come Riho and Skye Blue to the rescue. They aren’t faring very well, with Blue getting thrown to the floor. But one more person sprints tot he ring, and it’s the champ, Jamie Hayter. She clears the ring out and offers a hand to Riho, who will challenge her next week.
Adam Cole triumphs over Daniel Garcia in his return to wrestling
It’s hard to describe how great it is to see Cole back in the ring after nine months away. Fans are psyched to see him, as you’d expect, but Garcia is more than ready to match him hold for hold while simultaneously disrespecting Cole.
A piledriver sends Cole out to the floor, ushering in a full commercial break, sort of a bummer when there’s been split screen ads all night.
Cole has things going back in his favor when the broadcast returns, though he whiffs on an enzuigiri and falls victim to a German suplex. Cole is clutching his head, heightening some of the drama of his return.
The fans spur Cole to a superkick, and he covers for a two count. After missing the Boom, Cole gets hit with some elbows before countering into a pinning predicament. Cole goes for Panama Sunrise only to see Garcia counter it into a Dragon Tamer. Cole crawls and reaches the rope to break the hold.
Another piledriver gets Cole with his arms trapped, yet he’s able to kick out at two again. His second attempt at Panama Sunrise works, and he lowers the Boom with his exposed knee to win it.