Tag: Wheeler Yuta

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest results 08/23/23: London calling

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest will set some of the final pieces in place for All In. Join us to see what’s going down.

What do you do when it’s the final AEW Dynamite before the biggest show in company history, and with the Fyter Fest branding to boot? Load it up as best you can, which is exactly the case for tonight’s episode from Duluth, Georgia.

Naturally, setting up some final pieces to All In looks like it will be part of the fun. There’s the obvious stuff, like a contract signing between Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay, as well as a face-to-face interview between AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (who will be the subject of, let’s call it increased interest due to recent events) and their challengers, the Young Bucks.

Some of the matches on tonight’s card are also previews of sorts for things we’ll see this weekend, including a battle between The Elite and Bullet Club Gold. Even the singles match between Jon Moxley and Rey Fenix has taken on potentially greater meaning since Fenix is rumored to be on his way out of his All In match due to visa issues.

Plus we’ll hear one last time from the two men who will meet in the main event of All In, MJF and Adam Cole. The success of their pairing has gone way beyond what anyone might have expected when it first started (including Cole himself, as he told us earlier this week), but now it’s the most exciting storytelling in all of AEW. Will there be one more twist in their tale before they team, then fight, in London?

Getting answers to questions like that is a big part of why we watch. Let’s dive in.

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest results from Duluth:

The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) vs. Juice Robinson and The Gunns is a no contest that turns into a huge multi-person brawl

The heel trio doesn’t even wait until our heroes are in the ring to attack, and Juice also abuses the ref for preventing him from using a steel chair. The Gunns hit Nick Jackson with the 3:10 to Yuma, but there’s no ref to count … or to stop Jay White from intervening too.

Omega fights valiantly against White but gets run over by Konosuke Takeshita. Things are looking dire until FTR events the odds, and with Omega and Takeshita isolated in the ring, Konosuke barely escapes the ring before he’s hit with a One-Winged Angel.

MJF proves he’s still having some trouble adjusting to being a face as he promises a pint to all the fans at Wembley but suggests he’ll make Tony Khan pay for them. Renee Paquette asks about the pressure he feels, and he says it’s the most of his entire life while putting over those who paved the way for a show as big as All In to happen.

Paquette also questions the sincerity of his friendship with Adam Cole while showing video of some of their previous interactions. The champ says that he’s become a better person because of Cole, and that while brothers fight sometimes, they hug it out at the end.

MJF suggests that if you put your faith in him, he will reward it. After all, he’s not just a scumbag — he’s your scumbag.

Jon Moxley def. Rey Fenix by submission, plus Santana and Ortiz are back

Fenix gets off to a quick start that includes a tope to the floor, but this all feels like a bit of misdirection given what’s rumored to happen here. Rey takes a nasty bump to the floor and is slow to rise, which may be leading toward what we’re talking about.

Mox rips away at Fenix’s mask during some picture-in-picture action but he’s able to avoid being unmasked and the fight continues. Fenix takes a series of stomps to the face but manages to pull off a superkick that gets him a momentary respite.

Rey tries his rollthrough cutter and gets it on his second try. A frog splash follows and comes very close to winning it for the luchador.

As Moxley tries for the Death Rider, Fenix counters with an inside cradle for another near fall. The two men slug it out until Rey’s thrust kick provides him the time to go up top. But Mox meets him there, biting his face to get leverage for an Avalanche Death Rider.

Fenix kicks out but falls right into a sleeper. Rey tries to fight it but can hold out only so long.

After the bell, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta attack Fenix with crowbars, and when Eddie Kingston and Penta try to come to the rescue, they are stopped by a returning Santana and Ortiz.

Best Friends and Orange Cassidy chase away the heels with chairs, but the damage is done to Fenix, who ends up getting stretchered out.

Penta and Alex Abrahantes hop in the ambulance to ride along with Fenix, and Kingston has an issue with Paquette over “what your husband did.”

Sammy Guevara defends Chris Jericho to Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang, who wonder if Jericho will be there for him when needed.

Will Ospreay is accompanied by Don Callis for the contract signing, and Jericho walks out with Guevara. Callis says everyone wants to know why he did what he did, but he makes it simple by saying it was due to Ospreay … as well as having a chance to end Jericho’s career.

He chose money and power over friendship and Ospreay over Jericho. Will grabs the mic to talk about how the match will change his life, and that he’ll be the only person who can say he beat Omega, Kazuchika Okada and Jericho in two months.

Jericho responds by saying Ospreay may not have done all of those things without him, claiming he called Will and told him to calm it down because his style was too reckless to ensure longevity. He says the match at Wembley means more to him than Ospreay or anyone since everyone is predicting his demise.

He touches a nerve as Ospreay smacks the mic out of his hand, and the two men need to be separated by everyone else in the ring. They did sign the contract in there too, so it’s on.

Now it’s Cole’s turn to talk to Paquette, with Cole praising MJF for having belief in him to return to top form. He also says winning the AEW World Championship would cement his status as the best wrestler in the world.

Alas, when he’s shown video of Roderick Strong and how their relationship has suffered while he’s been friends with MJF, Cole gets mad and cuts the interview short, yelling that there are no problems between him and Max.

