AEW Dynamite – May 13, 2026: Three For Three

Dynamite
Date: May 13, 2026
Location: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Asheville, North Carolina
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re on the way to Double Or Nothing and this week we find out if MJF is willing to put up his hair against Darby Allin and the World Title. Like doubling the stakes you might say. Other than that, we get to see the unveiling of this year’s Owen Hart Classic brackets. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Earlier today, MJF wouldn’t answer a question about whether he would put his hair on the line. Then he passed a rather surprising number of bald men until running into the Demand. Ricochet says MJF will look good bald, but not as good as him.

FTR/The Dogs/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Orange Cassidy/Young Bucks

Believe it or not, it’s a brawl to start with everyone going out to the floor but we quickly settle down to Harwood and Cassidy in the ring. Harwood’s top rope superplex connects but Cassidy is right back up with a Stundog Millionaire. Ciampa comes in and can’t connect with a chop, instead getting kicked away. Nick gets the tag and picks up the pace until the Bucks take out the Dogs.

It works so well that they do it again before going after Stokely. FTR’s save earns them some superkicks and it’s off to Cage, who lets the Bucks hit another double superkick before getting two. We take a break and come back with Stokely on commentary and Cage fighting out of the corner.

The non-Harwood villains pull Cage’s partners off the apron though until Copeland gets back up. Cage knocks Harwood down and brings Copeland in to quite the positive reaction. The Edge-O-Matic gets two on Connors and everything breaks down. Copeland hits an Impaler on Connors and his partners all come off the top for the big visual.

The Bucks hit dives and Cassidy and Cage put their hands in their pockets but Cage throws Cassidy over the top onto a pile. Cage hits his own dive but Copeland walks into a Shatter Machine with Cassidy making a save. We hit the parade of knockdowns and Connors spears Harwood by mistake. Connors gets triple superkicked into a spear from Copeland for the pin at 15:52.

Rating: B. This was your wild tag match to start the show and the fans were definitely into the whole thing and brought it up even higher. Copeland getting the pin is good, though it might have made more sense for him to win with the Grindhouse on the way to the I Quit match. That’s a minor quibble though and it was an energetic way to start the show, which is a good idea.

We go to the Death Riders’ training area (seemingly on a rooftop) where Will Ospreay trains his neck and Jon Moxley talks about how Ospreay used to fly like a bird. Because that’s what birds do. Now he needs to be a bird of prey.

Video on Stadium Stampede.

The Demand and Mark Davis introduce Andrade El Idolo and the Dogs as their other team members. That might be a bit more effective if the Dogs hadn’t just lost a match.

Mike Bailey vs. Westbrook

Bailey misses a kick and the standing moonsault but manages to knock Westbrook out to the apron. The Tornado Kick and Ultimate Weapon finish at 1:10.

Kevin Knight gets in the ring with Bailey and it’s Open Challenge time.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. ???

Knight is defending against…Brian Cage of all people and yes of course he’s still part of the Don Callis Family (who are here along with Mike Bailey). Knight’s chop has no effect to start and some running shoulders do about the same. Cage sends him into the corner and then does it again, only to charge into a raised boot. Knight’s dive to the floor bounces off of Cage though and he F5’s Knight onto the apron as we take a break.

We come back with Cage grabbing a DDT into a swinging neckbreaker (that was nice) but getting his neck dropped across the top rope. Knight scores with a springboard missile dropkick and they’re both down. Cage is sent outside and taken out with a big dive, followed by a hurricanrana into the steps. Back in and Cage grabs the apron superplex for two as Bailey and Lance Archer get in a fight on the floor. That leaves Knight to hit a springboard clothesline and a hurricanrana out of the corner. The UFO Splash retains the title at 10:45.

Rating: B-. Well Cage is back and he’s losing again. I’m not sure how much he’s going to help the Callis Family, but the point of the team seems to be to build up as many wrestlers as they can find. Either way, it’s a fine power vs. speed match and that’s something that is almost always going to work.

Post match Bailey congratulates Knight on his win and Knight welcomes Cage back. Bailey says Knight is a future World Champion and Bailey wants the next World Title shot.

Here are the Men’s Owen Hart Cup brackets:

Samoa Joe
Will Ospreay

Mark Davis
Jack Perry

Swerve Strickland
Bandido

Claudio Castagnoli
Brody King

Joe vs. Ospreay and Strickland vs. Bandido will both be at Double Or Nothing. The finals are at Forbidden Door.

Jack Perry, holding a knife, talks about how Mark Davis needed a golf club to beat him. They’ll fight at Double Or Nothing in Stadium Stampede and then it’s back to basics, with Perry moving on towards the World Title.

Will Ospreay vs. Ace Austin

We do get a handshake to start before they take turns flipping out of wristlocks. Austin’s standing armbar is countered into a seated armbar, which is broken rather quickly as well. Austin puts him down with a test of strength but can’t break the bridge. A running dropkick to the back of the head hits Ospreay and Austin pulls him into a Muta Lock, sending Ospreay over to the ropes.

Austin Death Valley Drivers him for two and we take a break. We come back with Ospreay hitting a Phenomenal Forearm, setting up a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Ospreay’s handspring kick to the head sends Austin outside but he’s back up to dropkick Ospreay through the ropes. Back in and the Oscutter gets two more but the Hidden Blade misses.

Austin faceplants him and grabs an anklescissors to bring him off the top. Ospreay’s legs get tied up for a rollup and a spinning Downward Spiral gets two more. A Cheeky Nandos misses for Ospreay but he pulls Austin into a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to the head for two but Ospreay kicks him in the arm and grabs a cross armbreaker for the tap at 15:41.

Rating: B+. Dang I could go for more of Austin, as there is something about him that is just fun to watch. Of course he didn’t have a chance here against the new and improved Ospreay but they had a very entertaining match together. Ospreay is the same high flier he was before but now with a submission game, which doesn’t fit him so well, but having him turn on Moxley and use that against him could work well.

Post match Ospreay shows some respect to Austin. This brings out Samoa Joe and the Opps, with Joe saying Ospreay could have had a first round bye but made his decision. Therefore, it’s time for pain at Double Or Nothing. Tonight though, the rest of the Opps head to the ring but here are the Death Riders before things get violent. Ospreay looks at Jon Moxley and seems to think there might be some benefits to this.

MJF interrupts Konosuke Takeshita and praises him for what he has been doing. Takeshita is going to win the title tonight and MJF thinks he would be a great first challenger. With Takeshita gone, MJF gives Don Callis the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Andrade El Idolo comes in to stare MJF off and say he wants the title.

Here are the Women’s Owen Hart Tournament brackets:

Persephone
Hazuki

Willow Nightingale
Alex Windsor

Mina Shirakawa
Athena

Skye Blue
Sareee

Nightingale vs. Windsor is at Double Or Nothing and the finals will also be at Forbidden Door. It’s also good that Persephone is back and it must be time for Athena to lose on the main roster again.

The Conglomeration isn’t sure which of them should get the Tag Team Title shot. Willow Nightingale is going to win the Women’s Owen Cup. Oh and Mark Briscoe is back and wants Tommaso Ciampa next week, which will be another three hour show.

Triangle Of Madness vs. Hikaru Shida/Brawling Birds

Everything breaks down to start with the fight heading outside. The Triangle gets beaten up on the floor, with Hayter taking over on Thekla in the corner. Thekla fights up and hits a big dive to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Hayter big booting her way out of trouble, allowing the tag back to Shida.

A suplex sends Hart into the corner and it’s back to Thekla to kick Shida down. The double gordbuster and double superkick put Shida down, with the other two coming in for the save. Blue breaks up Two Birds One Stone and it’s the Haytebreaker to Hart. Two Birds One Stone is loaded up again but Thekla comes in with a belt shot for the DQ at 10:03.

Rating: C+. I like the ending as Thekla would rather do damage than win the match, especially with her big title defense coming up. The Birds work very well together and got to showcase themselves a bit here, though the lack of Statlander was a bit odd. That being said, I’ll take a regular team getting some ring time over a makeshift group of three women.

Post match the beatdown is on until Mina Shirakawa and Willow Nightingale make the save.

Video on Rush.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Allin is defending and his early suicide dive is rammed into the post. They head inside with Takeshita sending him flying into the corner, where Allin bites the face. A top rope shoulder doesn’t do anything to Takeshita, who knocks Allin outside instead. The steps are loaded up but Allin scratches his way out of a suplex and dropkicks Takeshita off of said steps. A suicide dive hits Takeshita again and they get up to the apron.

Takeshita Blue Thunder Bombs him to the floor and we come back with Allin pulling him into a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a wheelbarrow suplex and a bridging German superplex (GEEZ) plants Allin hard for two. The running knee gives Takeshita two more and Don Callis gives him the ring. Takeshita doesn’t want it though and gets small packaged for two more.

Allin Code Reds him off the top and the Last Supper gets two. Takeshita is sent outside and the Coffin Drop connects to a standing Takeshita on the floor. Back up and Takeshita goes onto the steps but gets his suplex reversed into a Scorpion Death Drop. Back in and Takeshita gets the knees up to block a Coffin Drop, only for Allin to grab a Scorpion Death Lock. Takeshita makes the rope but the Coffin Drop connects to retain the title at 15:30.

Rating: B. Another good match from Allin, though having him space them out a bit more might work better for him. At the same time, it was another case where there was basically no drama about who was winning as their Double Or Nothing matches were both set, though I’ll take Takeshita over Okada. It’s nice to have the World Champion around, though we’ve pretty much covered the “Allin fights really hard to keep the belt” stuff for the time being.

Post match Allin grabs the mic and wants MJF’s decision right now, because starting a segment this far after the show was supposed to be over is fine. A table is set up and MJF comes out, with Allin wasting no time in signing the contract. MJF can’t bring himself to do it though, instead talking about how Allin always believes that making people happy matters. Deep down though, the people know that Allin is someone who got lucky.

At Double Or Nothing, MJF is going to become a three time World Champion at 30 years old. Allin promises to make MJF bald at Double Or Nothing and that’s enough to get the signature. The brawl is on and MJF leaves him laying but Kevin Knight runs in to break up a super Tombstone to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Dang that was long, with a seventeen minute overrun. Other than that though, this was a rather good show, with a pair of awesome matches. The MJF stuff was all but guaranteed so it was hardly a big change, but this was just about making it official. They added a bunch of stuff to Double Or Nothing here too and the card looks pretty good, so hopefully they don’t change it too much before the pay per view.

Results
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Orange Cassidy/Young Bucks b. FTR/The Dogs/Tommaso Ciampa – Spear to Connors
Mike Bailey b. Westbrook – Ultimate Weapon
Kevin Knight b. Brian Cage – UFO Splash
Will Ospreay b. Ace Austin – Cross armbreaker
Triangle Of Madness b. Brawling Birds/Hikaru Shida via DQ when Thekla used a belt
Darby Allin b. Konosuke Takeshita – Coffin Drop

 

 

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Dynamite – May 6, 2026: It Had To Be There

Dynamite
Date: May 6, 2026
Location: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, South Carolina
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s another double show this week as we have the usual two hours of Dynamite, plus the first half of Collision. As usual, the World Title is on the line as Darby Allin is defending against Kevin Knight in what could be a heck of a match. We’re also getting pretty close to Double Or Nothing and that should mean some new things being set up. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring for a dedication to Ted Turner, who started the network they’re on and had a big hand in bringing wrestling to national television. Schiavone brings out Sting, who talks about how great it was to have an all in billionaire who loved wrestling. Back in the day, a lot of people wanted to get rid of wrestling but Turner would tell the wrestlers to keep doing what he was doing because he had deep pockets.

He and Darby Allin burned this place up for three and a half years and he’s glad to see Allin defending the title tonight. Schiavone talks about how the TNT and TBS Titles have plates honoring where Turner started wrestling in Atlanta. And now, three hours of wrestling! It was nice to see this kind of thing and given that they air on the Turner networks, it kind of had to be there.

We get a ten bell salute to Turner.

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson

Non-title Eliminator Match. They go head to head and yell a lot before trading the forearms. Robinson headbutts him in the corner and a catapult sends Moxley out to the floor. The big flip dive off the apron connects and they go back inside, where Moxley (already bleeding) stomps on the hand. The fingers are split apart but Robinson is able to send him outside again, this time with a toss into the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Robinson hammers away until we take a break.

We come back with Moxley working on the fingers again but Robinson gets up to slug away. That’s cut off rather quickly and now it’s Moxley getting to fire off the right hands in the corner. A super hurricanrana gets Robinson out of trouble and he reverses a piledriver attempt into a rollup for two.

The snap jabs just earn Robinson a bite to the face but he’s right back with a high crossbody. They trade headbutts and forearms until Moxley misses a charge into the post. A mere thirteen seconds later, he’s back with a bulldog choke and piledriver for two. The choke goes on again and Robinson is out at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was Moxley in his Superman mode as he bounced up from charging into a post like it was nothing so he could do his big offense. That’s the kind of ridiculous stuff he does every so often and it makes for some less than great matches. Also, nice job of having the Bang Bang Gang get its momentum back on Collision and have their leader lose in the first match on the following Dynamite.

Will Ospreay trains with the Death Riders and Moxley says this is Death Ground (as in ground from which he can never escape) if his neck doesn’t get stronger. Yeah of course this is hard. And no more cameras.

Orange Cassidy vs. Dax Harwood

The winner gets a shot at the loser’s titles and Harwood has about seven people (including Tommaso Ciampa, RPG Vice, Cash Wheeler, the Dogs and Stokely dressed as Cassidy) with him. Cassidy brings out the rest of the Conglomeration, Adam Copeland, Christian Cage and the Young Bucks with him as there are probably fifteen people involved in this segment

Harwood armdrags him down to start but Cassidy kicks him off and grabs a headlock. Cassidy blocks the chops in the corner and hits an Orange Punch, sending Harwood outside. Another Orange Punch hits the post though and the hand gets wrapped around the post as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy being sent into the corner but blocking a superplex attempt. A top rope DDT gets two and Harwood goes outside, where he cuts off a suicide dive attempt.

