It’s a little trite to say “I can’t believe it’s been 200 episode of AEW Dynamite,” but for real, it is actually a little hard to fathom. Not only in a “time flies” sense, though that is part of it, but just overcoming the odds of starting from nothing except some of the best non-WWE talent and plenty of Tony Khan’s willpower and money, turning that into a strong No. 2 promotion on the North American wrestling scene.
While the company has added pay-per-views and additional weekly programming in the form of Rampage and Collision, Dynamite has been one of the constants throughout. It’s turned Wednesday nights into appointment viewing for many wrestling fans, and has produced a number of memorable moments.
Perhaps tonight’s 200th episode of AEW Dynamite from Tampa might cook up a few more. There’s certainly every opportunity, from a pair of championship matches to an Anything Goes three-way dance to The Elite (fresh off confirming they will remain All Elite going forward) in trios action.
Chris Jericho will take on some of his own teammates in what could be a pivotal fork in the road for the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jack Perry will continue to show he’s a Really Bad Guy now, and we’ll hear from AEW World Champion MJF.
Plus there’s been word that matches for All In will start to be announced tonight. That would be ideal considering the show is now less than a month away, and while it’s not unusual for AEW to book right up to the last minute, spreading the word on what to expect on its biggest card ever might not be a bad idea.
We’re psyched to see what’s in store on AEW Dynamite 200, and are raring to go with live updates.
AEW Dynamite 200 results:
Chris Jericho and Konosuke Takeshita def. Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara by pinfall
Jericho has no qualms about taking it right to his JAS colleagues, just as Garcia has no qualms about doing his dance right in Jericho’s face. It doesn’t stop him from being the one on his team to take the extended beating, as Jericho and Takeshita are working together nicely.
Guevara eventually gets a hot tag and clears the ring, diving to opposite sides to hit both of his opponents. He Frog Splashes Takeshita as well, but Jericho makes the save.
Fans are chanting for Garcia now, but just when it looks like he has Jericho in real trouble, Don Callis hits him in the head with Jericho’s bat. Chris looks unhappy but covers Daniel anyway and gets the three count.
Tony Khan thanks fans and the staff members that have made 200 episodes of Dynamite possible. A package of highlights over the years is shown with tons of good stuff.
Renee Paquette tries to catch up with Jericho for comment, but Matt Menard reaches him first and informs him that there will be a mandatory Jericho Appreciation Society meeting next week, and Chris will be there.
Tony Schiavone finds his mic quickly taken by Jack Perry, who calls out Jerry Lynn to “take this ass kicking like a man.” He says he won’t go teach Perry a lesson because it would constitute “child abuse.” Lynn also knows he’s past his wrestling days, but he called one of his friends from the ECW days … Rob Van Dam! And he’s even got “Walk” as his music.
Perry wants no part of RVD and flees into the crowd, at one point even acting like he’ll use a small girl as a human shield. He’s a bad guy, you see.
Trent Beretta def. Penta El Zero Miedo and Jon Moxley by pinfall in an Anything Goes match
You want trash cans? You got ’em. Also a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire. Alex Abrahantes isn’t above getting tables into position on the floor, and it’s Moxley who goes through them thanks to a Beretta superplex.
More tables are set up inside the ring, which is bad news for Beretta as he takes an Avalanche Destroyer through one of them. Here come thumbtacks too, neat.
Penta takes a piledriver into the tacks from Mox but kicks out, only to be slammed back first onto them. More ridiculous violence ensues with tacks and a trash can involved.
Mox hits a Paradigm Shift on Penta, but Trent send him flying with a knee shot and covers Penta to get the win.
After the bell, Mox wants to keep fighting, and his Blackpool Combat Club teammates are coming to his aid. Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy enter the fray as well, with Taylor eventually running Claudio Castagnoli off with a chair while Cassidy hits an Orange Punch on Moxley.
Taylor notes that the three-way accomplished nothing, so Best Friends challenge the BCC to a parking lot fight at Daily’s Place on Rampage.