Darby Allin and Nick Wayne def. AR Fox and Swerve Strickland by pinfall, but there’s more to the story

Fox is wearing the same tank top he wore when attacking Wayne in his home ring, stained with the youngster’s blood. That’s … pretty nasty.

Wayne is taking some hellacious bumps here early on, but he hits a double Wayne’s World to the floor, followed by a Coffin Drop from Allin.

After a commercial break, Allin is hurling himself through the air again. Fox puts him in a chair on the outside, where Strickland lands a Swerve Stomp to knock him to the floor. Wayne is bleeding from his nose too, but he manages to kick out of Fox’s corkscrew brainbuster.

Swerve’s running head kick also won’t keep Wayne down, and when Fox misses a 450 splash, Wayne is able to bridge back into a pin just as Allin recovers to prevent Strickland from making the save before the ref’s count hits three.

Taking the mic, Swerve only laughs, telling Fox how disappointing he has been. “Why are you such a loser, Fox?”

Strickland says this was all a test, and he can’t trust Fox in front of 80,000 people at Wembley. The Mogul Embassy fires Fox and Brian Cage comes in and thrashes AR. Happily, Sting arrives with a baseball bat and Allin forgives Fox.

When Allin asks Strickland “who do you got?” for Sunday, out come Luchasaurus and Christian Cage, with the latter immediately insulting Wayne’s dead father.

So … Cage or the dinosaur man at Wembley?

Paquette sits down with FTR and the Bucks, with FTR saying that the only reason they’ve aided the Jacksons recently is to make sure that in London, they can determine who is the better tag team once and for all.

Nick Jackson suggests that FTR needs to win the match for their legacy, which the champs sort of shrug off. Dax Harwood says both the titles and the legacy are important, after which Matt Jackson starts in on them as well.

The four women in the title match talk about their tag team match at All In … except, curiously, for Saraya.

Ruby Soho def. Skye Blue by pinfall

Prior to the match, Soho delivers a warning to Kris Statlander, saying she’s got her eyes on the TBS Championship. At All Out, maybe?

Blue puts up her typical good fight here, including hitting Skye Fall, but Soho is able to catch her with Destination Unknown for the victory.

Flanked by The Kingdom, Roderick Strong ominously suggests that by the end of the night in London, we’re going to find out who the real MJF is and who the real Adam Cole is.

Without their usual music, The Acclaimed hits the ring and calls out the House of Black. They need to be careful what they wish for, as here comes the House.

A three-on-two beatdown is on, but Billy Gunn comes out to help chase the bad guys away. He gives an impassioned speech before saying he’s up for one more match to get some payback on the guys who hurt his “kids.”

And while fun loving Daddy Ass can’t make the trip to London, Gunn says a “Bad Ass” will be.

Aussie Open def. The Hardys by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship, then get a visit from MJF and Adam Cole

It feels very unlikely that these titles would change hands four days away from All In … but you also can’t rule it out if for some reason the Aussies can’t travel.

They sure look like they have taken control of this one, and by isolating Jeff Hardy, they manage to retain their belts.

For some reason, Aussie Open gets on the mic to promise no double clothesline or kangaroo kick at Wembley Stadium. All that does is bring out Better Than You Bay-Bay, a.k.a. MJF and Cole. The four men have a staredown that turns into fisticuffs.

Though Mark Davis evades a double clothesline, Kyle Fletcher is still in the ring. He nearly gets Cole to kick MJF, and hey come nose to nose before Max holds the world title belt over his head. Cole offers a handshake that MJF refuses before grabbing his Dynamite Diamond Ring, but they end up hugging it out.

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen results 08/16/23: All In takes even more shape

Also on AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen, Britt Baker won her way to London against The Bunny.

In terms of putting in work to elevate a “secondary” title, Orange Cassidy has been doing the textbook definition of it for months now. Yet all good things must come to an end, and you can’t help but feel leading into a special Fight for the Fallen edition of AEW Dynamite (with proceeds going to the Maui Food Bank) that the end might finally be approaching for the Freshly Squeezed one.

It’s not so much that Wheeler Yuta is one of the most lively challengers for his AEW International Championship, though he is definitely that. No, the issue is more that Yuta’s group, the Blackpool Combat Club, just seems like a force of nature right now. The BCC has been running roughshod over Dynamite for weeks, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Yuta gets the victory tonight.

There are other matches on tonight’s card with high stakes. Britt Baker seems like she should be in the four-way championship match at All In, but she’ll need to beat The Bunny to do it. You’d expect the good doctor to do exactly that, but there are also women with vested interests in keeping Baker off the London show, and it’s fair to wonder if any of them will intervene.

Because sponsorships make the world go ’round, there’s a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game coming out, which is why the Deathmatch between Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy, two gents who are old enough to know better, has that particular theme. Plus Darby Allin and Nick Wayne will try to get some measure of revenge against the Gates of Agony as they await the opportunity to get at Swerve Strickland and AR Fox.

Here we go, with Orange Cassidy starting us off.