Back in and a spinning DDT drops Harwood but Stokely offers a distraction and a cheap shot from the floor gets two. A big brawl on the floor looks to allow Harwood to bring in the ring bell, which is quickly taken away. Cassidy kicks him in the face but gets caught in a slingshot powerbomb for two more. Back up and the Orange Punch gets two so Harwood goes after the bad arm/hand again. That’s reversed into a cradle though and Cassidy gets the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. Well that was….busy. This felt like a match that could have had about, I don’t know, fifteen or so less people at ringside? I’m hardly thrilled with the idea of more people getting a chance to be a double champion again but it’s just another match before (I’m guessing) we get to Copeland and Cage getting their rematch at Double Or Nothing.

Post match everyone comes in and the good guys clean house.

Video on Rush.

Last week, the Demand jumped Chris Jericho.

This week, Jericho (not Chris Jericho but just Jericho) is in the back but wants to talk about the Demand in front of the people. He comes out to the ring and says he’s done with the three on one beatdowns. Instead, he’s going to DEMAND that Ricochet come out here and face him man to man right now.

Cue the Demand, with Ricochet mocking Jericho, who says that he can’t hear over all of the booing. Ricochet is tired of this stuff and listening to these people in Charleston, North Carolina (Jericho: “It’s South.”) and brings up a challenge for Stadium Stampede. He’s just not sure if Jericho can find four other partners because no one around here likes him. Jericho yells at him for getting the state wrong (Ricochet: “Same thing.”) and is sure he can find someone. Otherwise he’ll just do it himself.

The brawl is on and Jericho clears the ring…for a bit, only to get beaten back down. Cue the Hurt Syndicate to make the save. Schiavone: “I know they love Bobby Lashley and they love South Carolina native Benjamin Shelton.” That’s either a really odd reference to a Hulk Hogan interview from about a year ago, or Schiavone isn’t very good at his job.

Mina Shirakawa gives Harley Cameron a pep talk and rips Cameron’s shirt open. Shirakawa realizes Cameron is wearing her bra underneath rather than gear and has to apologize. Cameron doesn’t seem to mind and is fired up.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Keith

Okada is defending in your random title match of the week. In case you’re wondering, Keith’s most recent singles win on AEW TV was in October. Of 2024. Excalibur says Keith has been racking up wins in Ring Of Honor though, and that is true. I mean he hasn’t actually won a singles match this year but the three he had in 2025 count right? Oh wait actually as Excalibur said that Keith has had success on the independent circuit. From what I can find, that success is a record of 1-1-2 this year. So I guess this is based on the ROH tag success? To get a singles title shot. Right.

Anyway, Keith kicks away to start and snapmares him into a knee drop for two. Keith goes up but gets dropkicked out to the floor, where Okada hits a DDT as we take a break. We come back with Keith not being able to get a Fujiwara armbar but he can knee Okada in the head. Keith hits a running DDT for two and they head outside again, where Keith gets in another DDT.

Naturally that doesn’t do much and Okada gives him a slam into the dropkick. Another dropkick misses but Okada backdrops his way out of a tiger driver attempt. The next attempt works a bit better but Diamond Dust is countered into something like a sitout Tombstone. The Rainmaker retains the title at 10:16.

Rating: B. Keith made the most of his chance here and the match wound up being good. While it would be nice to see the choice of title challengers have a bit more logic, it was nice to see Keith getting a shot. Okada is on the way to his biggest match in AEW (or at least close to it) so call this a rather early warmup.

Post match Okada says he’s coming for the World Title. Censored.

Video on Andrade El Idolo.

Mike Bailey gives Kevin Knight a pep talk before tonight’s World Title shot. Knight is ready to win another title.

Samoa Joe and the Opps, now with Anthony Bowens, wants Will Ospreay on his team. Either do that, or get his fist instead.

Mina Shirakawa/Harley Cameron vs. Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander

Shirakawa and Statlander lock up to start, with Statlander giving her a slam and dancing a bit. A backslide gives Statlander two and it’s off to Shida vs. Cameron. That doesn’t last long as it’s back to Statlander, who gets headscissored into the corner. A backbreaker puts Shirakawa down though and Shida comes back in for a running knee on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Shirakawa and Shida trading forearms until Shirakawa knocks her silly. Cameron comes back in with a tornado DDT and Shirakawa adds a missile dropkick to Statlander as everything breaks down. Statlander is back up with a fisherman’s driver to Shirakawa but Shida’s running knee hits Statlander by mistake. Cameron rolls Shida up for two but Statlander is back in to boot Cameron in the face. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets the pin at 12:43.

Rating: C+. At least Shirakawa didn’t lose again. I’m not sure why Shida and Statlander’s team is continuing as it isn’t like they have much to do at the moment after losing their title shot. It’s nice to have them actually doing something, but a team with issues despite having success is a bit played out.

Swerve Strickland wants power and that means going after the most wanted, Bandido.

Bandido, with Brody King, says he’s not hard to find and King threatens Strickland for coming after his friends. Didn’t we just see King vs. Strickland a month and a half ago? Also of note: neither Bandido, King, Strickland or commentary referenced Bandido being the Ring Of Honor World Champion whatsoever. Bandido had the belt, but no one mentioned it at all. That was the case when Andrade El Idolo came after the title as well. It’s not a good sign when the Defy World Title (as held by Bryan Keith) gets more discussion than the title held, and displayed, by an AEW star.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight

Only Allin is defending. They go with the grappling to start until Knight knocks him down and grabs a headlock. Allin reverses into one of his own and hits a springboard elbow to the face. Back up and they clothesline each other and Knight snaps off a heck of a super hurricanrana. A big dropkick sends Allin outside and we take a break.

We come back with Allin grabbing a Code Red for two and Knight goes outside. The suicide dive knocks Knight down again and Allin sits him in the chair. Knight pops back up and hurricanranas him off the top and out to the floor for the big crash. One heck of a springboard clothesline hits Allin on the announcers’ table and they’re both down for a bit. Back in and Knight dives into a Scorpion Deathlock, sending him over to the ropes.

Knight is able to catch him in the Tree Of Woe and hits a Coast To Coast, followed by the UFO Splash. The knee is too banged up though and it’s a delayed cover for two. Allin kicks the knee out and grabs a guillotine choke before hanging him on the top rope. The Coffin Drop in the ropes sets up the regular Coffin Drop to retain the title at 15:36.

Rating: B. This was good again, with Allin’s rather impressive string of title matches continuing. At the same time, it seems like they’re setting up the idea of Allin giving it everything he has in these title matches, which could result in him having some trouble rather soon. Knight losing is acceptable enough as it’s to the World Champion, but it shouldn’t be happening again anytime soon.

Sting comes out to celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another strong show, though it was missing something to take it all the way to that higher level. It was a show built more around setting things up for later and building to things that we’ve already gotten set up. That’s a fine way to go on occasion, though they really do need to add some more stuff to Double Or Nothing, as we only have three matches thus far. Anyway, this was more than good enough.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Juice Robinson – Bulldog choke
Orange Cassidy b. Dax Harwood – Rollup
Kazuchika Okada b. Bryan Keith – Rainmaker
Hikaru Shida/Kris Statlander b. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa – Falcon Arrow to Cameron
Darby Allin b. Kevin Knight – Coffin Drop

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AEW Dynamite – April 29, 2026: Happy Days

Dynamite
Date: April 29, 2026
Location: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Virginia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re back with more title matches, as MJF is trying to get the TNT Title from Kevin Knight and Darby Allin is defending the World Title against Brody King. This seems to be part of Allin’s idea to “get beaten up really badly every week” but his match last week was rather good. Hopefully that is repeated here so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a quick preview of the show.

Video on MJF vs. Kevin Knight.

TNT Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, with MJF’s including some shots at Fairfax. They go outside to start with MJF taking over, including a powerbomb onto the barricade. The chinlock goes on back inside but Knight is right back up, only to get elbowed in the face. They take turns flipping out of belly to back suplexes until Knight is flipped face first onto MJF’s knee for two.

Knight escapes the Heatseeker though and hits a jumping DDT to leave them both down. A dropkick puts MJF down again and a running splash gets two. Knight sends him outside for the big running flip dive, followed by a heck of a springboard clothesline to the floor. Back in and they go to a pinfall reversal sequence, with MJF grabbing a cutter for two. MJF goes up but gets pulled down with a super hurricanrana, only for Knight to come up holding his knee.

A basement superkick and Panama Sunrise give MJF two and we take a break. We come back with MJF grabbing a half crab, which doesn’t last long. Knight superkicks another Sunrise attempt out of the air but a dragon screw legwhip brings him down on the rope. An Alabama slam gives MJF two more and it’s time to get mad. MJF grabs the belt, which is just a ruse to load up the ring. Knight hits him low though and a small package retains the title at 15:16.

Rating: B. This was good stuff, with MJF’s downward slide continuing. He has a lot going on right now and most of it isn’t going well, mainly due to trying to cheat too much and getting caught in the end. That’s a good way to bring him down, as he can complain about losing all over again. Knight on the other hand gets a huge win, which is a good sign as he is rapidly improving his status around here.

MJF’s stunned face is great as he can’t believe that happened. MJF hits him in the knee and loads up the ring but Darby Allin descends from the ceiling and hits a Scorpion Death Drop. MJF gets the mic and says “YOU PEOPLE SUCK!” He insists that he was barely trying in the match so all he wants is his rematch for the World Title. Allin wants something on the line in return…but doesn’t say what that is. Instead, if he beats Brody King tonight, he thinks Knight should get a title shot. Cue King to say he’s taking Allin out tonight and then facing Knight next week.

Video on King vs. Allin.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are in for the I Quit match, with Copeland bringing up Cage quitting before. Cage: “I didn’t say it!” Cage leaves. Copeland: “He totally said it.”

Brawling Birds vs. Emily Jaye/Jordan Blade

In a nice touch, Windsor points out a sign to Hayter, saying someone waited years to see Hayter. She blows the fan a kiss before the match and we’re ready to go (that’s the kind of thing I love in wrestling: something that takes so little time from the wrestlers but means the world to that fan). Blade gets knocked into the corner and chopped down, setting up a clothesline from both sides (Taz: “Little Malachi Crunch action there.” Hayter seems more like Count and Windsor is more Jumpy. Does that make Blade Pinky Tuscadero?). Two Birds, One Stone finishes Blade at 1:20.

Thekla would love to stop calling people dumb b****** but there are too many dumb b****** in AEW. The Brawling Birds need to mind their own business and stick to the tag team. Skye Blue doesn’t like them either.

International Title: Kazuchika Okada vs. Ace Austin

Okada is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Okada backs him into the corner to start and stomps him down but Austin is back with a rollup. A dropkick has Okada in trouble and a Death Valley Driver (with a squat) makes it worse. Austin sends him to the floor and does a handstand on the apron, earning some applause from Okada. A DDT drops Austin on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Okada hitting a neckbreaker and flipping off the crowd. Austin sends him to the floor and hits a knee to the face, setting up the Fosbury Flop dive. Back in and a top rope spinning Fameasser gets two on Okada, who ax handles him down. Austin tries the springboard spinning kick tot he head but gets dropkicked out of the air. Another dropkick sets up the Tombstone and the Rainmaker retains the title at 11:15.

Rating: B. This was a relief as I was worried it would take Okada far too long to win here. Instead, Austin got in his offense, looked good in the process, and then lost to the better main in the end. That’s how this should have gone and they made it work rather well, with Austin getting to hang with a bigger name before taking one too many chances.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for the staredown.

We go to the old west town for a Bandido vignette…but it’s Swerve Strickland, who burns a Bandido wanted poster. Could he be wanted for not defending his Ring Of Honor World Title since December 5, or a cool 145 days?

Commentary explains what happened on Collision, as Jon Moxley basically offered Will Ospreay a spot in the Death Riders. Not mentioned: Moxley handing Ospreay a chair and laying face first on the floor.

We see the Death Riders training, with Ospreay showing up. Ospreay is not cleared, but he’s going to Japan for a big title match. Moxley says that’s loyalty and Ospreay is too good to be true. Then he pokes Pac in the stomach and makes a noise like one does to a seven year old who would find it stupid.

Moxley says Ospreay needs to drop everything, including his anger and feelings about him, because they don’t need excess baggage. He’s not making any promises but when he makes a commitment to something, he sees it through to the end. Ospreay seems in but is surprised to hear that there is no ring. They’re starting from the ground up and the camera is shoved out. This is certainly a thing going on, though Moxley’s acting is….really not his strong suit.

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. RPG Vice

FTR and Stokely Hathaway are here too. Cage and Romero start things off with Romero being backed into the corner. A dropkick puts Cage down and Romero stops to dance and it’s off to Copeland. The big boot/Russian legsweep combination gets two on Romero before Beretta knees Copeland down for the same.

That just earns Beretta a big boot and it’s back to Cage, who heads outside and gets his bad arm slammed into the post. The Conglomeration is in the crowd and throws popcorn on Stokely, triggering a brawl with FTR. They all fight off and we take a break with Cage still in trouble. We come back with Copeland getting knocked off the apron to cut off the tag attempt.

A sliding knee gets two on Cage and Romero grabs a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up with a grab of the rope and Cage elbows his way out of the corner. The tornado DDT connects but bangs up Cage’s arm again. Copeland gets the tag anyway and the Impaler gets two on Beretta, with Romero making the save. Everything breaks down and Copeland misses a spear, allowing Beretta to roll him up. The referee sees the feet on the ropes though and Copeland tosses Beretta into Cage’s spear for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard formula tag match but it was a bit of a stretch to buy RPG Vice hanging with Copeland and Cage this long. Yes they’re a successful team in Japan but not so much in AEW. Either way, it was hardly a bad match and Copeland and Cage get a win before their next title shot.

Post match Copeland puts Beretta in the crossface to make him quit. That’s just violent.

Earlier today, the Demand beat up Chris Jericho again. Ricochet tells him to leave for good and Jericho tells him to eat s***. The beating gets even worse.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

Statlander and Shida are challenging. Kross takes over on Shida to start and it’s off to Bayne for the double shoulder. Shida’s running knee is easily blocked so she goes to the eyes and grabs the kendo stick. Statlander isn’t letting that happen but Bayne misses a charge into the post. Then Shida kicks Statlander in the ribs and suplexes her onto Bayne in the corner, which shockingly doesn’t work very well.