RVD tells Paquette that he is here because Perry was running his mouth, and he wants to challenge Jack for the FTW Championship next week.
An emotional MJF says he wants to have a serious talk with the fans in the arena and at home. The champ says he has ADD and also Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. We’ll have the Wrestling Junkie intern look up whether that’s a real thing.
(Editor’s note: It is.)
MJF recalls being bullied as a kid and evolving to believe he needed to stab people in the back before they did it to him. He says getting people to boo him is easy but being vulnerable is hard. Alas, MJF claims he’s not scared of opening up any more because of the fans.
Though it will be hard to stop being a scumbag (his words) cold turkey, MJF says he’s ready to be “your scumbag.” He also credits Adam Cole for showing him how to open his heart, and he calls his “best friend” to the ring.
Cole obliges and praises the man that Max has become. Adam says the people adore him and want to cheer for him.
As much as he loves the flowers, MJF called Cole out to discuss the title match he promised him. Not just any match, though, “The Match”: a championship bout in the main event of All In at Wembley Stadium.
Cole eagerly signs the contract he was offered, and they hug while joking about who will win.
Backstage, Roderick Strong loses it while seeing it play out and gets a visit from The Kingdom.
The Elite (Kenny Omega and Young Bucks) def. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh by pinfall
Height differences are fun, and Singh just towers over Matt Jackson while Omega and Nick Jackson jokingly act like they won’t be tagged in to face the big man.
Some foolishness breaks out after a picture-in-picture segment, with Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, Brandon Cutler and The Hardys all getting involved. Jarrett wants to use his guitar too, but Hangman Adam Page arrives with a Buckshot to prevent it.
Lethal ends up eating the One-Winged Angel, and the good guys win.
Hangman reiterates the big news that The Elite has re-signed with AEW. Omega says we’ll be seeing more of them … heck, even on Collision.
AR Fox says he turned on Darby Allin because of his ungratefulness once he signed with AEW. But the Mogul Embassy takes care of its own, including casting Fox in his “new movie.”
To that end, Swerve Strickland and Fox pay a visit to Nick Wayne at his home training ring, which ends up going badly for young Nick. After bloodying Wayne, they force him to call Allin so they can threaten Darby that this is only the beginning.
Aussie Open def. El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship
The announcers frame this as hard-hitting vs. high-flying, and early on, it’s the aerialists who are getting the upper hand. Mark Davis of Aussie Open is only recently returned from injury, but he looks like he’s moving well.
Of course, no one moves as well as Vikingo. The only thing that can slow him is when he and Komander try simultaneous dives to the outside, only to get caught and smashed into each other back first by Aussie Open.
After side by side action, the luchadors recover nicely, walking the top rope for twin moonsaults to the outside. Both challengers fly for twin 450 splashes to Davis, but Kyle Fletcher breaks up the pin.
Alas, Komander ends up betting isolated, and the champs execute some nice tandem offense to put him away and retain their titles.
A highlight package shows the events on AEW Collision that have led to a Real World Championship bout between CM Punk and Ricky Starks this Saturday.
Hikaru Shida def. Toni Storm by pinfall to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion
These two know each other well and their physical styles are very complementary. Shida has a little more aerial flair to her arsenal, and she dips into it several times in a row for near falls while Saraya looks concerned on the outside.
Ruby Soho is out there too, providing the assistance to give Storm an opening for a DDT and hip attack. Shida kicks out, though, and the match continues.
A clash of strikes ends with Shida scoring with a knee strike, then a Falcon Arrow for another two count. Saraya slides a kendo stick into the ring, and Shida almost uses it before realizing that would get her DQed. Soho gets a shot instead, but as the ref gets rid of the weapon, Storm sprays Shida in the face with spray paint and hits Storm Zero … but Shida kicks out and reverses Storm’s next attack into a pin, holding on to become AEW Women’s World Champion for the second time.