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen results:

(scroll down for full details on any match or in-ring segment in bold)

  • Orange Cassidy def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship, then gets help from Best Friends and Lucha Bros. to fight off the BCC … as well as Eddie Kingston, back from Japan and anxious for a piece of Claudio
  • Kingston challenges the BCC “and anyone you can find” to a Stadium Stampede match at All In against him, Lucha Bros. and Best Friends
  • Jim Ross sits down with Kenny Omega to talk Don Callis, his childhood and Konsuke Takeshita, but Callis himself interrupts and provides a distraction that allows Takeshita and Bullet Club Gold to attack Omega from behind
  • Hangman Adam Page is outside the hospital and delivers a message about how he and Kota Ibushi will be on hand in London to help fight Takeshita and Bullet Club Gold; also, he gets yelled at for having a beer at the hospital and chugs it
  • Chris Jericho has an answer for Don Callis, but it isn’t what Callis expects, and when he’s caught in a lie, he unleashes Takeshita … and Will Ospreay
  • Jack Perry says he’s going to retire the FTW Championship next week on Dynamite
  • Darby Allin and Nick Wayne def. Gates of Agony by pinfall before Sting reveals he has Prince Nana captive
  • MJF tells Adam Cole they need to get in the minds of their opponents at Zero Hour, so they head to Outback Steakhouse; also, Cole tells Max they can prepare for Aussie Open by watching both Crocodile Dundee movies and they end up getting yelled at by Tony Khan for doing the double clothesline backstage
  • MJF and Adam Cole talk about London, then repulse a sneak attack from Aussie Open
  • A bloody Jericho tells Ospreay he could have just asked for the match at Wembley since it was supposed to happen in 2021, and promises to make Will drink his own blood in London
  • Jeff Jarrett def. Jeff Hardy by pinfall in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch that also drags in about seven other people and … Leatherface?
  • Britt Baker def. The Bunny by pinfall to earn the final spot in the four-way women’s title match at All In
  • A video shoes Billy Gunn retiring and The Acclaimed telling him how much he’ll be missed
  • As The Acclaimed makes their entrance for a squash match, the lights go out, then back up to find the House of Black in the ring; Brody King has a chain wrapped around his fist and uses it to start a monster beatdown
  • Young Bucks def. The Gunns by pinfall, and are bailed out from a post-match attack by Bullet Club Gold by FTR

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen 08/16/23 preview: Loaded card in Nashville

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen will feature a title match, a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch and an interview with Kenny Omega.

If you like your pro wrestling to be for a good cause, tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Nashville is definitely one you will appreciate.

AEW boss Tony Khan announced last week that this week’s shows would be under the Fight for the Fallen banner, with proceeds from Dynamite/Rampage and Collision going to the Maui Food Bank to provide assistance to victims of Maui’s devastating wildfires.

While that’s a sobering motivating force, tonight’s card looks like one that will live up to the special branding. Headlining is yet another title defense for Orange Cassidy, but against an opponent you could actually see defeating him for the AEW International Championship: Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta.

The Gunns will take on the Young Bucks in the Jacksons’ second straight battle of brother tag teams. Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy will face off in something called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch, which sounds terrifying on several levels. And Britt Baker is up against The Bunny in a high stakes match that sends the winner to the four-way title bout at All In.

The non-wrestling segments also sound pretty compelling. Chris Jericho says he’ll give his answer to Don Callis about potentially joining Don’s “Family.” Kenny Omega is scheduled for a sit-down interview with Jim Ross, where he teased a reveal for his All In plans. Last but definitely not least, we’ll hear from bosom buddies MJF and Adam Cole as they discuss facing each other for the AEW World Championship in London.

All of that should make for a fast-moving two hours in Nashville. Be sure to tune in at 8 p.m. ET on TBS to take it all in, or rely on us to update you with results and any other points of interest as they happen.

AEW Rampage results 08/11/23: Orange Cassidy does it again

AEW Rampage also featured Skye Blue vs. Saraya for a spot in the 4-way women’s championship match at All In.

Eventually, Orange Cassidy is going to lose his title. It’s probably not going to be tonight on AEW Rampage, though.

See, Cassidy is undefeated in singles matches this year, and has been absolutely heroic while defending his title against a seemingly nonstop wave of challengers. Not bad for someone whose gimmick is that he’s a slacker who really doesn’t want to wrestle.

But is his downfall coming tonight, against Johnny TV? That seems highly unlikely, but that’s why we watch.

Let’s see what this week’s Rampage has for us.

AEW Rampage results:

  • Darby Allin def. Brian Cage by pinfall, but gets attacked by TNT Champion Luchasaurus after the match, with Christian Cage watching like a hawk backstage
  • Renee Paquette talks to Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. about her matchup with The Bunny, who she says she respects but will have to go through her to get to the title match at All In
  • Eddie Kingston gives an update on how he’s doing in the G1 Climax 33 in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and also says he’ll defend his title from that company anywhere
  • Orange Cassidy def. Johnny TV by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship, with Wheeler Yuta as a very interested observer on commentary; after the match, Cassidy calls Yuta to the ring, but Wheeler says if Orange puts his title on the line next week in Nashville, he’ll walk out with it
  • A video package goes through the history of the ROH World Tag Team Championship
  • Aussie Open def. The Outrunners by pinfall; afterward they address the challenge made to them by “Maxwell and Little Adam,” and accept that match on the All In Zero Hour pre-show
  • Jeff Jarrett tells us about the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch, which … wait, what? (it’s apparently a promotion with a video game)
  • Saraya def. Skye Blue by pinfall with some help from the other Outcasts, of course, who also beat down Skye some more to end the show

AEW Dynamite results 07/26/23: Orange Cassidy is up in the BCC’s business

AEW Dynamite from Albany also featured an appearance by MJF and Adam Cole and a response from FTR.