Statlander is driven into the corner and it’s back to Kross, who escapes Staturday Night Fever. Bayne kicks Statlander in the head and we take a break. We come back with Statlander hurricanranaing both of them at once, followed by a discus lariat to Bayne. Kross and Shida get the double tags and slug it out at everything breaks down.

Bayne sends Statlander flying (that’s impressive) but Statlander gives her a standing Blue Thunder Bomb. Kross is knocked down as well and it’s a 450 to give Statlander two. Shida Falcon Arrows Kross for two but Statlander gets kicked down. The double chokeslam to Shida retains the titles at 13:31.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting and fast moving match, with the monsters getting to retain the titles. It’s a nice win for them over a pair of former champions so it’s hardly some pair of nobodies. At the same time, Shida and Statlander never felt like a long term team and that’s not a bad way to go.

MJF interrupts Andrade El Idolo and Don Callis, blaming Andrade for Darby Allin being World Champion. Andrade seems to deny things but Callis calms it down.

Rush vs. Steven Fuerte

Rush knocks him outside at the bell and stomps away both on the floor and in the corner. Bull’s Horns finishes at 1:39.

The Opps are ready to dominate again, with Hook going after the TNT Title on Collision. Samoa Joe wants Will Ospreay, who shouldn’t be doing anything with the Death Riders.

Stokely has a challenge for Orange Cassidy: next week, Cassidy faces Dax Harwood and the winner gets a Tag Team or Trios Title shot, with Tommaso Ciampa popping up to be FTR’s partner should Harwood win.

AEW World Title: Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Allin is defending. They shake hands to start and Allin tries a quick dropkick in the corner (King turned his back on him so it wasn’t a cheap shot). King powers up and tries the Ganso Bomb, with Allin punching his way out. Allin goes up top and gets caught, only to come out with a super Code Red for two. That sends King outside but the suicide dive just bounces off of him.

Allin fights back again and puts King in the chair on the floor, with the missile dropkick knocking King out. We take a break and come back with King hitting a heck of a chop to knock Allin off the top and to the floor. King takes the announcers’ table cover and leans it against the barricade, only for Allin to jump on his back. That’s fine with King, who drives them both through the cover for the nasty crash.

They climb onto the table and King grabs his choke, which is countered with double thumbs to the eye. Another Code Red onto the table gets two and Allin is back up with a suicide dive. Back in and King ties him in the Tree Of Woe, followed by a hard clothesline for two (with Allin’s face looking like his soul was knocked into the third row).

Allin gets thrown over the top rope and onto a cameraman, with King dragging him around, pulling the floor pad up. King’s running Cannonball misses Allin and goes through the barricade for a nasty crash. Allin gets the rest of the floor pad up though and it’s a sunset bomb to send King crashing onto the concrete. The Coffin Drop onto the floor connects as well and King manages to beat the count. That means two more Coffin Drops to retain the title at 16:29.

Rating: B+. As usual, this worked well with Allin fighting against the monster and managing to use his environment to beat King. It’s a good case of Allin learning how to beat King after taking so many beatings over the years. At the same time, Allin has given King troubles before so it’s hardly some ridiculous win here. Heck of a main event as Allin’s title reign continues to work, though he’s getting rather banged up here. That very well could catch up to him sooner than later and it probably will.

Post match respect is shown and Kevin Knight is in the crowd for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another rather good show with the opener and main event being more than good enough to carry the night. Allin seems like he’s in for an energetic and exciting title reign, though I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. At the same time, there are a lot of people coming after the belt so the next champion could be up in the air. That’s enough to carry things at the moment and there is enough on the rest of the show to make it work. Rather easy to watch show here with a very good main event.

Results
Knight Knight b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – Small package
Brawling Birds b. Emliy Jaye/Jordan Blade – Two Birds, One Stone to Blade
Kazuchika Okada b. Ace Austin – Rainmaker
Adam Copeland/Christian Cage b. RPG Vice – Spear to Beretta
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hikaru Shida/Kris Stalander – Double chokeslam to Shida
Rush b. Steven Fuerte – Bull’s Horns
Darby Allin b. Brody King – Coffin Drop

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – April 22, 2026: These Guys Are Nuts

Dynamite
Date: April 22, 2026
Location: Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

Well last week was a pretty big deal and now we get to see where things are going. That’s what we’re going to be finding out as Darby Allin is the new World Champion. We’re also about a month away from Double Or Nothing and now we get to see what might be coming up on the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We open with a quick look back at Darby Allin winning the World Title last week.

Here is a ticked off MJF to get things going. He isn’t like the paper champion Darby Allin and demands respect. Last week was the Seattle Screwjob because he was three days removed from a war with Kenny Omega (which he won of course) and then Allin hit him low to start the match.

Allin can’t beat him if the playing field is even but here is Kevin Knight to interrupt. Knight says it’s the same old MJF out here whining like a little b****. He had MJF pinned a few weeks ago so if anyone was screwed it was him. MJF mocks what Knight said, as well as thinking it’s “socially acceptable” to be friends with Mike Bailey.

It’s so amusing to think think Knight is a star but the TNT Title suits him well: a title for someone with a ceiling. Knight threatens him with a slap and says some of the best in the world have held that title so it’s no wonder MJF never held it. We have a challenge for a fight and MJF says Knight has talked him into it so get a referee out here. Said referee comes out and holds up the title….but MJF rolls outside and says we’ll do it next week.

The Demand and Chris Jericho are in the back and Ricochet mocks the idea of them having a six man tag against Jericho. That makes Jericho laugh but he does show off his new shirt, which features a statement about regularly getting beaten up by the Demand. Jericho will just find someone who doesn’t like Ricochet.

Brody King vs. Lio Rush

Rush talks to himself in the corner so King pulls him out and gives him a slam. King sends him outside for the big chops but the running crossbody hits barricade. Rush posts him and we take an early break. We come back with King blocking the springboard Stunner and hitting a heck of a running clothesline.

Back up and Rush hits a Stunner over the middle rope but he has to escape a powerbomb. Rush does his weird crawl around the ring and hits a suicide dive, followed by the big dive to the floor. Back in and a frog splash to the back gives Rush one but King is back with a swinging Boss Man Slam. The Ganso Bomb finishes Rush at 9:25.

Rating: B-. Rush’s problem continues to be this ridiculous gimmick, as it’s distracting from his great athleticism. That should be enough to make Rush stand out but he has to do all of the weird, creepy stuff instead. The match was a pretty good back and forth match, but the over the top Rush stuff brought it back down as it kept getting brought back up.

Post match King implies he wants the winner of tonight’s World Title match.

Tommaso Ciampa (challenging for the World Title) says he is a father, a husband and a son. Tonight is about proving that glass ceilings can be shattered and no one has been more prepared than him. Darby Allin says he wants this, but Ciampa needs it. This was really good and I bought what he was saying.

Adam Copeland wants another Tag Team Title shot against FTR and they can make it a street fight. If FTR wins, Copeland and Christian Cage will retire as a team.

Hikaru Shida vs. Mina Shirakawa

Kris Statlander is here with Shida, who says something about Shirakawa in Japanese before the match. Shirakawa grabs a headlock to start and gets thrown down by the hair. That earns her Shirakawa’s dance and a Sling Blade before they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Shida hits a running knee and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa grabbing a headscissors into a basement dropkick.

Shirakawa starts in on the leg but the Figure Four is blocked. They go out to the apron with Shida hitting a belly to back piledriver and a top rope Meteora gets two. The falcon arrow is escaped and Shirakawa scores with a discus forearm. The top rope Sling Blade gives Shirakawa two and now the Figure Four goes on. With that broken up, Shirakawa grabs the kendo stick but Statlander takes it away. Shida knees her down and hits the falcon arrow for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: B-. It turns out that two talented wrestlers are able to have a good match when they’re given the chance. It worked well here and the idea of Shirakawa getting frustrated enough to try to use the cane. That being said, it’s not a great sign that Shirakawa lost again as she is just kind of there at the moment. I’m not sure how that’s going to change, but she doesn’t have the brightest future right now.

Video on Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita.

We look at the Death Riders helping the Dogs attacking the Rascalz and Young Bucks. The result is an eight man tag on Collision.

Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis

Davis jumps him before the bell as Don Callis joins commentary. Ospreay fights back and knocks him outside for a slingshot hurricanrana. Back in and Davis blocks a piledriver attempt and knocks him down with a single chop. That’s enough to send it back to the floor, where Davis fires off some knees. Ospreay is able to get back up for a running flip dive off the stage and we take a break.

We come back with Davis breaking out of a choke and grabbing a neckbreaker. Ospreay is able to hit a handspring kick to the head, followed by a top rope forearm to the back of the head. Davis crotches him on top and scores with a head of a clothesline. Something like a reverse Angle Slam gets two but the piledriver is escaped.

They trade kicks to the head and Ospreay Spanish Flies him for two. Davis hits a pair of belly to back suplexes and an enziguri, only for Ospreay to hit a quick Hidden Blade. The slightly delayed cover only gets two and Davis pulls him into the piledriver. Ospreay gets the foot on the rope so Davis piledrives him on the apron. That’s enough for the referee to call it at 15:32.

Rating: B. Well first of all, big points for not having Ospreay beat the count or pop up to his feet after that devastating of a move. The foot on the ropes after the regular version is acceptable enough but having Ospreay get up after the souped up piledriver would have killed the move. Outside of that, they beat each other up rather well, with Davis turning into a heck of a midcard monster over the last few months. Well done indeed.

Post match Davis teases another piledriver but gets the Death Riders run in to cut him off, albeit without getting physical. The Riders take the out cold Ospreay with them.

Alex Windsor and Persephone want the Triangle Of Madness on Collision. This was hard to understand because some fans kept yelling and a mic in the arena was picking it up.

Samoa Joe vs. Cody Chhun

Chhun gets out of a wristlock to start but gets pulled into an armbar. Joe unloads with the snap jabs into the corner and then walks away from a crossbody. The MuscleBuster finishes Chhun at 2:43.

Post match Hook comes out for a fist bump with Joe.

Video on Darby Allin, set to a song about how “I gotta be me” and showing some of his odd behavior. And winning the World Title.

Chris Jericho has found some partners in the Hurt Syndicate.

Here is Darby Allin for a chat. Allin lays the title in the middle of the ring and looks at it before talking about how his first match was right here in Portland. Everything could end as soon as Tommaso Ciampa comes out here. This title is for his beautiful fiance and the people…but here is MJF to interrupt. Allin turns down the rematch request…until MJF puts something on the line. Allin: “So get your a** out of my ring!” That would be easier if MJF wasn’t standing on the ramp. Anyway here is Ciampa and we’re ready to go.

AEW World Title: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Darby Allin

Ciampa is challenging and kicks him in the face in the corner to start. Willow’s Bell is blocked so Ciampa whips him into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Ciampa catapulting him face first into the bottom of the ring. Ciampa misses a running boot so Allin goes up and dives with a clothesline into the timekeeper’s area. Ciampa comes up and is VERY busted open, with Allin hitting a suicide dive as a bonus.

Back in and the Coffin Drop is broken up, with blood splatters on the camera. Allin is back up with a Scorpion Death Drop but Ciampa rolls away before the Coffin Drop can launch. Ciampa catches him on top…and hits a super Air Raid Crash to the floor, with nothing to break the fall (good grief). We take another break and we come back again with Ciampa chopping away.

Allin catapults him into the corner, with Allin bouncing back out with a double stomp. A running knee hits Allin, who pops right back up for a knockdown of his own. The Coffin Drop lands in a choke though, followed by a running knee for two. Another running knee gets another two but Ciampa can’t get a Scorpion Deathlock. Allin reverses into one of his own and, after quite the struggle, gets the tag at 18:02.

Rating: B+. This was a match where I was expecting it to be good but I wasn’t expecting them to go this hard. These two beat the living daylights out of each other and it felt like a war. It’s a good example of a match with pretty much no drama about the result but it was incredible watching them beat each other up until Ciampa gave out. Awesome main event.

Respect is shown after the match. Ciampa leaves but here is Brody King to issue the challenge for next week. Allin is in to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah this was another great show, with the stories progressing well enough and a heck of a main event to go with the rather good Ospreay vs. Davis match. I’m not sure what we’re going to get at Double Or Nothing but we can figure that out in the next few weeks. Dynamite is on a bit of a roll right now and if they can keep it up going into Double Or Nothing, we should have a heck of a pay per view coming up.

Results
Brody King b. Lio Rush – Ganso Bomb
Hikaru Shida b. Mina Shirakawa – Falcon arrow
Mark Davis b. Will Ospreay via referee stoppage
Samoa Joe b. Cody Chhun – MuscleBuster
Darby Allin b. Tommaso Ciampa – Scorpion Deathlock

 

 

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AEW Collision – April 16, 2026: They Lack Subtlety

Collision
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Angel Of The Winds Arena, Everett, Washington
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re on Thursday again this week due to Wrestlemania and this show has a lot to live up to after last night. Darby Allin is the new World Champion after beating MJF in about two minutes to win the title. Other than that we’re still dealing with the fallout from Dynasty, which was a good show in its own right. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence. They might want to edit out the THIS IS SATURDAY NIGHT audio.

Here is Adam Copeland to get things going and he’s got quite a black eye. Things didn’t go as he wanted at Dynasty as FTR did what they said they would do and did it. Christian Cage is finding out if his arm is broken after Dynasty. FTR piledrove Copeland’s wife and stole Cage’s watch, which is worse for Cage than hurting his wife. FTR said that Copeland and Cage wouldn’t get another title shot but Copeland has an idea on that. He and Cage have been gone for years each but they’re back again to go after FTR. Cue FTR and Roppongi Vice to go after Copeland, with the Young Bucks making the save.

Jack Perry wants Don Callis to pick another opponent to meet him next week.