For a guy who would prefer to work as little as possible, Orange Cassidy sure does defend his AEW International Championship a lot. And that makes for a totally relevant segue, because he’s going to be doing it again tonight on AEW Dynamite.

He’s already taken on quite the diverse group of challengers, but he’s getting a completely different test in Albany from high-flying AR Fox. The story AEW is telling with him is a good one: When will he simply wear out, and will he feel pressure to take more shortcuts to stave off the inevitable?

We’ll also see the latest comedy stylings from Adam Cole and MJF, and there are some other fun matches on the card too, so let’s jump right into it.

AEW Dynamite results from Albany:

Darby Allin narrates a video that tells us more about AR Fox, who not only helped him when he was just getting started in wrestling, he actually let Darby live with him for free. Respect.

Orange Cassidy def. AR Fox by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship

Even with his hands in his pockets, Cassidy is able to go move for move with Fox right off the bat, but he ducks out to the floor to slow the pace as soon as he’s able.

That only stops Fox momentarily, and the challenger has several good chances to win it. He also hits a cool somersault senton on the apron before returning to the ring, where Cassidy hits none of his big finishers but still is able to outwrestle Fox on the mat to get the pin.

After the bell, Cassidy offers a handshake, then his sunglasses to Fox. But AR destroys the sunglasses and then smashes Orange with  a right hand. Allin, who advocated for Fox to get this shot, runs down the ramp for an angry confrontation.

To add injury to insult for Cassidy, Jon Moxley hits the ring and lays out the champ with a Death Rider. Ouch.

Renee Paquette says Don Callis has requested time to speak with Chris Jericho, and he proposes a tag team match with Konosuke Takeshita as a test run for joining the Family. Oh, and it’ll be against Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara. Jericho ponders it for a second but then says he’ll do it.

Callis also commemorated some artwork that shows the two of them together in the ’90s, and … yeah.

Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta have a PSA: Don’t mess with the Blackpool Combat Club. That goes for Pac in particular, and Mox says the tag team they are facing tonight will pay for it too.

Tony Schiavone heads to the ring to talk to the new FTW Champion, Jack Perry, who scoffs at how Hook went home after one loss. But when he said he was going to win a championship, Perry clarifies that it wasn’t going to be one “created in a second-class company.”

Doubling and tripling down, Perry says he’d run circles around Taz and all of his dirtbag friends back in the day. Jerry Lynn comes out to take exception to all of this and defend the honor of ECW. When Lynn tells Perry he’ll get his ass kicked if he keeps running his mouth, Jack challenges him to a match next week.

Britt Baker tells Paquette she was surprised when Taya Valkyrie called her out on Collision, but she’s also excited about the opportunity to remind everybody that TBS = The Britt Show. Not sure that’s what it formally stands for, but we’ll roll with it.

Pac vs. Gravity

The announcers remind us that one of Pac’s nicknames used to be “The Man That Gravity Forgot,” and now he’s wrestling someone named Gravity, and you see where this is headed.

This is a pretty fun Dynamite debut for Gravity, but you know he’s not winning, and Pac is able to get him to submit. He hangs onto the hold after the bell, because he’s a bastard and all.

MJF and Adam Cole look a lot more serious tonight, with the World Champion cutting a very serious promo on FTR. Cole says to his partner that it’s become about friendship, which means the world to him. Adam tells Max that he’s becoming one of his best friends, but MJF says he’s going to give Cole a rematch since it means so much to him. Roderick Strong rushes in and starts a ruckus, so Cole tells MJF he’ll handle it, and he does it by telling Roddy he’s being too possessive and weird.

FTR is asked about the team they’ll have to face Saturday, and Cash Wheeler says he like and respects Cole but he hates MJF. Dax Harwood, who was the target of most of Max’s barbs, and says he will beat the s–t out of MJF for talking about his family. Sorry, Adam.

Swerve Strickland def. Darby Allin by pinfall

Allin has already had a bit of a night, what with the AR Fox business, so he might have some extra angst to channel here. A Code Red on the floor seems like it would hurt eve without that, but Strickland kicks out so the match can continue.

The steel steps come into play as well, and Swerve uses them as a launchpad for a jumping head kick that is truly impressive. He gains control after a commercial break and looks for a Swerve Stomp, which hits but isn’t enough to keep the resilient Allen down.

Up top they go, with Allin able to flip over Strickland to pull off a stunner, and Swerve slumps out to the apron. That ends up being bad news for Darby, who take a Death Valley Driver off the top onto the apron.

AR Fox comes down and slams Allin into the ringpost, leaving him easy pickings for the JBL Driver that gives Swerve the win.

Nick Wayne tries to come down and confront Fox, but he ends up getting laid out as well, and Fox takes off his hoodie to reveal a Mogul Embassy shirt.

Paquette is outside the locker room where Jericho has called a meeting of the Jericho Appreciation Society. Angelo Parker turns pretty serious while saying that the group means the world to all of them but he’s not sure it does to Chris. Anna Jay calls Jericho selfish and says they can’t give him 100%. Matt Menard tells him to “figure it out … fast.”

A replay is shown of Daddy Ass taking off his boots and leaving them in the ring on Collision.

Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. def. Taya Valkyrie by submission

Taya just smiles as she smashes home strikes on Britt, and there’s no doubt that it doesn’t look fun to be hit by her. So it looks like the good doctor is going to need to make a heroic comeback of some kind, but happily she’s pretty good at that.

Indeed, once she starts building momentum and getting her glove out, she appears to be headed that way. A Valkyrie spear derails her plans for a second, but Britt is able to counter the Road to Valhalla into the Lockjaw, and Taya taps out fairly quickly.

A series of promos for matches on this week’s episode of AEW Collision airs, with Jeff Hardy doing his best impression of The Rock. Yes, really.

Lucha Bros. def. Best Friends and Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley by pinfall

This one turns wild right off the bat, with the teams brawling all the way up toward the stage, where Chuck Taylor somersaults onto multiple targets from the ramp.

The match does eventually settle enough to get in the ring, but the ref is still pretty liberal about how many people are in on the action at once, and we naturally end up with all six facing off.

With the BCC members sent to the floor, the Best Friends hit tandem piledrivers on the Lucha Bros. for a two count. Rey Fenix and Penta end up applying simultaneous submissions but can’t get them to stick. Penta hits the Made in Japan, forcing the BCC to break up the pin.

Mox and Claudio are back and wrecking shop now. But Cassidy comes down the ramp, hitting Wheeler Yuta with an Orange Punch and scrapping with Moxley. Trent nails Claudio but learns he’s not the legal man and can’t make the pin. Penta takes advantage with a Fear Factor on Trent, which is enough to get them a dub.

The violence doesn’t end after the bell, with everyone involved in the match, plus Yuta and Cassidy, all brawling. Orange hits Claudio with an Orange Punch as the show fades out.

AEW Dynamite results 07/05/23: ‘Can they coexist?’ gets a workout

Edmonton is also set to welcome Kenny Omega in singles action against Wheeler Yuta on AEW Dynamite.

If you think WWE is the promotion that made “Can they coexist?” into its own trope, AEW is about to say “hold my Canadian beer” tonight for Dynamite in Edmonton.

Odd couples are the name of the game for this show, including the first match with the pairing of MJF and Adam Cole. You may recall that not long ago, Cole came within a whisker of defeating MJF and earning a shot at his world title. He probably isn’t thrilled about this partnership, but MJF seems pretty enthused about it — likely because he thinks he can keep Cole from coming after his beloved BBB. We’ll see if they win despite themselves tonight.

Another match in the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament will see an actual former tag team reunited. Alas, the days of Swerve in Our Glory are long past, and since Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland weren’t always on the same page even in the best of times, heaven only knows if they’ll be able to make it five minutes into their matchup with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy without trying to destroy each other.

Then we’ve also got matches of the more traditional variety, meaning the combatants just flat out can’t stand each other. That goes for Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta, an offshoot of the feud between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club that is headed toward Blood and Guts, as well as the Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament bout between Britt Baker and Ruby Soho.

But you know who can coexist? You, dear reader, and your friends here at Wrestling Junkie. We’re ready to serve up the latest AEW Dynamite results fresh out the oven, so let’s get to it.

AEW Dynamite results from Edmonton:

Renee Paquette lets Darby Allin give Keith Lee a pep talk before they meet in the ring. Interesting motivational ploy. Lee’s response? “Ballsy. Stupid. But ballsy.”

Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin def. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland by pinfall in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament match

Lee doesn’t even acknowledge Swerve as he walks down the ramp to get this started. The announcers sell the idea that Cassidy’s Orange Punch is losing some of its steam as he gets worn down from defending his championship every week, and indeed, Lee eats two without even leaving his feet.

In an “only Darby” bit, Allin ends up trapped under the steel steps. Swerve ends up hitting a 450 splash on his own partner while trying to break up a pin, then kicks him in the head by accident as well. Allin and Cassidy end up prevailing, then fist bump Lee afterward.

Allin narrates a video about the arrival of Nick Wayne in AEW. And it’s “to be continued” so there’s more to come.

Jack Perry pulls up and tells Tony Schiavone he’s going to demand an FTW Championship match. But when Hook runs up and tries to get a piece of him right there. Perry jumps back in his SUV and has the driver speed him out of there.

MJF and Adam Cole are shown working out together and bond over mocking Schiavone, and MJF seems stunned by how strong Cole is.

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. The Blade and Bollywood Boys by pinfall

Max Caster gets in both Canadian wildfire and Justin Trudeau’s blackface incident punchlines during his entrance rap, for those of you who track such things. Despite the best efforts of Skinny Goldberg, a.k.a. The Blade, The Acclaimed win with a Caster Mic Drop.

Afterward, the winners are interrupted on the big screen by Harley Cameron. She claims she made a video and will drop it on The Acclaimed next week. She also appears to still be after Anthony Bowens, but Daddy Ass says he has two words for her, and you know what they are.

Jon Moxley says he wishes Eddie Kingston would embrace what’s next and help train up the next generation, but he knows that’s not reality. He also tells Eddie to answer his phone.