Rascalz vs. Young Bucks

Myron Reed/Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here. Wentz wristdrags Nick down to start but gets caught with a spinwheel kick. Reed comes in and gets sent into a German suplex, followed by a backbreaker to each Rascal. Reed manages a dropkick though and it’s back to Wentz to clean house.

The Rascalz hit stereo dives and Wentz uses Reed as a launchpad to hit both Bucks. Back in and a Stundog Millionaire into a superkick into a German suplex gets two on Nick and we take a break. We come back with Nick fighting out of trouble and bringing Matt back in for the rolling northern lights suplexes.

Double bulldogs and a top rope elbow/Swanton give the Bucks two each. The Bucks have a mishap though and the Rascalz are back with cutters. A 450 gives Wentz two but it’s a pair of superkicks to put him down. The BTE Trigger hits Reed but Wentz makes the save. The TK Driver is broken up as well, only for the second attempt to end Wentz at 13:40.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked, as the Bucks can work this style rather well and the Rascalz were right there to hang with them. It was a rather exciting match and they got me a few times with the false finishes. As usual, the Bucks are far easier to watch when they’re not talking and AEW seems to understand that part.

Post match the Dogs run in and beat down both teams. David Finlay say they’re down a Dog but they still want bodies and gold.

Video on Megan Bayne and Leno Kross.

Conglomeration vs. Lethal Twist

Non-title. O’Reilly works on Lethal’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Cassidy, who is still in his sunglasses. Strong comes in with a backbreaker and Cassidy goes to the top…the middle…uh bottom…or just the mat as he walks over for an elbow. Christian comes in and sticks the landing when Cassidy armdrags him down.

Lethal gets in a cheap shot though and everything breaks down, with the villains getting in a triple strut as we take a break. We come back with Cassidy in trouble and casually walking out of a sunset flip, allowing the tag off to Strong. Everything breaks down again and Strong tosses Cassidy for a tornado DDT. O’Reilly gets a tag and hits a running knee off the apron to drop Lethal.

Christian is back up with a kick into a suplex to O’Reilly and Hail To The King gives Lethal two. Cassidy and Christian trade lazy kicks until O’Reilly’s knee gets triple teamed down. That’s broken up as well and everyone is down again. O’Reilly picks Johnson’s ankle though and with his partners taken out, Johnson taps at 12:21.

Rating: B. This was another good one, as the Conglomeration knows how to work well together and the fans were into them. I can go with the Lethal Twist being served up to them here too, as the Twist have basically stopped going after Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title. I still like Christian, as odd as that might seem, but this might be his ceiling at the moment.

Anthony Bowens asks Hook if he’s in the Opps or not. We’ll find out next week.

Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Big Anne/Danika Della Rouge

Statlander flapjacks Rouge to start and catapults her into the corner for the tag off to Anne. Shida comes in to strike away and hits a falcon arrow. The Katana is loaded up but she gives Statlander a tag instead. Staturday Night Fever finishes Anne at 2:31.

Jon Moxley vs. Nick Wayne

Non-title. Wayne bails to the floor to start and the local fans seem to like him a lot. Back in and Moxley takes him down by the arm but Wayne fights up again. Some kicks have Moxley’s eyes bugging up so he hammers away in the corner. A jumping back elbow cuts Moxley off and Wayne gets in a cocky kick to the face.

Moxley heads outside but comes back in, offers a handshake, and then grabs a piledriver. We take a break and come back with Moxley’s Crash Landing connecting for two. Wayne gets some boots up in the corner though and hits a middle rope dropkick. Moxley is back with a full nelson but Wayne hits a quick Code Red for two more.

That earns him a crossface but Wayne slips out and strikes away. A big dive to the floor drops Moxley again and he’s busted open near the eye. Back in and Wayne kicks him in the head for two, only for Moxley to shrug off some forearms. The Death Rider finishes for Moxley at 14:59.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see Wayne getting a chance to showcase himself, as it’s not like he does anything in Ring Of Honor despite coming close to a year as champion. This was a good way to give the hometown fans something to cheer about, which is always a great idea. Moxley is good at making someone else look better, though I have a hard time believing that it’s going to matter for him.

Don Callis says he can get Kazuchika Okada out of his title match with Konosuke Takeshita but Okada wants the match.

Pac vs. Lio Rush

Daniel Garcia is here too. Pac is freaked out by the new Rush as well and falls down when Rush stands up in the corner. Rush yells a lot and starts the dodging and running before bridging on his neck. The confusion lets Rush send him outside, where Rush beats up Garcia but the distraction lets Pac stomp away on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Rush freaking Pac out again. Pac is knocked outside for the suicide dive and the sleeper goes on back inside. A poisonrana gives Rush two and a Stunner knocks Pac silly…but Garcia offers a distraction. Pac gets in a big clothesline and grabs the Brutalizer, with Rush smiling as he passes out at 11:01.

Rating: C+. HEY! DID YOU KNOW THAT RUSH IS CRAZY??? I DIDN’T KNOW IF WE HAD MADE THAT CLEAR YET OR NOT! This was beating you over the head with the idea as much as they could and my goodness it gets dumber and dumber every second Rush is out there. Rush is talented enough to do something without this nonsense and no I don’t buy that Pac, who has been a near main eventer, having this much trouble with him.

Video on Bandido, who is a wanted man. He’s not wanted enough that anyone has gone after his title since December and there’s no match announced here, but maybe I’m missing the subtext.

Brody King/Mistico/Mascara Dorada vs. Ricky Gibson/KC Riff/Cole Rivera

For some reason Riff jumps King from behind before the bell. The pain, this time in the form of chops, is immediate and Mistico and Dorada hit some dives. The Ganso Bomb finishes Riff at 1:27.

Mina Shirakawa interrupts Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander. She does not trust Shida after what she said about Harley Cameron. Statlander has to keep them apart but Shirakawa still doesn’t trust them.

We look at Darby Allin winning the World Title on Dynamite in a great moment.

Women’s Title: Alex Windsor vs. Thekla

Thekla is defending and bails out to the floor to start. Windsor is back in to hammer away and grabs a suplex back inside. Thekla bails outside and trips Windsor down, setting up a hard clothesline on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Thekla choking in the ropes and giving her a basement superkick for two.

Windsor fights back with a big running shoulder and a Blue Thunder Bomb gets another near fall. They yell at each other a lot and trade forearms, with Windsor knocking her down for a Sharpshooter. Thekla gets to the rope and comes back with a Black Widow. That’s broken up as well so they go up top, with Thekla pulling out the brass knuckles. The first shot misses but the second connects, setting up a Stomp to retain Thekla’s title at 12:12.

Rating: B. I like that they didn’t have this drawn out to be some big time title match again, as Thekla is fresh off beating Windsor’s partner. Thekla beating both halves of the team and moving on to someone fresh is a good way to go and I’m curious to see who is next for her. Hopefully Windsor and Hayter get back to winning, as I like them as a team thus far.

Overall Rating: B+. This show started off red hot, cooled off a bit, and then picked up again. It’s nice to see this kind of a show getting the Thursday spot, as in theory it should lead to a much bigger audience than usual. The show doesn’t mean much in the long term, but there is always a place for a night of rather good wrestling on free TV.

Results
Young Bucks b. Rascalz – TK Driver to Wentz
Conglomeration b. Lethal Twist – Ankle lock to Johnson
Kris Statlander/Hikaru Shida b. Big Anne/Danika Della Rouge – Staturday Night Fever to Anne
Jon Moxley b. Nick Wayne – Death Rider
Pac b. Lio Rush – Brutalizer
Brody King/Mistico/Mascara Dorada b. Ricky Gibson/KC Riff/Cole Rivera – Ganso Bomb to Riff
Thekla b. Alex Windsor – Stomp

 

 

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AEW Dynasty 2026: Bold Choice

Dynasty 2026
Date: April 12, 2026
Location: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view for what doesn’t feel like the biggest show. That’s been the case before though and things have wound up going rather well so maybe they have another one up their sleeves here. The main event is MJF defending the World Title against Kenny Omega so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Alex Windsor vs. Marina Shafir

Windsor’s New Japan Strong Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They go right to the slugout to start with Windsor taking her down. Shafir can’t get the armbar all the way in but there’s enough damage to put Windsor in trouble. Another armbar on the ropes sends Windsor outside and Shafir sends her hard into the barricade. Back in and a judo throw takes Windsor down and Shafir steps on her face, which has the fans rather upset.

A whip into the corner has Windsor in more trouble but she manages to send Shafir outside for a breather. Shafir gets back inside and is shouldered down a few times but blocks a Sharpshooter attempt. Back up and another armbar has Windsor in trouble and they strike it out again. A kick to the face puts Windsor down and they get a double breather. Windsor tells her to bring it before grabbing….call it a t-bone DDT for the pin on Shafir at 8:42.

Rating: C+. This was almost a squash until Shafir came out of nowhere with the surprise pin. I do like Windsor winning here though, as Shafir is kind of locked into her spot as one of the Death Riders’ enforcers and doesn’t really need to win anything. On the other hand you have Windsor, who could be turned into a title contender pretty quickly if need be. I’m not sure why this was on the pre-show, as it had enough of a story to be a main roster match, but they got the result right.

Zero Hour: Kamille vs. Big Anne

So Kamille attacked Willow Nightingale and ruined the open challenge for the TBS Title so she gets this instead, ending her 500+ day hiatus from AEW. Kamille stomps away in the corner and hits a pump kick, followed by a torture rack powerbomb for the fast pin at 1:25 to complete the squash. Cool. Now do something with her.

Post match a taped up Nightingale comes in and gets beaten up again.

National Title: Mark Davis vs. Jack Perry

Perry is defending. Davis throws him down to start and knocks Perry’s flying shoulder out of the air. Back up and Perry dropkicks him to the floor but Davis grabs a dive out of the air. That’s escaped as well and Perry hits a quick 619 around the post. They get back inside, with Perry getting knocked back into the corner for a running elbow and backsplash to give Davis two. The chinlock goes on but Perry is right back up to low bridge him to the floor.

Perry grabs a Sliced Bread out of the corner but can’t grab a piledriver. Instead Davis sends him to the apron for a big running shoulder and a suplex slam drops him onto the apron. The piledriver is broken up back inside though, with Perry eventually swinging around into a DDT. Perry hits his own piledriver for two but Davis is back with an enziguri. A quick hurricanrana is enough for Perry to retain the title at 8:30.

Rating: B. I liked this one way more than I was expecting to, as they told a good story out there. It was Perry in over his head physically so he had to pick some shots where he could. That wound up working well, partially because Davis is becoming pretty awesome at being a powerhouse. Good stuff here and a rather nice surprise.

Zero Hour: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Hyan/Maya World vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

Kross and Bayne are defending and Kross knocks World down to start. World pops right back up and brings in Hyan to face Bayne. A hurricanrana out of the corner takes Bayne down but she knocks both of them outside without much trouble. Bayne’s suplex sets up a basement crossbody for two and some running pump kicks in the corner drop Hyan for two. Hyan manages to low bridge Bayne to the floor but it’s still not enough for the tag.

Bayne misses a charge into the post though and it’s back to World to pick up the pace on Kross. Everything breaks down and a running knee into a neckbreaker drops Kross for two. That doesn’t last long as Kross kicks her way out of trouble and Bayne fall away slam/Samoan drops the challengers. The double chokeslam is broken up and World is back with a double DDT. Hyan dives onto the floor and World adds a moonsault onto both villains. A TKO gets two on Kross but Bayne boots World into a German suplex. The double chokeslam retains the titles at 10:38.

Rating: B-. The champs had to break a sweat here and I’ll take that as a nice surprise. Hyan and World aren’t a successful team and were little more than cannon fodder here but at least the action wound up being good. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from Kross and Bayne, but this was closer than I was expecting.

And now, the show proper.

Konosuke Takeshita/Kazuchika Okada vs. Young Bucks

Don Callis is on commentary. Takeshita shoulders Nick down to start so it’s off to Okada, who shakes Takeshita’s hand on the way in. Okada’s slingshot hilo connects but Nick is up with the springboard wristdrag/armdrag combination. Matt comes in to sunset flip Nick, who German suplexes Takeshita at the same time. The TK Driver is loaded up but Nick headfakes Okada into missing a dropkick in a funny spot.

Matt gets knocked down and Takeshita grabs a chinlock, leaving Callis to call for getting Matt’s eye (he’s offering money). Callis goes after Matt’s eye on the floor and Okada is over to pull Nick to the floor, meaning there’s no tag. That lets Okada grab the Bucks’ gear for some posing (Callis: “What a fiery young babyface!”) but Matt manages to knock both of them down. Nick comes in to make the rapid fire comeback and the fans certainly approve.

The Bucks are sent to the apron but come back with stereo sunset flips into Sharpshooters. That leaves Okada and Takeshita facing each other and slapping one another in the face rather than tapping. They eventually make the ropes so the Bucks take them down with the superkicks. A top rope elbow and Swanton get a double near fall but Okada breaks up another TK Driver attempt. The Family hit a Tombstone each and Matt gets sent flying with an overhead release German superplex.

Nick is back in for the save and everyone is down again. Okada is up with his falling top rope elbow to Nick but it’s a sunset flip into a German suplex to put everyone down again. Takeshita’s running knee drops both Bucks but he can’t cover as the fans are rather enthused. Back up and they slug it out until Okada hits Takeshita and they forearm each other.

Matt gets between them and then sends them into each other so Takeshita’s running knee hits Okada. Takeshita breaks up the BTE Trigger but Okada Rainmakers him by mistake. The BTE Trigger gets two on Okada…and Takeshita leaves him to take the TK Driver for the pin at 20:12.

Rating: B+. This got rather good and they were doing a nice job of tying the story between Takeshita and Okada into the match. There was only so much of a reason for these teams to fight so having the Family fighting among themselves (again) was a good idea. If nothing else, we might finally gets the Takeshita vs. Okada grudge match, which has been built for…ever?

Post match Takeshita leaves and Callis is livid.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet. Jericho returned, Ricochet didn’t like it, the match was set.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

The Gates Of Agony are here with Ricochet. Jericho takes him down to start fast and mocks Ricochet a bit, followed by his stolen camera deal. Ricochet flips into his pose and gets chopped down, setting up Jericho’s running bulldog. The Lionsault is shoved off though and the Death Valley Driver plants Jericho on the apron. Jericho is sent shoulder first into the post and Ricochet nails his slingshot dropkick in the corner.

The bad arm is bent around the ropes, with Liona getting in some pulling of his own. Ricochet cranks on the arm but Jericho gets back up to avoid a dropkick. Now the Lionsault connects but the Walls attempt is countered. A kick to the back lets Jericho try it again, only for Liona to offer a distraction so Kaun can send him into the corner. Jericho fights up and they slug it out from their knees but Ricochet grabs the Detonation Kick.

Vertigo gets two so Ricochet goes up and gets crotched back down almost immediately. Ricochet kicks him away and tries the shooting star press but gets Codebreakered out of the air for two instead. The Walls go on so of course the Gates get involved for the save. Jericho dives onto all three of them and hits a Judas Effect on Kaun. That doesn’t get rid of Liona though, who is right there with a running clothesline. Back in and Ricochet hits a shooting star press for two, followed by a Spirit Gun. That’s not enough for a cover though, as Ricochet adds a Lionsault for the pin at 19:12.

Rating: B. This had its moments and I was a bit surprised by the result, but I’m more worried about this being the high point for Jericho’s return. There is a good chance that he goes to find some new lackeys to help him deal with the Gates and that’s not the best sign for his future. It was a nice return and the fans liked it, though I’m worried about how long those good feelings are going to last.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo. Allin wants the World Title and MJF has paid the Don Callis Family to stop him. Therefore, if Allin wins here, he gets the title shot.

Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo

Idolo powers him into the corner to start so Allin comes back with a rather aggressive headlock. That’s broken up rather quickly and Idolo pulls him into a surfboard to have Allin in some early pain. Idolo is up with the Tranquilo pose in the ropes so Allin gets smart by knocking him to the floor. A woman at ringside inspires Idolo to fight back and grab a suplex while walking Allin up the steps.

Now it’s time to meet said woman, allowing Allin to take him out with a dive. They fight into the crowd and go up the steps, with Allin dropkicking him back down. Allin throws him back inside (after three minutes and fifteen seconds on the outside because countouts are a thing of the past) and gets caught in the Three Amigos, with the third sending him into the corner. Andrade’s running knees miss though and Allin grabs the flipping Stunner. They go up top with Allin grabbing…some kind of a flipping slam into a crossface, which sends Idolo into the ropes.

Idolo heads back outside and gets caught with a suicide dive, though Allin hits the announcers’ table instead. A bite to the head has Idolo in more trouble and they slowly get back inside. Andrade goes to the apron and suplexes Allin to the floor, because of course he’ll take that bump.

Back in and the running knees hit Allin in the corner for two so Idolo takes his (I’ll let you guess whose) pants off. The double moonsault gets two on Allin but he’s back up with a Scorpion Death Drop out of the corner. The Coffin Drop gets two, with Idolo having to grab the referee’s arm. Back up and the spinning elbow gives Idolo two but Allin grabs a quick Last Supper for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B. Allin seems to be on his way to the main event scene and that’s pretty overdue. There are very few wrestlers who get the same kinds of reactions as Allin and it was nice to see him not do a bunch of stupid stuff. Allin has the wrestling abilities to make something like this work and he did rather well here, though Idolo loses something without the pants.

We recap FTR vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage for the former’s Tag Team Titles. Copeland and FTR were really close but FTR turned on him, even attacking his wife. Copeland left for a bit and came back with Cage to reform their famous team to get revenge. And the titles. FTR did attack Cage’s arm on Dynamite so he’s coming in banged up.

Tag Team Titles: Adam Copeland/Christian Cage vs. FTR

FTR, with Stokely, is defending. Copeland and Wheeler won’t shake hands to start so the four way brawl is on. The Canadians take over and it’s a side slam/reverse DDT combination to put Harwood down. We settle back down but FTR takes over on Copeland anyway, with Harwood grabbing a chinlock. Wheeler misses a charge in the corner though and it’s off to Cage, who puts both champions in the ropes.

Cage stands on their back and a low blow cuts Harwood off. FTR is sent outside for a big dive out to the floor, which sets up the Unprettier for two as Wheeler makes the save. Cage’s arm is wrapped around the post and slammed into the post, followed by the seated armbar. The piledriver is broken up and Cage blocks the PowerPlex. A Swan Dive hits Harwood and it’s back to Copeland for the top rope clothesline.

Copeland and Cage load up a PowerPlex of their own but Cage’s splash hits knees. Harwood’s does as well though and we get stereo crossfaces on FTR. Those are broken up so Wheeler tries to bring in a title, which knocks Copeland silly. A 3D gets two on Harwood as Copeland is busted open. Stokely’s distraction sends Copeland running into the Shatter Machine, with Cage shoving Stokely into the cover for the save.

Copeland is back up with a spear for two and Cage goes to grab a chair. That earns him a posting and a toss over the announcers’ table, leaving Copeland to slug it out with FTR. That’s reversed into FTR’s version of the Young Bucks’ kicks, only for Copeland to spear both of them down. Back up and Copeland charges into the Shatter Machine to retain the titles at 21:05.

Rating: B. The match had the good moments you would expect as Copeland and Cage still have their chemistry together but having them lose here is quite the surprise. It felt like a layup to change the titles in the big moment for the Canadian fans but they went the other way instead. Copeland was the big star here, which isn’t a surprise, though Cage did look good in his return. FTR is still a heck of a team, but I’m not sure who is supposed to take the belts. As long as this doesn’t lead to another ladder match (it probably will), it should work out.

We recap the TNT Title match. Kyle Fletcher is injured, Casino Gauntlet match, end of recap.

TNT Title: Casino Gauntlet

For the vacant title with random intervals, first fall wins (can happen at any time so there is no guarantee of how many entrants you’ll get) and Tommaso Ciampa in at #1 and Rush in at #2. They slug it out to start and seem to enjoy an exchange of chops. Rush gets the better of things and knocks him into the corner for the cocky kick to the face. Ciampa is back up with a running knee in the corner and it’s Bandido in at #3.

Bandido starts fast with a running clip dive to Ciampa and a frog splash hits Rush, with Ciampa making the save. Rush is back up to throw Bandido down and go for the mask as Mike Bailey is in at #4. As usual, that means Bailey gets to clean house, with a running shooting star press hitting Ciampa for two. Rush chops Bailey down and El Clon is in at #5. Clon gets to fire off some kicks but we’re already up to Pac in at #6.

Pac’s corkscrew moonsault to the floor takes out a bunch of people and we get a Pac vs. Bandido vs. Bailey showdown. Hurricanranas abound and it’s Daniel Garcia in at #7. Garcia tries some fast rollups but gets superkicked by Clon for two. Anthony Bowens is in at #8 and gives Clon the running Fameasser. The wind up DDT out of the corner drops Pac for two and it’s Kevin Knight in at #9.

Jet Speed gets the better of the fight against the Death Riders and knock them to the floor for the stereo dives. Rush is back in to unload on Bowens in the corner and Bandido’s 21 Plex hits Garcia for a VERY close two. Wheeler Yuta is in at #10 and joins the pile, with Ciampa superplexing Knight onto a bunch of people. Pac throws Bailey back inside but Garcia is back with the Dragontamer to Bailey. Knight breaks that up with the UFO Splash and pins Garcia for the title at 21:21.

Rating: B. I love the result as Knight has felt like he has been ready to jump up to the next level for a long time now. Having him hopefully break out on his own is a good idea as we get to see where he’s going. At the same time, the match was fun but these things haven’t nearly reached the heights of the first editions. There were no surprising names here and it felt more like a big scramble, which isn’t quite as fun. Thankfully we aren’t seeing them as often, but throw a few curve balls in there next time.

We recap Jamie Hayter challenging Thekla for the Women’s Title. Thekla attacked Hayter when she arrived and now Hayter wants revenge.

Alex Windsor wishes Jamie Hayter luck.

Women’s Title: Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

Thekla, with the Sisters Of Sin, is defending. Hayter slugs her down to start and hammers away but Thekla hits a quick spear to send Hayter outside. They trade right hands against the barricade with Hayter getting the better of things and trying a rather delayed suplex on the ramp.

She also tries one off the ramp but Thekla fights out and knocks Hayter down the ramp in a heap. Thekla’s big dive to the floor connects and a slap to the face drops Hayter again. The Black Widow is broken up as Hayter gets over to the rope so Thekla kicks her hard in the face. Hayter manages a suplex on the ramp and fires off some running clotheslines in the corner.

A Liger Bomb gives Hayter two and a Tombstone connects for the same. Hayter catches her up top with the spider suplex, followed by a top rope double stomp to the back. Hayter’s chokebreaker looks to set up the Hayterade but Thekla reverses into a rollup, while grabbing the rope, for the pin at 16:33.

Rating: B-. Another good one here, with Hayter feeling like just enough of a threat to take the title. That’s all this needed to be, as Hayter was little more than a filler on the way to the next really big challenger. I’m not sure who that is going to be, but Hayter is being built up rather well with these title defenses.

Post match Alex Windsor runs out and protests the rope hold but gets nowhere.

We recap Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley for the latter’s Continental Title. Moxley and the Death Riders hurt Ospreay’s neck so it’s time for more revenge.

Continental Title: Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley

Moxley is defending. The bell rings and Ospreay hits the Hidden Blade about a second later but doesn’t cover. Another Hidden Blade puts Moxley on the floor so Ospreay follows him for a hanging neckbreaker from the apron. Back in and Moxley tries a triangle choke, which is countered into a powerbomb. They head back outside with Ospreay loading up the steps but missing a running knee. Moxley snaps off a sleeper suplex back inside and things slow down a bit.

Back up and they slug it out before heading to the apron, where Ospreay takes over. Ospreay’s springboard is knocked out of the air though and they chop it out again. Ospreay tries a Spanish Fly but gets pulled into the bulldog choke. That’s broken up as well and Ospreay flips out of a belly to belly superplex. Some kicks to the face rock Moxley, who grabs a Paradigm Shift, only to get Hidden Bladed for a double down.

The referee almost gets bumped before Ospreay grabs a Styles Clash into a bulldog choke of his own. That’s broken up but Ospreay hits a third Hidden Blade, only to come out with his arm banged up. They head outside again, where Moxley hits a piledriver onto the steps. Ospreay beats the count so Moxley hits a Stomp and two Paradigm Shifts…for two. The Death Rider retains the title 18:12.

Rating: B. That ending is a bit of a surprise, but I’m assuming the idea here is that Ospreay was going too far after revenge and his body couldn’t hold up. That feels like more of a long term story, though it’s quite the move to have Ospreay lose here. Moxley is being built back up into the evil Superman and I’m not sure who is supposed to take the title from him. Either way, another good match.

Darby Allin is getting his World Title shot on Dynamite.

The Dogs won the Trios Titles last night on Collision. Now the Conglomeration wants the titles and have a mystery partner to come after them.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration/??? vs. The Dogs

The Dogs are defending but we cut to a Conglomeration sitcom set. Roderick Strong comes in (Orange Cassidy wants more sleep) but Kyle O’Reilly pop in to be the mystery partner. Makes sense. The Dogs break down the set and do various unpleasant things to the couch. O’Reilly takes Finlay down to start and sends him into the corner for the rapid fire kicks. Everything breaks down and the Conglomeration sends them outside to hit some dives.

The Dogs take over again and Cassidy gets sent into the corner as we settle down a bit. That doesn’t last long as Cassidy fights up and brings Strong in to clean house. Strong gets double teamed to put him in trouble but hang on as Kidd seems to be injured. The medics check on him as Strong fights up and hands it off to O’Reilly for the real comeback. The kicks abound and an ankle lock makes Connors tap the titles away at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was fine and O’Reilly was a nice bonus (not the biggest surprise but that’s ok), though Kidd’s injury might have cut things short. Hopefully he’s ok as you never want to see someone get hurt, especially when the Dogs were finally starting to win a bit. The Conglomeration are fine as the new champions, as they’re certainly popular enough to hold the titles.

We recap MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the former’s World Title. MJF is the rather cocky champion and Omega wants the title back. Let’s go.

AEW World Title: Kenny Omega vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Omega is challenging. They circle each other for a bit to start before MJF tries an early Salt Of The Earth. That’s reversed into a rollup for two and Omega scares him out to the floor (oh yeah they’re going long). Back in and Omega snaps off a hurricanrana to send MJF outside again, this time for a slingshot dive. MJF drops him onto the barricade but Omega moonsaults off of it for the knockdown. A table is stomped onto MJF but Omega takes too long setting up the table.

That lets MJF get in a knockdown and the chinlock goes on back inside. An Alabama slam gives MJF two so he fakes a knee injury and grabs a piledriver for two on Omega. MJF’s V Trigger misses and Omega grabs a snapdragon, setting up the Fameasser from behind of two. MJF bails outside again and gets taken out by the big running flip dive. Back in and MJF bites in the corner but can’t hit a super Tombstone. Instead Omega fights back..but gets caught with a poisonrana.

Omega pops up with a running knee for two and they’re both down. The Heatseeker is blocked so MJF settles for the slingshot cutter for two instead. Omega breaks up You Can’t Escape and hits a V Trigger for two of his own. MJF escapes You Can’t Escape but gets hurricanranaed out to the floor. The means a moonsault from Omega and they both need a breather on the floor. Back in and MJF goes after the stomach before stereo crossbodies leave them both down again.

Omega’s dropkick gets two…and a super One Winged Angel knocks MJF silly. Omega can’t cover due to the stomach though and MJF manages to roll outside. Back in and another snapdragon gives Omega two so he tries another One Winged Angel. That’s reversed into a Cross Rhodes and a package piledriver for a rather near fall and MJF is ticked off. MJF slowly strikes away but Omega gets mad and beats him down in the corner, setting up a heck of a V Trigger.

The One Winged Angel is broken up though and the referee gets bumped. A low blow puts Omega down and MJF finds the Dynamite Diamond. The big shot misses and it’s another One Winged Angel…and another referee comes in to count two. That counts as kicking out of it for the first time, though it should have an asterisk. They go to the apron where MJF hits him in the stomach with the ring. A Tombstone through the table sets up the Heatseeker to retain at 38:50.

Rating: B+. It did feel like this big epic struggle and MJF beating Omega is going to be a big deal for him. The match probably went a bit longer than necessary, but the result was the right call as Omega can come back and win the title later. MJF gets to continue to establish himself as this big villain and it’s working well so far. Omega might not be as great as he was before, but he can still put on a heck of a performance. Great main event here, which isn’t a surprise.

MJF poses on his throne to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. This was another very good show, with the main event and a lot of other things delivering. At the same time, it was another show where I was just wanting it to be over with about an hour and a half to go. That’s par for the course for AEW, along with having a bunch of rather awesome matches. On on top of that, the villains won most of the top matches, which is quite the choice for a show like this. It’s a show worth a look, though as usual you might want to watch it in shifts, which isn’t the greatest feeling.

Results
Alex Windsor b. Marina Shafir – T-bone DDT
Kamille b. Big Anne – Torture rack powerbomb
Jack Perry b. Mark Davis – Hurricanrana
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Hyan/Maya World – Double chokeslam to Hyan
Young Bucks b. Don Callis Family – TK Driver to Okada
Ricochet b. Chris Jericho – Lionsault
Darby Allin b. Andrade El Idolo – Last Supper
FTR b. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage – Shatter Machine to Copeland
Kevin Knight won the Casino Battle Royal – UFO Splash to Garcia
Thekla b. Jamie Hayter – Rollup while holding the rope
Jon Moxley b. Will Ospreay – Death Rider
Conglomeration/Kyle O’Reilly b. The Dogs – Ankle lock to Connors
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Kenny Omega – Heatseeker

 

 

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AEW Dynasty 2026 Preview

It feels like we just had Revolution as AEW doesn’t often do such quick turnarounds. As a result, this show doesn’t feel quite as big as others, though the main event does seem important. So far there aren’t a ton of matches on the card and that gives me some hope, though I have no reason to believe that will last. There is some interesting stuff on the card thus far though so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Alex Windsor vs. Marina Shafir

Here we have the seconds for Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley having a match, which isn’t an awful idea. Windsor has been built up in recent weeks, though that has been as part of a tag team. At the same time, she’s coming off as tough enough to give Shafir a fight, which is hopefully what we’ll be seeing. At the same time, Shafir has been doing a bit more as a singles star in her own right so this could be trouble for Windsor.

It’s a singles match with a tag wrestler so I’ll go with Shafir to win here. It makes more sense for her to get the win as Ospreay can get the real win later. If nothing else, this could set up Shafir getting a partner to face the Brawling Birds. I’m not sure if this is the right choice for a Kickoff Show match, but at least it is set up rather than just a thrown together fight between slightly associated people.

Kickoff Show: Women’s Tag Team Titles: Megan Bayne/Lena Kross(c) vs. Hyan/Maya World

This was set up on Collision as Hyan and World (combined AEW record as a team: 0-5) just announced they were coming for the titles. As usual, winning and losing matches means pretty much nothing around here so this is what we’re getting. I’m fine with Bayne and Kross getting a title defense in, but even an open challenge would have been better than a team with no actual wins together getting the shot.

Of course I’ll take the champions to retain, as Hyan and World’s two match winning streak in Ring Of Honor (it only took them two and a half months) isn’t enough to make me think they’ll pull the upset. Hyan and World are hardly a bad team, but they’re not ready for this kind of a match no matter what they do. I’m not sure why they’re getting the shot, but just go with it and let the champs win a squash.

Kickoff Show: National Title: Jack Perry(c) vs. Mark Davis

This was thrown onto the card on Collision and it doesn’t have much of a build. That’s not a terrible thing as the title is little more than AEW’s version of the TV Title, which is perfect for a random title match. At the same time, Davis has been doing well enough as of late so throwing him out there for the shot is perfectly logical. If nothing else, Perry could use a title win after Ricochet’s time with the title was kind of a mess.

I’ll take Perry to retain here, as there is no reason to believe that Davis is going to get the title so out of nowhere. Perry getting to beat a big powerhouse should work well as he did that for a long time as Jungle Boy. Davis has that rather good looking piledriver and it’s enough of a weapon to make it feel like Perry is in jeopardy. Either way, Perry retains here in what could be a good match.

Women’s Title: Thekla(c) vs. Jamie Hayter

They’re in a weird spot here, as Hayter feels like she is mainly there as a replacement for Toni Storm. At the same time, Hayter is a former Women’s Champion and has the power game to be a perfectly acceptable challenger. Much like Windsor though, she’s mainly been doing tag stuff in recent months and that doesn’t give her the greatest momentum coming into the match.

I’ll take Thekla to retain here, as she’s doing rather well as champion thus far and it’s hard to imagine her dropping the title so soon. She’s also fresh off a feud with a powerhouse in Kris Statlander and I can’t quite imagine her dropping the title to a wrestler that similar to the one she beat for the title. It’s not a total guarantee that Thekla will win, but it’s what winds up happening.

Trios Title: The Dogs(c) vs. Conglomeration/???

The Dogs won the suddenly hot potatoing titles on Collision, which doesn’t quite make sense given their win/loss record but it’s not like these titles have the most logical history in the first place. After the match, the Conglomeration popped up on screen for the challenge, suggesting they’ll have a third man. Since this division isn’t a thing, that’s enough to set up a title match.

While the titles have been bouncing all over the place in recent weeks, I’ll still go with the new champions retaining. I’m assuming that it’s going to be the returning Kyle O’Reilly as the third man so it wouldn’t be the most out of nowhere pairing, but the Dogs need the win a lot more than the Conglomeration. If nothing else, I could go for the titles actually being successfully defended for more than 18 seconds.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin

If there is some sanity around here, this should be wrestling 101. Allin is someone the fans have been behind since AEW started and it makes sense for him to want to go after the World Title. If he beats Idolo here, he gets the title shot, which is something that makes all the sense in the world. It’s an idea that has been done for years, but AEW doesn’t always do things that traditional way.

In this case, I’ll take AEW to do the right thing and have Allin win. While I’m sick of all of his antics and “hey look at me get hurt again!” stuff, he’s about as over of a face as there is in AEW. He has a connection with the fans and putting someone like that in the World Title picture writes itself. Hopefully it winds up working out, but it starts out by having Allin beat Idolo here in what could be a heck of a match.

Tag Team Titles: FTR(c) vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

This is a thing and yes the show is taking place in Canada, which should be the big telling point of the whole match. Cage had his arm Pillmanized on Dynamite though and that isn’t going to make things any easier. At the end of the day, this feels like one of the biggest layups on the entire card and in this case, it feels like something that we’re actually going to be seeing.

So yes, I’ll take what feels obvious and go with Copeland and Cage winning the Tag Team Titles. FTR is long established as one of the best teams in AEW history so it’s not like a loss here is going to hurt them. I’m not sure I want to see what feels like the upcoming Copeland/Cage vs. Young Bucks match that has been teased, but for now we’ll at least get step one with new champions.

Young Bucks vs. Konosuke Takeshita/Kazuchika Okada

We might as well get the Bucks out of the way here too. This is more about Takeshita/Okada, as the two of them have been teasing having a big fight for the better part of ever but have only had the Continental Classic match back in December. They’re certainly taking their time here, but it seems that they get to fight each other at Double Or Nothing if they win here.

That being said, I can’t imagine the Bucks losing to a team who can’t get along (talent aside) and the loss can further Okada vs. Takeshita. The match has to happen sooner or later one way or another and this seems to be the catalyst for making it happen. The Bucks can win here and the other two can fight later on while the Bucks likely move back into the title picture. Because of course.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet

Yes he’s back and no the fans don’t seem interested. Jericho being back for the first time in about a year is quite the big moment, though having him as a good guy for a change is a big change. I’m not sure where that’s going, but you can almost guarantee Jericho will have a stable around him sooner rather than later. He needs a match to get him going again though and that’s what we have here.

At the end of the day, there is pretty much no reason to believe that Jericho will lose…and that gives me pause. It would make sense for Jericho to win here but he has a history of going in the opposite direction every so often. I just don’t think they’ll do that here though and I’ll take Jericho to win. It’s not really interesting in any way, but it’s the right move for this situation.

TNT Title: Casino Gauntlet Match

Right now, we only have two participants announced so it’s hard to guess about who will really win. The good thing is that AEW is certainly not lacking in talent to go after the title so this could be a rather stacked match. Hopefully we get some surprises in there as well, as those are the kinds of things that make the match that much more fun. The title is vacant coming in though, and that leaves the door wide open.

There are only so many realistic options to pick from and I’ll go with Tommaso Ciampa, as he has been on a roll since he came in to AEW. Hopefully he gets to keep that going and gets Silvie back, as that’s way too good of a name to not let him keep using it. This is one of those matches that could go in a bunch of directions though and I have no idea who will be involved, but I’ll hope for Ciampa, who has made me a fan in a short time.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Will Ospreay

This is one of those simple ideas that AEW seems to understand rather well. Moxley is back to being a full on villain and Ospreay is the definition of a superhero in wrestling. In this case, Ospreay wants to get some revenge of his own and that should make for a heck of a fight. Moxley can bring it on the big stage and I could go for seeing what he can bring out of Ospreay here.

The match is all about Ospreay wanting to get his hands on Moxley for his injuries last year, but that might get him in trouble here. While I don’t think Ospreay is going to get disqualified, I don’t think he’s going to get the title. I’ll even say this goes to a time limit draw, with Moxley keeping the title and Ospreay gets a rematch for more revenge in a bigger match. For now though, Moxley keeps the belt but takes a beating in the process.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman(c) vs. Kenny Omega

The idea here is that Omega’s health isn’t holding up and he isn’t what he was before. At the same time, even a diminished Omega is not someone who should be sweating MJF. The thing is, that has been the case with MJF since he won the title the first time and it’s where he tends to thrive. What matters the most is that this feels like a pay per view main event and they should be able to deliver on it.

As much as I think Omega is going to wind up with the title again one day, I don’t think it happens here. While Omega probably doesn’t have much time left in the ring, I’m not seeing the reason to take the title off of MJF so soon. That is going to be a huge moment for someone and Omega isn’t in need for that kind of a win. MJF retains here and gets to soak in the hatred of the Canadian fans.

Overall Thoughts

This card doesn’t feel like some blow away show, but it has the potential to do some good stuff. If they can live up to the usual hype, they’re going to be fine as a few of these matches could steal the show. Then again there is always the chance that more stuff will be added to the card (future edit: yep) to water it down, but at least the version of the show coming into the weekend looks pretty good.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AEW Dynamite – April 8, 2026: Dynasty Mode

Dynamite
Date: April 8, 2026
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Dynasty and that means we’re going to be seeing one of the last pushes towards the pay per view. In this case we have a big six man tag, which should make for a rather entertaining match. We might be seeing some more matches added to the card, which still has some spots available. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Will Ospreay jumps Jon Moxley in the parking lot so here are the Death Riders to cut him off. Cue Alex Windsor and the United Empire (New Japan stable) for the big brawl. The fight heads into the arena, with Callum Newman (the new IWGP World Champion) hitting a dive. The Death Riders run off and Ospreay says this is him using his head. Ospreay issues the challenge for the big team match tonight.

Don Callis announces that Kyle Fletcher is injured so the TNT Title is vacated. There’s going to be a casino gauntlet match for the title at Dynasty, but he’s not done. People are asking to see Takeshita vs. Okada but he doesn’t give them what they want. The Family will be stronger than ever.

Darby Allin/Bandido/Jack Perry vs. Don Callis Family

It’s Konosuke Takeshita/Andrade El Idolo/Mark Davis for the Family. Bandido is replacing Brody King, who had a family issue. Allin starts with Andrade, who hands it off to Takeshita and walks out. Davis teases a piledriver but gets knocked outside for some dives. Allin calls Andrade back out, so here he is to suplex Allin in the aisle. Takeshita throws Allin into the corner but it’s off to Perry to take over, including a dive to the floor. Back in and Takeshita knocks Perry out of the air and Andrade sends him into the barricade. Andrade gets his weekly photo with the woman and we take a break.

We come back with Perry enziguring Davis, allowing Bandido to come in and start the comeback. A pop up hurricanrana gets two on Davis and Allin dives onto Andrade. Allin gets caught though and LAUNCHED over the announcers’ table for a huge crash. Bandido gets powerbombed onto the apron to take him out as well. Back in and Davis hits the piledriver on Perry, leaving the rather cocky Andrade to come in and hit the DM for the pin at 11:40.

Rating: B-. This was quite the wild match, with Allin’s huge toss over the announcers’ table being a heck of a visual. The Family basically won by diving and conquering, which was a fun strategy. It should mean that Andrade gets the next National Title shot, but can we pleased stop having the champion get pinned? It’s happened far too often in the title’s short history.

Post match the beatdown continues, with Andrade distracting Allin to kick him low. Even Callis gets to go after Perry’s eyes but the Young Bucks run in for the save. Kazuchika Okada comes in to save Davis from the TK Driver before going face to face with Takeshita. They slug it out until the Family breaks it up. Cue the Rascalz to hit some dives onto the Family as this was quite the populated segment.

The medical doctor says Kenny Omega has been cleared, no matter what MJF said.

TBS Title: Queen Aminata vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale is defending. Aminata snaps off a quick neckbreaker for an early two and they head outside to forearm it out. We see Hikaru Shida watching as Aminata misses a running boot over the barricade. Back in and Nightingale fires off the clotheslines in the corner but gets taken down for a PK.

We take a break and come back with Nightingale grabbing a backbreaker, followed by a middle rope dropkick. The Death Valley Driver gives Nightingale two and Aminata rolls outside, where a running flip dive from the apron takes her down. Back in and Aminata hits a running elbow for two, followed by some chops. Nightingale grabs a backslide for two before Pouncing Aminata out to the floor. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes for Nightingale at 11:08.

Rating: B. Aminata hasn’t been around in a rather long time but she had a good return here. It certainly helped to be in the ring with Nightingale, who can work well with just about anyone. The match kind of came out of nowhere but it wound up being better than I was expecting, which is always a nice bonus.

We get a video on MJF’s impact on wrestling, which is quite praising of everything he has done.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho has a clipboard and talks about how glad he is to be back. He’s going to sign his new AEW contract, just 100 kilometers from where he wrestled the first match of his career. Yes he’s glad to be back, but he admits that everything he’s done here hasn’t been great.

There have been times when things haven’t gone as they were supposed to but all he cares about is trying to build AEW. Jericho is about to sign the contract but here is the Demand to interrupt. Ricochet insults all of Canada, though he’s here to talk to Jericho (as you might have guessed). His advice to Jericho is to just don’t sign and come back. Why would he want to come back after a year?

The reality is that Ricochet is the man right now and no one wants Jericho here right now. Jericho: “Wow. You really are bald.” He doesn’t care what Ricochet thinks and signs the contract. Oh and there’s a bonus: he can pick whomever he wants to face at Dynasty, so he’ll face Ricochet. He hasn’t done this in about ten years, but he takes the back of the clipboard off to reveal his own logo. Ricochet being bald means HE JUST MADE THE LIST!

Don Callis announces the Young Bucks vs. Okada/Takeshita, neither of whom are happy with this. Takeshita wants to challenge Okada for the International Title, which is fine with Callis. He even makes them shake hands, but they argue over which one is Pippen and which is Jordan.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mascara Dorada

For the #1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match at Dynasty. Ciampa works on the arm to start but has to escape a quick crossface attempt. Back up and Dorada flips around a lot, setting up a nice wristdrag. Ciampa avoids a flip to the floor and hits a heck of a running knee. Dorada gets back inside for a headscissors out of the corner and we take a break.

We come back with Dorada coming off the top with another wristdrag to send Ciampa outside. A big moonsault off the post hits Ciampa, followed by a middle rope 450 for two. Dorada’s handspring is cut off with a dropkick but Dorada catches him with something like a 619 on top. Something like a standing Iconoclasm gets two but Dorada misses a charge and gets caught in Willow’s Bell. The running knee finishes Dorada at 11:01.

Rating: B. When Ciampa signed, he felt like just another guy but he has wound up being one of the best additions to the roster in a good while. He’s had one good match after another and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give him the title back on Sunday. Dorada is quite the star in his own right but Ciampa felt like the better one here, which has me encouraged about where he’s going.

The Dogs have attacked Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong and now they’re coming for the Trios Titles.

Thekla is so sick of hearing about Jamie Hayter being a former Women’s Champion that she threatens….to take Lexi Nair to a strip club, give her a nice dinner, and drag her onto the stage and break every bone in her body. Oh and general threats to Hayter. I have no idea what Thekla was going on about here but it certainly had my attention.

Here are Adam Copeland and Christian Cage. Copeland talks about how FTR’s jealousy of being in his shadow but that’s not his fault. He’s not shrinking to their size and they’re not big enough to get into his. Cage talks about how FTR has ticked off all of Canada and as everyone’s favorite father figure, they have been very naughty. He has visited both of their mothers and, just so there’s no confusion, “I mean, I banged them both” (Copeland needs a minute on that one). Oh and Stokely shouldn’t feel left out, because Cage will be visiting Stokely’s mother very soon, but as half of the Tag Team Champions.

Cue FTR and Stokely for a distraction, allowing Roppongi Vice of all people to sneak in and beat Copeland and Cage down. That left FTR come in to beat the Canadians down, with Stokely even spearing Copeland. Cage’s arm gets Pillmanized as well to leave him in big trouble. It’s not a great ending for them, but Cage was hilarious here.

Darby Allin talks about how he really wants to be champion and he’s coming for the winner of the title match at Dynasty.

United Empire vs. Death Riders

Anything goes as this is CHAOS IN CANADA. The Empire jumps the Riders in the crowd to start fast and they head back to ringside. Cue Alex Windsor to go after Marina Shafir as Francisco Akira and Henare pull out a ladder to go after Castagnoli. Newman hits a huge dive onto a pile of Riders and we take a break.

We come back with the Empire setting up a table at ringside (to go with another on the other side) but Castagnoli cuts Newman off. Akira gets taken inside for a string of running shots in the corner and Newman receives the same treatment. Henare is back in to take the Riders down again but Castagnoli muscles him up on the floor, where he walks Henare around to suplex him through a table.

We take another break and come back with Castagnoli forearming away at a downed Ospreay. Henare comes back in and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Garcia gets Ospreay into a Dragontamer, with Moxley adding a Stomp to knock Ospreay silly. Akira breaks up the cover and strikes away at Moxley, which doesn’t go so well. Newman comes in to strike it out with Moxley until Ospreay is back in for a double cutter and a double near fall

Castagnoli swings Ospreay, only to get taken down by Henare’s clothesline. Henare finally spears Castagnoli through the table at ringside and Garcia is put onto (not through) another table. A top rope double stomp puts Pac through a table at ringside and Callum’s splash still won’t put Garcia through another table. Back in and Moxley gives Ospreay the Paradigm Shift and then does it two more times. Newman makes a save with a clothesline and Ospreay Hidden Blades Moxley through the table in the corner for the pin at 20:49.

Rating: B. I’m not sure what to think of this one. It was a wild brawl and felt like a bigger deal than most of the matches of this kind…but that’s kind of the problem. This is something AEW does fairly often and they threw it together on about two hours’ notice. You have all of these guest stars, including the IWGP World Champion, and he’s in an eight man tag with no rules. It felt like this was thrown together without much planning, which left it more like “yeah go do something and we’ll call it a main event”. Still good, but it felt like it should have been something more.

Video on Kenny Omega’s history in wrestling, basically his version of the MJF video from earlier.

Here is Omega (in a suit) for a chat. He talks about how he used to drive here about twenty five years ago because he wanted to be part of this place’s independent scene. That brings him to MJF, who thought he was surprising people by bringing up his diverticulitis. Omega points out that commentary mentions it EVERY SINGLE WEEK so it wasn’t exactly shocking

MJF is best known for his talking about everything he can do. Well everything MJF can do, Omega can do better and everything MJF can’t do is what Omega does every day (that’s a great line). He thought the idea here was to have the title on the best wrestler, as in someone who can actually wrestle. These fans deserve a better champion and while he might not be the same Omega he was before, but now it’s about working harder. At Dynasty, he’s taking the title and starting to right MJF’s wrongs.

This brings out MJF, who thinks Omega and the fans are scared. Is this going to be Omega’s last match? It will be his last shot, because his health isn’t holding up and MJF is ready to show that Omega isn’t on his level. Omega says this is their last chance to act civil together and offers one final handshake before Dynasty.

MJF swings instead and gets kneed in the face, with Omega calling him predictable and stealing the ring. Omega hits his catchphrase and drops the ring to end the show (a whopping 25 minutes after the scheduled ending). This was really long after it started late in the first place, but Omega’s promo was great.

Overall Rating: B+. This was the big final push towards Dynasty and that worked pretty well, even if Dynasty doesn’t feel like the biggest show. I liked Omega’s promo a lot and Ciampa is always worth a look. It would be nice to keep the card a bit smaller than usual, though there is always the chance that more matches will be added on Collision. Good show here though, and that’s what they needed for Dynasty.

Results
Don Callis Family b. Darby Allin/Bandido/Jack Perry – DM to Perry
Willow Nightingale b. Queen Aminata – The Babe With The Powerbomb
Tommaso Ciampa b. Mascara Dorada – Running knee
United Empire b. Death Riders – Hidden Blade to Moxley through a table

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AEW Collision – April 2, 2026: Dynalision? Colliamite?

Collision
Date: April 2, 2026
Location: Canada Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s a rare Thursday night show and it would be nice to see this show be treated as something special for a change. There are some big names set for the card and I could go for seeing some of those stars in action for the week. That includes an open challenge for the TBS Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens

Non-title Eliminator match. Moxley shoves him in the face to start so Bowens is right back up to fire off some right hands. Forearms and elbows have Moxley in more trouble but he slugs away against the ropes. A spinning faceplant drops Moxley though and Bowens clotheslines him to the floor. They go to the mat for some grappling and then trade right hands in the corner.

Bowens follows him to the floor, where Moxley takes it into the crowd with Bowens sending him into a wall. We take a break and come back with Moxley working on the arm, apparently after Bowens was sent into…something metal during the break. Bowens gets up for a superkick and they’re both down for a breather. A top rope superplex drops Moxley and Bowens grabs a spinning DDT out of the corner for two more.

Moxley manages a cross armbreaker, which Bowens escapes pretty quickly. They go outside again, where Bowens’ chair shots only hit various metal objects. Back in and Bowens drops him with a trio of discus forearms…but Moxley snatches him into a bulldog choke. Bowens is in trouble so Moxley throws him into the Death Rider for the pin at 14:58.

Rating: B-. Good enough opener here, though I had a bit of a problem buying Bowens hanging in there for fifteen minutes against Moxley. It’s not some totally ridiculous result, but it felt like Moxley could have put him away faster. Either way, there’s a good chance this will tie into Bowens wanting to join the Opps, which would at least be something to do.

Post match Will Ospreay runs in to Hidden Blade Moxley. Ospreay grabs a chair but the Death Riders run in to get Moxley out. Ospreay says Moxley usually has Claudio Castagnoli do his dirty work but at Forbidden Door, Moxley did it himself. They’ll be facing off at Dynasty, but Ospreay wants the Continental Title on the line so no one is allowed at ringside and he gets twenty minutes to do all the damage he can. Moxley doesn’t really answer…but Tony Khan makes it official via Tony Schiavone.

The Don Callis Family is ready for a tag match, even though Kyle Fletcher is injured. Kazuchika Okada says the replacement will be better than Konosuke Takeshita anyway.

Megan Bayne/Lena Kross vs. Kristara/Ava Lawless

Non-title. Bayne throws Kristara down without much trouble and adds an overhead belly to belly suplex. The champs hit stereo fall away slams and some running boots in the corner rock Lawless. For some reason Kristara fights back so it’s Divine Intervention to finish her at 2:28. Total squash.

Jon Moxley, with the Death Riders, isn’t surprised by Will Ospreay’s actions and Ospreay should expect no mercy. Ospreay is going to beat himself.

The Hurt Syndicate is back and they could use another member. All that matters is they’re back in business. Yeah I could go for them being back.

TBS Title: Willow Nightingale vs. ???

Nightingale is defending against…Hikaru Shida, who hasn’t wrestled here since November 2024. Feeling out process to start with Nightingale running her over but getting dropped by a shoulder. A running knee in the corner hits Nightingale and we hit the one armed camel clutch. That’s broken up and Nightingale runs her over with a Pounce and then drops Shida again on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Shida knocking her off the apron before setting up a chair. A running charge off of said chair connects and Shida throws her back inside for a top rope Meteora. Nightingale grabs a Death Valley Driver for two but misses the moonsault, allowing Shida to hit a pair of running knees for two each. A backslide out of nowhere retains the title at 9:35.

Rating: B-. The match was completely decent, with Shida being back as a nice surprise. With Toni Storm gone, the division is going to need some fresh blood and this might be the right way to go. Shida is someone with quite the resume in AEW so why not see what she can do in the spot? Nightingale gets a nice win of her own and her singles run continues to go rather well.

Post match Shida pulls out her kendo stick and teases swinging but everything is cool.

FTR vs. Mo Jabari/London Lightning

Non-title. Harwood drives Lightning into the corner to start and takes him down. Some chops and a clothesline have Lightning in trouble and he gets sent to the apron. A slingshot shoulder drops Harwood though and Jabari comes in. That’s fine with Wheeler, who takes Jabari into the corner for some clubberin. Jabari actually fights his way out and kicks both of them down, allowing the tag to Lightning. He tries to cover Harwood, who kicks out immediately and grabs the Shatter Machine to pin Jabari at 2:50.

Post match Christian Cage and Adam Copeland show up with chairs in hand to take out security and get inside for the brawl. The Impaler hits Wheeler but Stokely breaks up the Conchairto. One of the security guards takes it instead, which seems rather mean.

The Brawling Birds and Mina Shirakawa are happy with their win on Dynamite but Jamie Hayter wants Thekla at Dynasty. Shirakawa wants quite the beating.

Juice Robinson vs. Tommaso Ciampa

They trade headlocks to start until Robinson grabs a quick atomic drop. Another atomic drop lets Robinson send him face first into the buckle over and over, followed by the left hands. Ciampa heads to the floor and pulls Robinson face first into the apron to take over. Robinson is right back up with a slingshot dive but Ciampa sends him into the announcers’ table as we take a break.

We come back with Robinson getting fired up and winning an exchange of headbutts. A spinebuster drops Ciampa and Robinson strikes him down in the corner. Ciampa is able to send him to the apron for a running knee to the floor and they crash into the barricade. Back in and Robinson scores with a Cannonball into something like a Jackhammer for two.

Ciampa slips out of a powerbomb though and gets in a low blow, setting up the Willow’s Bell for two more. Robinson fights out of the corner and grabs a powerbomb (a nice one too) for two of his own. The forward DDT is blocked though and Ciampa hits a pair of running knees to the head for the pin at 13:56.

Rating: B. Ciampa’s hot run in AEW continues as he is getting to show what he can do in the ring, especially against good opponents. Robinson is someone who can work well and he’s playing it a bit more serious since his return, which made for a good match here. Now just find something bigger for Ciampa to do to capitalize on this streak.

Isiah Kassidy says he’s forced to change due to Marq Quen being injured. He wants an opportunity.

Darby Allin is ready for Andrade El Idolo when Brody King and Jack Perry come in. King and Perry talk about their history with Allin but they agree to team with him to face the Don Callis Family on Dynamite. Perry seems obsessed with Allin setting him on fire. Dude of all the dumb things Allin has done, that’s the one that sticks with you?

Don Callis Family vs. Rascalz

Andrade El Idolo/Mark Davis for the Family and Myron Reed is the odd Rascal out. The Family jumps them on the floor before the bell, much to Don Callis’, on commentary, happiness. The Rascalz are send inside, where they score with some dropkicks, setting up stereo suicide dives. Xavier and Davis get inside for the opening bell and some double teaming, including a Motor City Machine Guns Dream Sequence, has Davis in trouble.

Andrade gets in a cheap shot though and Davis adds a backsplash to take over. Andrade comes in and gets knocked outside, where he elbows Xavier’s dive out of the air. We pause for Andrade to take a photo with a fan and take a break. We come back with Andrade grabbing a chinlock as commentary talks about how the team is vicious and delicious. Come on, leave Norton and Bagwell out of this.

Andrade sends him into the corner but charges into a superkick, allowing Wentz to come back in and strike away. A bunch of kicks to the face set up a spinning high crossbody for two. Wentz blocks the piledriver and gets two off a hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and the Hot Fire Flame hits raised knees. Andrade takes out Xavier on the floor and it’s the piledriver to knock Wentz silly. The DM gives Andrade the pin at 10:48.

Rating: B-. The Rascalz seem to be a team who exists to make others look good in defeat, which isn’t the worst thing to see. At the same time, the Family team only means so much as the group is thrown into all kinds of pairings. It isn’t like there is a regular two man team, though Davis and that piledriver looked rather good.

Post match the Family leaves and here are more of the team to jump the Rascalz. Myron Reed comes in for the save and hits a big running flip dive. Apparently Kazuchika Okada was in for the beatdown to prove that he’s a better friend to Kyle Fletcher than Konosuke Takeshita. This company is WAY too obsessed with friendship angles.

Dogs/Death Riders vs. Conglomeration/Mistico/Kevin Knight

Tornado tag with Clark Connors/David Finlay/Claudio Castagnoli/Wheeler Yuta for the former team. The villains jump them on the floor to start fast until Castagnoli throws Mistico inside to start the real match. Mistico slips out of a gorilla press and grabs a rather spinning wristdrag. The Dogs pull Mistico outside but Cassidy cuts off a dive, allowing Knight to hit a big dive of his own.

Back in and the Dogs drop Knight and Cassidy, leaving Mistico to get double teamed by the Riders. Mistico manages a running hurricanrana to send Castagnoli outside, leaving Knight to frog splash Yuta for two. We take a break and come back with Cassidy in trouble in the corner but he manages to take them all out. The Dogs are back in but a suplex is countered into a Stundog Millionaire. Strong is back in to help clean house and Mistico adds a top rope hurricanrana to Castagnoli.

Mistico’s springboard hurricanrana hits Yuta and we hit the parade of knockdowns until Knight’s springboard clothesline gets two on Castagnoli. Finlay Dominators Knight into a spear from Connors but Strong is back in for the save. A triple Stronghold goes on but Castagnoli breaks up two of them.

The boots to the face don’t break up Strong’s though, as he comes up with chops instead. Most of the people head outside and Yuta hits a running knee to Knight. Mistico sunset bombs Castagnoli for two but he’s back up for the Swing. The Fastball Special misses and Mistico gets Castagnoli in La Mistica. Knight hits the UFO Splash to pin Yuta at 15:05.

Rating: B. This was completely insane throughout with all action and that made for a fun match. At the same time, I’m not sure why this needed to be tornado rules other than AEW thought it would be more entertaining that way. I’m also not sure why the Dogs need to lose again, though at least it was Yuta taking the fall here instead of one of them. What else is Yuta supposed to be there for anyway?

Overall Rating: B. The best thing about this show is it felt more like an episode of Dynamite, which is a good sign given the special time slot. There is no reason to make this show feel normal and they did a nice job of putting bigger names and stars out there this week. It would be nice to continue that when Collision is back in its regular spot, but I’ll take it for one week at least.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Anthony Bowens – Death Rider
Megan Bayne/Lena Kross b. Kristara/Ava Lawless – Divine Intervention to Lawless
Willow Nightingale b. Hikaru Shida – Backslide
FTR b. Mo Jabari/London Lightning – Shatter Machine to Jabari
Tommaso Ciampa b. Juice Robinson – Running knee
Don Callis Family b. Rascalz – DM to Wentz
Conglomeration/Kevin Knight/Mistico b. Dogs/Death Riders – UFO Splash to Yuta

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6




AEW Dynamite – April 1, 2026: No Fooling?

Dynamite
Date: April 1, 2026
Location: Canadian Life Center, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness

We’re up in Canada with about a week and a half to go before Dynasty. That should make for an interesting night, though I’m almost scared to see what might happen around here on April Fool’s Day. There is a good chance that we’ll get some kind of a gag this week and the humor may go in a variety of ways. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Tony Schiavone to get things going with the contract signing between Kenny Omega and MJF…and he’s cut off by a returning (hometown boy) Chris Jericho. Oh dear that’s going to get people talking. Jericho walks around and soaks in the fans’ version of Judas, plays to the crowd a bit, says “Winnipeg! AEW! I’m home”, and we’re done.

In the back, Will Ospreay is attacking Jon Moxley until the Death Riders make the save.

Here are MJF and Kenny Omega to sign their contract. Omega signs without saying anything and then cuts MJF off from whatever he was going to say. Omega knows MJF rehearsed this stuff in front of his bathroom mirror and MJF brags about the ratings. These people aren’t here to hear MJF talk though, because they’re here to see the best wrestle.

Omega was less than twenty four hours from dying and someone needs to chop down MJF for thinking he’s a wrestling god. MJF laughs off the idea that this is Omega at his best and while he could talk about how Omega is a stiff breeze away from his career ending, just like Kota Ibushi. No, instead let’s talk about what Omega doesn’t want to talk about: why he wants the World Title so badly.

Apparently his diverticulitis is getting worse and his career and life are ticking time bombs. MJF says Omega would be better off dead at Dynasty, which has Omega turning the table over. Cue Mike Bailey (since Omega isn’t allowed to touch MJF or he loses his title shot) for a lecture and some threats of kicking in the head. Omega says he’s missing 24 inches of intestines but he’d rather miss that than his testicles. MJF agrees to face Bailey and be an American hero.

AEW, Dynamite, Brody King, Jack Perry, Kenny Omega, The Demand

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kenny Omega/Brody King/Jack Perry vs. The Demand

Omega and Ricochet start things off so let’s go with Kaun instead. Ricochet gets in a shot from the apron and Omega is knocked down into the Demand corner. That’s broken up with a quick backdrop and Omega’s partners both come in for running corner clotheslines. Everything breaks down and Perry moonsaults onto a pile at ringside. Back in and we get a parade of fighting over a suplex until the good guys all get together to make it work. Liona runs Perry over on the floor though and we take a break.

We come back with Perry in trouble until he hits a running clothesline to put Ricochet down. The tag brings in Omega and everything breaks down, with Omega hitting an enziguri on Ricochet. King hits a Cannonball on all three in the corner but Lion is up for some running shoulders around ringside. Ricochet hits some dives, followed by a springboard 450 for two on Omega. Perry’s running flip dive is pulled out of the air so King adds a suicide dive to take all of them out.

Omega avoids another 450 and comes back with a running knee but Ricochet grabs a poisonrana to leave both of them down. King and Liona crash into the timekeeper’s area and Ricochet tries to grab the National Title, which is pulled away. Omega nails the V Trigger into the One Winged Angel to pin Ricochet at 16:59.

Rating: B+. This was all about flying around and going nuts for a pretty long time and it was quite the opener. Omega gets some momentum on the way to his title match at Dynasty and Ricochet loses again, which is a rather fun thing to see. Good stuff here, with everyone working hard and going as fast as they could, as you should in a match like this.

Willow Nightingale wants a title defense on Collision so it’s open challenge time.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage arrive with chairs and want to take out FTR, including everyone in the way. Cage seems to think this includes Renee Paquette, but Copeland cuts him off. Copeland: “Really? Renee?”

Post break Copeland and Cage find FTR’s locker room…but it’s really Roppangi Vice’s locker room. Apparently FTR is on Collision tomorrow, so Copeland and Cage chair Vice down for being in their way.

AEW, Dynamite, Pac, Will Ospreay

Pac vs. Will Ospreay

Pac jumps him on the ramp and hits a brainbuster so the medics are here to check on him. Ospreay gets up and tries to go to the ring, but the medic says give it more time. That’s all of two seconds before Ospreay gets inside and we’re ready to go. Pac is right there to stomp him down and we take an early break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting a Phenomenal Forearm for two but the Cheeky Nandos Kick is broken up. Ospreay hits a brainbuster into a 450 for two but the neck is really bothering him. Pac counters a sunset bomb to the floor and hits a tornado DDT to leave Ospreay on the floor. Back in and something like an Octopus on the mat sends Ospreay to the ropes and us to another break.

We come back again with Pac’s bridging German suplex getting two. Ospreay is back up with a Styles Clash for the same and they’re both down again. Pac gets back up this time and snaps off a hurricanrana, followed by a running clothesline. Rather than covering though, Pac goes up and hits the Black Arrow to the back, followed by the Brutalizer. The hold stays on for a rather long time until Ospreay goes for the rope. Pac tries to roll him away but Ospreay stacks him up for the pin at 17:09.

Rating: B. Another good match here, though Ospreay being slowed down a bit by the neck takes away some of the superhero feeling. That being said, I’d rather him slow down a bit and be here later in his life than have his neck give out all over again. The Brutalizer staying on for so long at the end was a bit much to believe but it hardly killed the match.

Post match Pac goes after Ospreay again but gets cut off with a Hidden Blade. Cue the Death Riders, with Jon Moxley wrapping a chair around Ospreay’s neck. Actually Moxley just talks to him though, saying this was how it was going to go because it’s six on one. Next time, use your head or you might lose it permanently. This isn’t personal for Moxley and Ospreay should keep it that way. The Riders leave without hurting him any more.

AEW, Dynamite, Triangle Of Madness, Brawling Birds, Mina Shirakawa

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Triangle Of Madness vs. Brawling Birds/Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa and Thekla start things off with Thekla having to duck underneath an elbow, meaning it’s quickly off to Blue. A pull of the hair brings Shirakawa down but she’s right back with a springboard kick out of the corner. The Birds come in for a sunset flip/PK combination and Blue gets knocked into the corner as well. Shirakawa’s slingshot corkscrew splash connects but Thekla gets in a cheap shot from the apron. A double stomp from the apron to the back hits Shirakawa and we take a break.

We come back with the Triangle getting triple suplexed (just like in the opener) and everyone needs a breather. Shirakawa’s Sling Blade looks to set up a Figure Four but Thekla kicks her away, allowing Blue to grab a swinging full nelson faceplant. Hart comes in and gets backbreakered and everyone is knocked down again. Thekla loads up the brass knuckles but gets them taken away, earning herself Two Birds, One Stone. Another backbreaker cuts Hart off and Hayterade finishes her at 9:20.

Rating: C+. The crowd did not seem overly interested here but the women were working hard for a pretty nice result. Maybe the result means that Hayter is going to get back towards the title picture now that Toni Storm is gone. Someone is going to need to be in that spot and Hayter might be the best possible option they have at the moment.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa’s recent issues with the Bang Bang Gang, leading to his match with Juice Robinson on Collision.

Here is Darby Allin, who wants the World Title and for someone, anyone, to beat MJF. Allin calls him out but gets the Don Callis Family instead. Don Callis gets right to the point: if Allin can beat a member of the Family, he gets a title shot. That would be Andrade El Idolo, but for now, the team comes in to go after Allin. Cue Jack Perry and Brody King to cut the Family off and then stare Allin down. Kenny Omega comes out and says something to Allin, though we can’t hear him.

Mike Bailey vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Non-title and Kenny Omega is on commentary. MJF even brings back the big American flag because he’s an American hero. MJF jumps Bailey from behind to start but Bailey says ring the bell anyway. Bailey strikes back but has to stop the Tornado Kick as MJF pulls the referee in the way. A toss sends Bailey outside and MJF grabs a chinlock back inside. That lets MJF throw him down and recite part of the Pledge Of Allegiance.

Omega thinks that if Bailey could put his mind and feet to it, he could be a champion soon. See? Even the EVP doesn’t care about the Trios Title that Bailey has at the moment. MJF mocks Bailey’s kicking prowess and gets his leg swept out, allowing Bailey to start firing off the kicks. A running boot puts MJF on the floor but it’s too early for the Ultimate Weapon back inside. Bailey grabs a weird sunset flip for two, followed by something like a Spanish Fly powerslam for two more.

Bailey’s springboard is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two and they’re both down. Back up and MJF kicks him to the floor, meaning it’s a middle finger to Omega. The Heatseeker is countered though and it’s a top rope Asai moonsault to the floor. We take a break and come back with MJF kicking him off the top and heading to the apron.

The piledriver is broken up so Bailey tries, and misses, the Ultimate Weapon, instead settling for a running boot in the corner. A snapdragon puts MJF down (Omega approves) and now the Ultimate Weapon (middle rope version) gets two, with MJF putting his foot on the rope. Bailey misses the moonsault knees on the apron though and it’s an apron piledriver to knock him silly. The Heatseeker finishes Bailey at 15:40.

Rating: B. Bailey taking a beating is one of the best ways to use him and it worked well enough again here. At the same time, it’s smart to have MJF get a clean win like this one. He needs to be ready for the World Title shot and at some point he needs to prov that he’s still a top level star. They pulled that off here and Bailey looked good in defeat.

Post match MJF goes after Bailey some more so Omega makes the save. Omega helps Bailey up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. AEW continues to be on something of a roll with television as of late and this show was no exception. They did a good job of building up Omega vs. MJF here while also getting Ospreay back in the ring. This show was all about getting us closer to Dynasty and building up the hype, which worked rather well, along with the rather good matches to back it up. Very good show here, with Dynasty having more potential.

Results
Kenny Omega/Brody King/Jack Perry b. The Demand – One Winged Angel to Ricochet
Will Ospreay b. Pac – Rollup
Brawling Birds/Mina Shirakawa b. Triangle Of Madness – Hayterade to Hart
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mike Bailey – Heatseeker

 

 

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