Matt Hardy watches as RJ City draws his tag team partner, and it’s Jeff … Jarrett.

Wheeler Yuta cuts a promo promising to end Kenny Omega tonight.

Chris Jericho comes to the ring and says it’s time for him to reevaluate things and make some changes. And what better place for that than Alberta, where he started his wrestling career?

Hearing this talk, Don Callis arrives to plenty of boos and says he can help Jericho make a change. Callis calls Jericho his best friend and that he’s there to ask if Chris will join the Don Callis Family.

Jericho almost seems offended by that, but then says “maybe” before leaving the ring.

Paquette gets a medical update on Roderick Strong, who gets a quick visit from Cole ahead of his tag team match with MJF.

MJF and Adam Cole def. Matt Menard and The Butcher by pinfall in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament match

Pretty sure Taz called the team of Daddy Magic and The Butcher “Magic Meat,” which, if so, well played. MJF peer pressures Cole into lending a hand with an abdominal stretch, some rulebreaking he clearly doesn’t want to do.

Cole is able to get the pin for his team in the end, but that’s not the end of the segment …

… because MJF grabs the mic afterward to put over Cole and asks the fans if they want to see another hangout session this weekend. The champ seems psyched when Cole accepts, then wishes Cole happy birthday, leading a cheer complete with streamers.

Alas, after MJF brings out a cake and leads the birthday song (remember he actually can sing!), Cole smashes his face into it. But Adam does thank him, sounding sincere, for doing all of this.

Paquette catches up with Britt Baker, who says Ruby Soho lied to people when she said she took everything from Britt. Now, Baker says she plans on winning the Owen Hart Cup tourney again, starting by beating Ruby.

Jericho is confronted by Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, but tells them “you can’t be with me forever, think about that.”

Ruby Soho def. Britt Baker by pinfall in a Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round match

The other Outcasts are on hand, naturally, providing just enough of a distraction to allow Ruby to get the upper hand. Once they get down to brass tacks, there’s a pretty damn good match going on.

But of course the Outcasts spoil that, cheating to hit a belt shot and set up the No Future. Baker kicks out of that, but the cheating continues and helps Ruby get the pin and advance.

Skye Blue, who Soho will meet in the next round of the tourney, comes out for a brief staredown.

Kenny Omega def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall

The announcers point out that Omega is coming off consecutive singles losses for the first time in his AEW career. Kind of reinforces the idea that he’s not losing here, but we shall see.

Omega sells some of the damage he suffered during his Forbidden Door bout against Will Ospreay, leaving Yuta very confident as he goes about his attacks.

Let’s be real, though: It’s still Kenny, even at less than 100%. He’s still able to run through most of his trademark offense, though he can’t get the One-Winged Angel off on the first try and has to scramble to kick out after Yuta pulls the seat belt pin on him again.

Callis comes down the ramp and is chases back up the ramp by security, but that gives Konosuke Takeshita a chance to sneak in from the other side of the ring for a Blue Thunder Bomb. Yuta hits a splash and covers, but Omega kicks out.

As Yuta goes up top, Omega uses that as leverage to hoist him for a One-Winged Angel that ends it.

Right after the bell, Takeshita and Claudio Castagnoli invade the ring, but the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page arrive with chairs. As the show fades out, however, after overrunning the time slot by a few minutes, the Dark Order is seen taking the chair away from Hangman.

AEW Dynamite preview 07/05/23: Kenny Omega fights again in Edmonton

There’s also Owen Hart Cup and Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament action on tap for AEW Dynamite from Edmonton.

It’s not every week that Kenny Omega wrestles a singles match on free TV. That’s by design; not only does AEW want to make each Omega outing meaningful, he’s said himself that he can’t keep up the same pace he did earlier in his career. But he will be in action tonight on AEW Dynamite, and that alone is reason to check it out.

It’s possible that AEW and Omega didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to allow him to perform in front of Canadian fans again, seeing as tonight’s show is in Edmonton. It’s also part of the wider build to Blood and Guts between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club, as Omega will face off against the latter group’s Wheeler Yuta.

The other big focus for Dynamite will be tournament action of not one but two different kinds. The Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament will continue with a match that was delayed from last week due to illness, with Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. squaring off against Ruby Soho of The Outcasts.

The Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament also kicks it up a notch with two matches. One will see former friends turned enemies Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland go up against Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin. Only one guess which team should have the better chemistry in that one.

Speaking of chemistry, MJF has been doing all he can to build it with unwilling tag team partner Adam Cole, probably to keep Cole from going after his AEW World Championship. They’ll have their first tourney match tonight as well.

Plus we’ll hear from Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley, because why not? It all goes down tonight starting at 8 p.m. ET, and if you can’t tune in, be sure to check us out at Wrestling Junkie for live results and updates.

AEW Dynamite results 05/31/23: Britt, Adam lower the Boom, CM Punk confirmed

Get filled in on all of the action from AEW Dynamite in San Diego.

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

AEW Double or Nothing: Top takeaways after a night of Anarchy, Pillars and title changes

See what stood out the most during a busy night in Las Vegas for AEW Double or Nothing 2023.

An exciting weekend of wrestling was capped off with the fifth annual AEW Double or Nothing in Las Vegas.

Did we crown a new world champion? And how much anarchy did The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club get into?

Here are my takeaways from Sunday’s event.

Takeshita helps the Blackpool Combat Club defeat The Elite

Anarchy in the Arena for sure lived up to its name at Double or Nothing.

This match had a little bit of everything. You had a band named Violent Idols playing “Wild Thing” during Blackpool Combat Club’s entrance, then continued to play for a good 10 consecutive minutes in the closest thing I have ever seen to a cold open to a wrestling match.

The lead singer of the band had a peculiar look that raised quite a few eyebrows on social media, but the music ended when said lead singer was double superkicked by the Young Bucks.

Speaking of superkicks, there was an exploding superkick at one point. Someone’s foot was slammed into thumbtacks. Those same thumbtacks were also poured down someone’s mouth. Renee Paquette, AEW interviewer and wife of Blackpool Combat Club leader Jon Moxley, summed up the match in one tweet:

At the end of the day, Konosuke Takeshita returned to hit Kenny Omega with a flying knee, which led to Wheeler Yuta pinning Omega to pick up the win.

This was exactly what I was expecting and then some, because I definitely did not expect to see an exploding superkick coming.

This may not be everyone’s taste and I understand that. Some people are turned off by the excessive violence of matches like this or Blood and Guts, which usually features thumbtacks, glass, forks and other various sharp objects. However, I am OK with it when it is used within reason.

I’m not really a big fan of ultraviolence or violence just for the sake of it, but when you have a hot feud between two sides that, in storyline, hate each other’s guts, a little bit of blood can enhance the experience.

But again, within reason. I thought Anarchy in the Arena accomplished that by doing a good job of just dipping its toe into absurdity and nothing more.

The Four Pillars tear down the house

While Anarchy in the Arena may have been the craziest match of the night, the world title match featuring the proclaimed four pillars of AEW was the best pure in-ring contest of the evening.

It was so good that it almost made me forget about the fact that it didn’t close the show and that Anarchy in the Arena did.

It really should not be all that surprising considering Darby Allin, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara are all capable of wowing fans with their athleticism and MJF is great at telling a story and using sound logic to dictate his decisions.

On this night, MJF used Allin’s Coffin Drop against him by placing the world title on top of a prone Perry. Allin crashed into the belt, which allowed MJF to use another headlock takeover to defeat Allin and retain his title.

The question moving forward is where does AEW go with MJF? Moxley, Omega and Adam Page are all tied up in the Elite-Blackpool Combat Club feud, and I’m not sure who else is just ready to step up and assume the top challenger role.

That is unless AEW slots potentially returning CM Punk into that spot.

Regardless of who it is, it has to be worth potentially putting the match in the main event of All Out in Wembley Stadium.

Two new women’s champions

The AEW women’s division saw a major shakeup Sunday night as two new champions were crowned. Toni Storm defeated Jamie Hayter to become the first woman to win the world title twice thanks to A LOT of help from Saraya and Ruby Soho.

However, that wasn’t that big of a surprise to me, as I predicted as much to happen given Hayter’s uncertain injury status.

What did shock me and many others was Jade Cargill’s undefeated streak coming to an end. No, she’s not 59-1. She’s actually 60-1.

Cargill and Taya Valkyrie had a pretty good match for the TBS Championship, which ended in another victory for Cargill. Mark Sterling then got on the microphone and said that there was no one left for Cargill to beat for the title and that she’d take on anyone at any time.

Obviously, that meant someone was going to answer the call right away. That person was a returning Kris Statlander. In what felt like a Money in the Bank cash-in, Statlander quickly upended Cargill to end the undefeated streak and become the TBS Champion.

There were some fans on social media that pondered why AEW didn’t wait to build up the next match between Cargill and Statlander, but I’m not mad at AEW’s approach. It created an unexpected moment that the fans in Las Vegas actually got excited for, which was not the case throughout the rest of the show.

It also provides Cargill an out even in defeat, as she can say she had just competed in a grueling match and her manager put her in a position to fail by issuing an open challenge right away.

In one night, AEW has two pretty good rivalries on its hands in its women’s division, which I think is pretty good by AEW standards.

If it had my way, though, I would find a way to get Cargill in the world title picture sooner rather than later. I know AEW could create a great atmosphere for Storm versus Hayter in Wembley Stadium if it chose to run that back, but Cargill needs to be in the title’s orbit soon after.

Sidenote: Cargill’s entrance was a tribute to her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, which is a member of the historic Divine Nine sororities and fraternities and is an integral part of Black culture.

FTR produces yet another banger; Chris Jericho & Adam Cole do not

Going back to their days in NXT, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood have been producing banger after banger in tag team matches.

On Sunday night, FTR produced another. This time, it was with Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.

As good as their match was Sunday night, I think I have had my fill of watching Jarrett wrestle in title matches in AEW.

On the flip side, I think the “unsanctioned match” between Chris Jericho and Adam Cole was a big bowl of meh, which did not give me high expectations for the tag match scheduled for Dynamite with Jericho teaming with Saraya to go against Cole and Britt Baker.

Wardlow puts on his workin’ boots

I don’t think I am speaking out of term when I say AEW has yet to truly capitalize on Wardlow despite giving him plenty of victories. As a result, Wardlow isn’t quite as over as many thought he would be by this point.
At Double or Nothing, Wardlow tried his damndest to flip the script by putting on a show during his ladder match for the TNT Championship against Christian Cage.

Wardlow pulled out all of the stops, including a Jeff Hardy-esque swanton bomb from the top of a ladder onto Luchasaurus and through a table.
Time will tell whether that performance at Double or Nothing will provide the spark he truly needs, but it will not be for a lack of effort on Wardlow’s behalf.

The vibes in Vegas were lackluster

I’m not sure if it was an audio issue or what, but the crowd in Las Vegas didn’t sound very active for large portions of the night, and I think it hurt the show in some ways.

If wrestling fans learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic it’s that a lively crowd can enhance a match. The wrestling in the ring was good enough to elicit strong reactions, but based on the audio I heard coming out of my TV and the posts I saw on social media, the reactions were frequently tepid.

AEW Dynamite results 05/24/23: Young Bucks put one over on the BCC before Double or Nothing

AEW Dynamite is rocking Las Vegas for the final show before Double or Nothing, with three championship matches and much more.

There’s a feeling of excitement in the air on the Las Vegas Strip. Well, to be fair, that feeling is always there at the beginning of a trip to Sn City, not always at the end. Speaking for … a friend. Yeah, that’s it. But poor jokes aside, it’s Double or Nothing week in Vegas, and it begins in earnest tonight with AEW Dynamite.

Typically, go home shows can be light on the in-ring action, but that’s not the case tonight. There will be three, count ’em, three championship matches on TBS before the night is over. Orange Cassidy, apparently unfazed by trying to retain his Intercontinental Championship on the line against 20 men at once this weekend, will take on Aussie Open’s Kyle Fletcher.

The Lucha Bros. will put their ROH World Tag Team Champions up against Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta after Claudio won the Double Jeopardy match against Rey Fenix last week. And House of Black will defend their AEW World Trios Championship against the ragtag yet exciting band consisting of AR Fox, Blake Christian and Metalik.

We’re going to hear from people too. Oh man, are we going to hear from people. The list includes all Four Pillars (MJF, Darby Allin, Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara), FTR and Ricky Starks. Plus Adam Cole and Chris Jericho will have their contract signing, and Tony Khan will announce the first location for AEW: Collision.

Phew! This feels like it could be the goods, particularly for the final Dynamite before a pay-per-view. Let’s find out.

AEW Dynamite results from Las Vegas:

  • Orange Cassidy def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship
  • Ricky Starks tells Renee Paquette he’s in full control of his emotions, and that if he’s going to keep getting beaten up by Jay White and Juice Robinson, he’s going to take matters into his own hands … but White and Robinson attack him and lay into him with a steel chair before White tells him they’re going to “keep having fun” with him
  • Jack Perry says he’s made the drive to Las Vegas many times, but the one thing that’s been the same every time is how being in the ring makes him feel, and he vows to make the drive back this time as AEW World Champion

  • Cash Wheeler admits that Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett have outsmarted them a number of times, but they’ve also been lucky and their luck is about to run out; Dax Harwood gets in some shots as well, but Mark Briscoe is angry at just about everyone involved, slapping some of them on his way out and telling Lethal he’s tired of them all

  • Paquette tells Sammy Guevara that MJF’s offer of a “handsome check” to lay down for him still stands, but he says the champ can shove the offer up his a–, also saying he’ll take the title on Sunday

  • House of Black def. AR Fox, Blake Christian and Metalik by submission in a House Rules match to retain the AEW World Trios Championship
  • After a video package promoting Anarchy in the Arena, Blackpool Combat Club says their goal at Double or Nothing is to end The Elite … and that they’ll show the difference between professionals and amateurs
  • MJF gets his pre-PPV mic time, insulting the crowd but putting over the homegrown Pillars before he talks about how bored he is in the company; Darby Allin comes to the ring and explains how AEW saved his life, but MJF boots him in the crotch, Guevara chases the champ off, and Perry rocks MJF on the ramp with a clothesline and holds up the championship belt
  • Wardlow and Arn Anderson deliver a warning to Christian Cage and Luchasaurus ahead of the Ladder match at Double or Nothing

  • Taya Valkyrie def. Lady Frost by pinfall with Jade Cargill and her minions watching from the ramp
  • Tony Khan announces that the AEW: Collision debut episode on TNT will take place at the United Center in Chicago; CM Punk is not mentioned in the announcement

  • Hangman Adam Page says while he hasn’t always been friends with the other members of The Elite, they have always been family, and the price the BCC has rung up will be paid in blood this Sunday

  • Adam Cole and Chris Jericho come to the ring for their contract signing, with Roderick Strong backing Cole and the whole Jericho Appreciation Society supporting their leader; when Jericho points out that his crew outnumbers them, Cole says he made a call for some backup … in the form of ECW legend Sabu

  • AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter and Toni Storm do some video package verbal sparring ahead of their meeting at Double or Nothing
  • Roderick Strong def. Daniel Garcia by pinfall
  • A video package shows Willow Nightingale winning the inaugural NJPW Strong Women’s Championship, defeating Mercedes Moné  in the final
  • Lucha Bros. def. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship after the Young Bucks come from beneath the ring to assure the BCC loses
  • Jon Moxley cuts a promo in the ring and promises the most violent spectacle ever in Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing