AEW Dynamite – August 26, 2026: They Did Both Things

Dynamite
Date: August 26, 2026
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

It’s the last Dynamite before the biggest show of the year at All In and we’re already over in the UK. There are still things that need to be set up for Sunday though, including finding the finalists for the Continental Challenge Cup. Hopefully we get the most interesting option out of the bunch so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to quite the reception. He’s been gone for awhile after his surgery and he wasn’t sure if he could ever get back here. There is a lot of pressure on him to be the British wrestler who wins the big one. He started in this country working through the weekend and then going to construction sites Monday through Friday. That’s why he loves seeing people who are trying to do the same thing he’s doing.

We get a quick tribute to the British wrestling legends, both still with us and those who aren’t. Then he gets to Kenny Omega, who isn’t here tonight, but until last week, Ospreay still respected him. That all changed when Omega brought up Ospreay’s son, who will not need a new hero after All In.

There is a debt that needs to be paid to the people who have stood by him from the start and it is time to bring it home. Omega is going to help Ospreay show that heroes are ordinary people who do amazing things. He’s bringing it home. Good stuff here, as Ospreay laid things out perfectly well and anyone can get the idea of wanting to stand up for your son.

Continental Challenge Cup Semifinals: Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Castagnoli takes him to the math off of a test of strength but Moxley is right back up with the chops. They’re already off to the exchange of forearms, with Castagnoli getting the better of things and grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. Moxley gets out to the floor, where he grabs a Figure Four of all things.

That’s broken up and reversed into a Swing into the barricade, leaving Moxley looking rather stunned in a funny visual as we take a break. We come back with Moxley fighting out of an armbar but getting blasted with some uppercuts. The Neutralizer is blocked and Moxley sends him outside for the suicide dive, leaving Castagnoli’s arm banged up as well. They get back inside and knock each other down with Castagnoli firing off the uppercuts.

Moxley cutters him down but gets caught in a sleeper, with Castagnoli even swinging it down to the mat. That’s reversed into a failed cross armbreaker attempt so Castagnoli pulls him into the Swing. Castagnoli uppercuts him to the floor and Moxley barely beats the count, where a Paradigm Shift and Death Rider aren’t enough to put Castagnoli away. Instead Moxley grabs the bulldog choke for the win at 15:53.

Rating: B. They were beating the fire out of each other here and that’s what you would have expected from these two. The idea was that they both knew each other so well and neither could really get an advantage until Moxley survived a bit longer to win. In other words, Moxley is tough and amazing and that’s pretty normal for him.

Adam Copeland/Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family

Copeland and Doyle start things off with Copeland grabbing a headlock, which doesn’t last very long. The Bucks come in and clean house with Matt hitting his slingshot X Factor, only to have a moonsault to the floor pulled out of the air. We take a break and come back with Nick’s super hurricanrana taking Cage down.

Copeland tags himself in (Nick was aiming for Matt) and tries a spear, which is cut off by Doyle. Copeland gets caught in the wrong corner and crushed by all three Family members, allowing Romero to give him a Sliced Bread for two. The Bucks are back in to cut Cage off but Romero hurricanranas both of them. Naturally that means he gets to pose, earning himself a spear from Copeland for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B-. The lack of Cage out there was kind of weird but the fans are going to go nuts for anything Copeland is doing so it makes perfect sense. The ending was funny with the overly cocky Romero going too far and being punished as a result. I liked this well enough, but the big stuff is likely happening after the match.

Post match here is Christian Cage to interrupt, saying that it’s time to conduct some business now that the love fest is over. He wasn’t about to be out here working with people beneath him and says that the Bucks aren’t the kinds of team having matches and pay per views named after them. Matt: “Have they ever named a company after you?” Last week Cage got superkicked by accident, but if he keeps talking, this week won’t be an accident. The brawl is on and the champions clear the ring, with Copeland not looking happy that it came to this.

Here is Willow Nightingale…..’s music, as we see Mercedes Mone attacking her in the back and injuring Nightingale’s hand.

Don Callis is back from Croatia and announces that Mark Davis is in the Casino Gauntlet Match.

Andrade El Idolo’s music plays but here is MJF instead. He says we’re here in Ireland and says it makes no difference anyway. Apparently he paid someone off to beat Andrade (“Andrew”) up and mocks everything Andrade does. This includes taking a picture with a woman, who he says would be a 4 in the US but is a 10 here. Naturally Andrade pops up from behind and jumps him to send MJF scurrying.

Chris Jericho is in the Casino Gauntlet Match too but first, he’s in a six man tag on Collision.

Continental Challenge Cup Semifinals: Nigel McGuinness vs. Kyle O’Reilly

McGuinness still has a bad leg/ankle and can’t get very far on a drop toehold attempt. O’Reilly tries one of his own and McGuinness just walks away for a nice reception. Back up and McGuinness actually sends the referee into a chinlock on O’Reilly but the ensuing rollup doesn’t get him very far. O’Reilly knocks him outside for a running knee off the apron and we take a break.

We come back with O’Reilly working on the leg but McGuinness kicks his way out. Instead McGuinness tries a failed London Dungeon attempt and has to block a cross armbreaker. O’Reilly goes for the ankle lock and stomps on the leg, followed by a chop block. A sleeper is countered so O’Reilly grabs a European Clutch for another near fall. O’Reilly wrestles him down into something like a LeBell Lock without the facelock, which is reversed into a pinfall reversal sequence. Another leglock sends McGuinness over to the rope and he gets in a heck of a clothesline for two. The London Dungeon goes on and O’Reilly taps at 11:54.

Rating: B. This was the technical exchange that you would have expected and it went very well, with the two of them getting to showcase just how good they are at this stuff. At the same time, McGuinness was the obvious choice, even with the ankle situation. I liked the match a good bit, even if it is the thirteenth match in this tournament which served the sole purpose of setting up what could have been a regular title defense for Moxley.

Post match respect is show.

Don Callis, with Kyle Fletcher, expects the Family to run the play as he calls. Fletcher agrees, but he’s not sure if Kazuchika Okada is going in that direction. Okada comes in to say it’s all about Family, with the tensions rising.

Persephone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne vs. Brawling Birds/Maya World

Bayne and World start things off with Bayne easily powering her down. World is sent flying with an overhead belly to belly and the villains take turns stomping away in the corner. It’s off to Hayter for the sunset flip/boot to the head combination and Persephone gets double suplexed. World’s moonsault gives Hayter two and we take a break.

We come back with Hayter still in trouble, including a release German suplex to give Bayne two. Hayter fights out of trouble and it’s a double clothesline to put herself and Bayne down. World is back in to clean house, with a middle rope leg lariat getting two. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns, with the Divine Intervention being broken up. A springboard Stunner gives World two on Persephone and the other four brawl up the aisle. Persephone knocks World down and hits a frog splash for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: C+. They tied a couple of stories up into one match here and that is always appreciated. World vs. Persephone is a fine way to go to give World a one on one title defense and it wouldn’t stun me to see it added to the All In card. The women’s tag match is already set so a little preview isn’t a bad thing at all.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight, with Allin being broken apart twice last week.

Swerve Strickland vs. Jack Perry

Strickland offers his chin to Perry, who grabs a headlock for an early escape. Back up and Perry shoulders him down, earning a running clothesline to even things out. Perry sends him to the apron, where Strickland pulls a hurricanrana out of the air to swing Perry into the steps. That means a painful looking crash down onto the steps and we take a break.

We come back with Strickland hitting the top rope elbow to the back and yes he does dance. Something like a Gory Stretch has Perry in more trouble but he finally flips Strickland to the floor. Perry hits a pair of suicide dives, followed by a running flip dive and a moonsault to add in some variety.

Back in and Perry overshoots a moonsault but is right back with a DDT in a nice save. Strickland knocks him down again and tries the Swerve Stomp, which is pulled into the Snare Trap for quite the counter. That’s broken up as well so Perry gives him a hurricanrana for two. Perry tries another rollup but gets reversed into Big Pressure for the pin at 12:03.

Rating: B. They had a good match here, with that Stomp into the Snare Trap counter being very nice. Perry can work well with anyone but Strickland can turn it up like few others in AEW. The ending did come a bit out of nowhere but that wasn’t a bad thing, as it felt like Perry got caught by a quick finish.

One more video on Omega vs. Ospreay wraps us up. This goes on for a few minutes and does make the match feel that much bigger.

Overall Rating: B+. The show did its job to make me care more about All In and that’s the only thing that really matters. Most of the show is already set up and I do want to see what happens on Sunday. The good thing is they had the wrestling to back it up here and it wasn’t just a big commercial. It made for a rather interesting combination and I liked the show well, with the lack of a big overrun making it even better.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Claudio Castagnoli – Bulldog choke
Adam Copeland/Young Bucks b. Don Callis Family – Spear to Romero
Persephone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Maya World/Brawling Birds – Frog splash to World
Swerve Strickland b. Jack Perry – Big Pressure

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – August 19, 2026: Family Time

Dynamite
Date: August 19, 2026
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Taz, Excalibur

With less than two weeks to go before All In, it’s time for a pair of six man tags, both involving the Don Callis Family. You can tell it’s a special time of year when you get the same stable twice, but we also have the Continental Challenge Cup advancing into the next round. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Will Ospreay/Henare/Francesco Akira vs. Don Callis Family

Ospreay and Cage start things off with Ospreay’s hurricanrana being countered into a powerbomb, which is escaped as well. Henare comes in to yell at Archer before the big exchange of forearms. Archer misses a charge into the corner and Henare hammers away as everything breaks down.

Some triple teaming has Archer down but Romero gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Akira is sent crashing out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Akira fighting out of trouble to bring Henare back in. Cage strikes away at Henare to limited success but Archer’s Blackout is countered into a German suplex.

Ospreay comes back in to strike away at Romero, with Henare and Akira getting in on said strikes. Archer is back in and gets Samoan dropped, leaving Akira to grab a slingshot cutter on Romero. For some reason Romero does his sliding pose, leaving Ospreay to Hidden Blade him for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: B-. Well there was pretty much no way that Ospreay and company were going to lose to the Don Callis Family B Team. Ospreay gets through another week without having to do a ton, which is a smart way to go on the way to All In. This was about all it needed to be, hopefully with the Family being dispatched from the World Title story as they’re not needed.

Kazuchika Okada says it doesn’t matter who wins the International Title at All In, as long as it stays in the Don Callis Family. So if he wins the title, that’s perfectly fine! If he wins, Kyle Fletcher better raise his hand.

Here is Kyle Fletcher for a chat as this show is rather Don Callis Family heavy thus far. When asked about Okada’s comments, Fletcher isn’t sure why we need to move on from the greatest International Title reign of all time. He’s willing to go along with the plan, but Okada needs to know his role in this. The only thing that matters is that they all hate Konosuke Takeshita because he is a selfish, narcissistic jerk. Cue the returning Takeshita to interrupt and the brawl is on with Takeshita easily laying him out. Okada doesn’t appear for the save.

Earlier today, we had a sitdown interview with Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega. Renee Paquette brings up their time meeting quite a few years ago in PWG, with Ospreay saying Omega was a huge star and how honored he was to face Omega. On the other hand, Omega said that he was trying to keep track of the flavors of the month and while he wasn’t blown away at the time, he knew Ospreay had potential. We flash forward to the two meeting at New Japan Wrestle Kingdom, with Omega saying Ospreay was a totally different wrestler.

The idea was that Omega was coming back to face the new face of New Japan, but it was also a case of Ospreay not being able to sell the tickets without a star like Omega. Ospreay jumps back in, saying that Omega was a success off the backs of other stars and talks about how much he (Ospreay) had to do for New Japan during the pandemic. He had to wrestle in front of silent crowds and sit in hotel rooms alone, which Omega wouldn’t have been able to handle. Omega says they had the same situations here, and would fans have really cheered for Ospreay anyway?

Then it’s on to Forbidden Door 2023, where Ospreay had joined the Don Callis Family. Omega talks about how he was screwed over by Don Callis but Ospreay couldn’t learn from him and had to join up too. Ospreay talks about how all of his success was credited to Callis so beating Omega at Forbidden Door didn’t mean anything. Omega says that makes him feel like he’s beaten Ospreay twice already but Paquette brings up the diverticulitis.

That sends Omega into a bit of a rant as he’s tired of hearing about it as it has made him think more in the ring. What about Ospreay’s neck though? Is he ready for this kind of a match? Ospreay talks about how he kept trying to be nice to Omega but Omega kept leaving for weeks on end.

Omega says Ospreay wanted to face an injured version of Omega because it was easier. That sends Ospreay over the edge because he has to be better than Omega on his own to prove that he is the better man. Omega says Ospreay is going to fail again and brings up Ospreay’s mother, which has Ospreay on his feet. Win, lose, or draw, Omega will respect Ospreay. Omega brings up Ospreay’s son and that’s enough for Ospreay to chase Omega off.

There’s a lot here, as this ran about twelve minutes, but it did sell the story they’re trying to tell. While I could have done with a lot less about PWG and New Japan, as the story could have started with Forbidden Door 2023, they did a very good job of selling the story. That’s all the more impressive when you consider neither of these two are exactly known for their promo skills. It wasn’t an all time exchange, but it did what it needed to do rather well.

TBS Title: Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Statlander vs. Persephone vs. Maya World

Only World is defending (as Persephone’s CMLL Women’s Title isn’t on the line). World goes for an early rollup but gets broken up, leaving Shida to kick Statlander out to the floor. That leaves World to elbow Persephone in the corner but Statlander is back up to cut World off. Persephone takes over on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Persephone German suplexing Statlander for two but the Tower Of Doom is broken up. Statlander gets World in a fireman’s carry, with Shida missile dropkicking them for the save. Back up and Statlander sends Shida flying with a toss Razor’s Edge but World reverses Staturday Night Fever into a cradle to retain at 9:39.

Rating: C+. This one could have gone either way as World has been a nice story as champion but I wasn’t sure if the reign was going to continue. Going with her is certainly an acceptable choice as she’s doing well with everything she’s doing thus far. Beating Statlander is certainly a big deal, and I’m curious to see who is coming for the belt next.

The Brawling Birds talk about going after Lena Kross/Megan Bayne on Collision and they’re ready to win the titles in front of a bunch of drunken Brits.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Jay White vs. Jon Moxley

They take their time circling each other and it’s an early standoff with Taz talking about both of them going for wrist control and how important that can be. AEW commentary gets a lot of flack, but Taz is excellent with that kind of stuff and always has been. Moxley takes him down with a hammerlock and sends White outside as we take an early break.

We come back with White slugging away and getting in a DDT. White strikes him down in the corner and a middle rope hurricanrana puts Moxley on the floor. Back in and the Blade Runner and Death Rider are both blocked so White suplexes him into the corner. A quick Rings Of Saturn has Moxley rolling over to the ropes and we take another break.

We come back again with Moxley winning a strike off and sending him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and White grabs his own snapdragon, followed by the swinging Rock Bottom for two. A rather hard top rope superplex gives White the same but Moxley is back with the choke. That’s reversed with a flip into a cover, setting up the Blade Runner to send Moxley outside. Back in and Moxley gets the bulldog choke into a Death Rider for a rather near fall. A rear naked choke makes White pass out for the win at 19:20.

Rating: B. Moxley is pretty much guaranteed at least a spot in the finals so this was a bit more about how we got to the result rather than the result itself. Moxley shrugged off a good bit of offense to win in the end, which is pretty much par for his course. It’s nice to see White having a long match like this and it was good overall, despite being longer than it needed to be.

Post match respect is teased but here are the Dogs, with the returning Gabe Kidd, to take White out. The Conglomeration, Hangman Page and Brodido run in for the save. The Demand comes in to say…that Page and Brodido can say whatever they want. Page says anyone who wants a Trios Title shot, come get it at All In.

Willow Nightingale interrupts Maya World, saying she can have a title shot on Collision. Works for World.

Here is Jonathan Cruz, better known as MJF’s Spanish translator. He’s here to explain MJF’s hatred of Andrade El Idolo, who isn’t a real man and not even as guapo as Cruz. If Andrade was here, Cruz would beat him in a match and I think you know where this is going.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jonathan Cruz

Non-title I’m assuming. Dia de Los Muertos and the DM finish at 9 seconds. Cruz lost in case you’re new at this.

Post match Andrade rants in Spanish and calls out MJF, who answers rather quickly. Well on the Titantron that is, where he is shown in a hot tub in Long Island. MJF wasn’t about to come to a town like Baltimore because he’s going to beat up “Andrew” in London like the true World Champion. Andrade beats up Cruz some more. I’m still not sure how much MJF is getting out of this real World Champion thing but it doesn’t seem to be that helpful.

We get a split screen interview with Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone. Nightingale says Mone is jealous of the affection that Nightingale has from the fans. Mone rants about Nightingale doing all kinds of things to her and smiling at her. She’s taking Nightingale’s smile at All In, which is enough for Nightingale to storm off and find Mone for the brawl into the arena. Security can’t break them up until Mone is pulled outside.

Swerve Strickland is intrigued by the Trios Titles being an option for All In.

Continental Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Nigel McGuinness vs. Hechicero

Hechicero’s CMLL World Title isn’t on the line and McGuinness has a bad ankle coming in (it’s so bad that he put his boot on and then taped it up). McGuinness threatens to go for the mask if Hechicero goes for the ankle, which is exactly what winds up happening. They get back up with Hechicero going for a front facelock before sending McGuinness into the ropes. That has McGuinness coming up holding the leg and a top rope clothesline drops him for two as we take a break.

We come back with McGuinness getting fired up and chopping away, only to get knocked into the corner. The very swinging backbreaker puts McGuinness down again and we’re off to the chinlock. McGuinness breaks out of that and tries the London Dungeon, only for Hechicero to reverse into a leglock. That’s broken up again and McGuinness gets in a knee, followed by a front chancery to actually put Hechicero out at 10:13.

Rating: B-. While I’d like to see the official medical records for McGuinness’ injury, they’ve got something with him trying to make it to Wembley injured but in one last quest for a win. It’s a good story, whether the injury is real or not, and that’s all you need. McGuinness is a likable guy and he’s getting to show what he can do, even with the horrible limping.

Video on Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight.

Here is Knight for a chat. He’s not in the mood for questions from Tony Schiavone and calls out Allin, only to say cut off the music. Knight wants proof that Allin doesn’t have any weapons (like an exploding backpack) and says we’re not having a match tonight. Then the pyro goes off and Allin is blinded/burned, so it’s a Coast To Coast with a chair to make it even worse. Because blowing him up with pyro wasn’t enough. Allin is taken out on a stretcher.

Post break Allin is taken away on a stretcher when Knight comes in to gloat, with Sting’s son Steven Borden teasing going after him.

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks vs. Don Callis Family

Will Ospreay gets in Omega’s face in the back before the entrances. And as the bell rings 17 minutes into the overrun, Clon and Matt start things off. Everything breaks down in a hurry and the Family are cleared out to the floor but they’re right back in. This time the good guys are beaten down so the Family can pose as we take a break.

We come back with Matt managing to fight off Doyle and Davis, allowing Omega to get the tag. Omega beats up Clon and everything breaks down, with Omega and the Bucks hitting stereo dives. A snapdragon and triple superkick drop Doyle again and the One Winged Angel finishes him off at 10:17.

Rating: B-. They kept this one moving and there really wasn’t any reason for the match to go long. Ultimately, this was similar to the opener, with a main event star and tag team against three people who just aren’t on that level. Throw in the match starting so late and this was all it needed to be.

Post match the rest of the Don Callis Family runs in for the beatdown but Adam Copeland runs in for the save. Christian Cage….well he eventually gets there too. The Bucks accidentally superkick Copeland and Cage, allowing the Family to get back up and brawl with the four of them to the back. Omega grabs the mic but here is Will Ospreay to interrupt.

Ospreay says Omega has all the charm of a parking ticket and asks what Omega is going to do after bringing up his seven year old. Omega has security get rid of Ospreay (For what?) but Ospreay sprints in and the brawl is on. Security gets involved again and Omega hits Ospreay with a v Trigger. A One Winged Angel off the apron puts Omega through a table as Omega seems to be full on evil again on the way to All In. If one of them has to be, and they should, that’s the best choice as Ospreay is going to be over like free beer in a frat house over there.

Overall Rating: B. Insane amount of Don Callis Family stuff involved (the first non-Callis involved segment was 45 minutes in), this did some good stuff for All In, with the big focus being on Omega vs. Ospreay. That stuff went well, and while I could go for getting to the finals of the Continental Cup already, it made for some perfectly good, if not better, matches. This was the kind of show that the All In main event needed and that stuff worked.

Results
Will Ospreay/Francesco Akira/Henare b. Don Callis Family – Hidden Blade to Romero
Maya World b. Kris Statlander, Persephone and Hikaru Shida – Rollup to Statlander
Jon Moxley b. Jay White – Rear naked choke
Andrade El Idolo b. Jonathan Cruz – DM
Nigel McGuinness b. Hechicero – Front chancery
Kenny Omega/Young Bucks b. Don Callis Family – One Winged Angel to Doyle

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – August 12, 2026: The Crawls Of Jericho

Dynamite
Date: August 12, 2026
Location: The Pearl Theater At The Palms, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight

We’re getting closer to All In and the card has been getting a nice boost in the last few weeks. Last week was Grand Slam, with MJF returning and he wants in the Casino Gauntlet Match later this month. Other than that, we have the continuing saga of Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, which will likely get a lot of focus here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to get things going. He was so glad to be back in Arena Mexico last week because the last time he was there, he found out that his grandfather had passed away. Ospreay wanted him to be there for some great moments of his life but that wasn’t going to happen. What he has learned though is that he has to do some things to be the biggest star in AEW. He is here to set an example and that’s why he was in a street fight last week.

One person was watching at home on his sofa and that was World Champion Kenny Omega. Last week, Omega probably said “oh s*** hes going to pull the trigger” and since Omega is actually here this week, why not grace us with your presence? Instead cue Don Callis, who talks about how he and Omega won the World Title in December 2020. Then Omega decided that he could do this on his own so Callis stabbed him in the head.

The reality is Ospreay owes him everything and the reality is the road to Wembley is paved in Ospreay’s blood. Cue the Don Callis Family for the beatdown but Omega makes the save with a pipe. Omega teases hitting Ospreay with the pipe but stops to say that Ospreay never thinks. Omega warned him about Callis and Jon Moxley and look what happened.

That’s why Ospreay will lose at All In, but that’s not the man Omega wants to face there. Omega helps him up but says that he can’t do this again. From now on, it’s the two of them. Ospreay appreciates the help, though he didn’t ask for it and he won’t need it. Please don’t have Callis be involved in this. It doesn’t seem like he will be, but please just leave him out of the thing.

We recap the Continental Challenge Cup.

We run down the card.

We look at MJF returning last week and attacking Andrade El Idolo.

Nick Wayne vs. MJF vs. Mike Bailey

For the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match and MJF grabs Justin Roberts by the throat, insisting that he be introduced as “the one true champion”. MJF, with his heavily taped leg, drops to the floor to start and rants on commentary a bit before going to ringside. Wayne and Bailey trade missed kicks until Wayne knocks him outside for the big running flip dive. Bailey kicks him off the apron for the triangle moonsault, allowing MJF to run the ropes and flip the fans off.

MJF pulls Bailey off the ropes for a crash onto the turnbuckle but stops to yell at Wayne. That earns him a superkick but Bailey is back up to kick Wayne in the face. Bailey knocks both of them to the floor for a springboard moonsault and we take a break. We come back with Bailey missing the Ultimate Weapon but giving Wayne a Falcon Arrow instead. That means a shooting star press can give Bailey two before he has to save MJF Wayne. Now the Ultimate Weapon can hit Wayne, but MJF runs in to give Wayne the Salt Of The Earth for the tap at 12:02.

Rating: B-. As soon as Wayne, the #1 contender to the Ring Of Honor World Title, was announced for this match, it wasn’t a question of would he take the fall but rather how he would take the fall. This comes after his loss last month in his most recent AEW match and I don’t even know why I bother getting annoyed anymore. MJF winning in this way is right on note for him, with Bailey being there to make it a three way.

Post match MJF brags about his win but here is Andrade El Idolo……’s music, because he’s not here after MJF gave him a beating last week. Andrade is scared of him, just like Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay, who will find out that he is the one true champion.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne are at the Brawling Birds bar and knock some beers over while making threats. That place is no Friendly Tap.

Mick Foley is with the Bang Bang Gang, with Jay White welcoming him to the team. Anyway, White threatens David Finlay about tonight’s Continental Challenge Cup match. Foley can’t quite get the pose right.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: David Finlay vs. Jay White

They go outside to start fast with the brawling until Finlay takes over inside. Finlay stomps him down in the corner but gets clotheslined to the floor for the slingshot dive. Back in and Finlay’s neckbreaker gets him out of trouble and we take a break. We come back with White fighting up to chop away in the corner.

The Blade Runner is countered into a rollup for two but White grabs a German suplex…and we pause as White seems a bit shaken up. Finlay is right in with a DDT for two so White gives him a running double underhook facebuster. The Blade Runner is countered again, this time into a brainbuster onto Finlay’s knee for two more. White slips out of a suplex though and the Blade Runner connects for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: B-. This was treated as a big grudge match though I’m still not really caring about a feud that happened in Japan years ago. Since then, the Dogs vs. the Gang hasn’t exactly lit the place on fire and this didn’t make it better. At least White is back in the ring and not injured again, which you never can really bet on with him.

Here are Hangman Page and Brodido for a chat. Brodido get to be happy about their win but here is the returning Swerve Strickland to cut Page off. Prince Nana throws Tony Schiavone out, leaving Strickland to say these three have all had issues with him but now they’re friends. Strickland goes over his issues with Brodido and it all leaves him coming back to Page. Now Page can’t even challenge for the World Title, so he’s here with these two?

Page points out that Strickland has nothing to show for everything he’s done this year but here are the Demand/Lethal Twist to interrupt. Ricochet talks about how this is trio business and mocks Strickland for dropping the Gates Of Agony. Last week, Toa Liona’s shoulders weren’t down so the titles still belong to the Demand, so Strickland needs to get out of here. Strickland goes to leave but does stop to call Ricochet a b****. Ricochet turns down Page’s challenge and that’s it. I really could have gone with more of the Strickland stuff and less of the six people interrupting.

Earlier today, Willow Nightingale was sitting down for an interview but Mercedes Mone jumped her and called her a dumb b****.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. Chris Jericho

Knight is defending and jumps him to start, only to get planted with a brainbuster. A backbreaker gives Jericho two and he sends Knight outside. The dive connects and Jericho stops to sit on Paul Wight’s lap. Knight gets in a knockdown of his own though and we take a break. We come back with Knight’s Lionsault hitting raised knees but being able to backdrop Jericho onto the ramp.

Jericho shrugs off some stomps and grabs an AA of all things before going after Don Callis. A diving Knight misses for a crash to the floor and they go back inside. An exchange of rollups gets two each and they trade rollups with feet on the ropes for the same so Knight gives him a running DDT. Knight’s super hurricanrana is countered into a superbomb and then the Walls in the middle of the ring.

That sounds good for Jericho, but he keeps nodding his head at Callis, who comes into the ring, but runs away as Jericho drags Knight from the middle to near the ropes….so Callis can stab Jericho with the screwdriver. Sweet goodness that was horrible. Knight goes up for a Coast To Coast, which somehow only gets two. Jericho Codebreakers him out of the air so Knight kicks him low, setting up the Crash Landing for the pin at 12:56.

Rating: C. Geez. Between the ridiculous botch from Jericho and Callis (the latter of whom at least tried to make it work by coming inside) and the usual nonsense of AEW not knowing when to end a match (there was zero reason to keep it going after the Coast To Coast), this was just a mess. I don’t know if it’s Jericho not having it any more or trying to do too much, but this didn’t work for the most part. Knight can do some good things in there, but this was a mess.

Claudio Castagnoli is ready for anyone in the Continental Cup Classic. Jon Moxley appears to be the same, with the grappling taking place while Castagnoli was talking apparently firing him up.

Kris Statlander vs. Viva Van

Van actually snaps off a hurricanrana to start and Statlander thinks about it for a second. That just earns her a spinwheel kick, plus a faceplant off the top into a missile dropkick. Statlander is back up with a superkick and discus lariat, setting up Staturday Night Fever for the pin at 3:09.

Rating: C. This was a weird match with Statlander getting beaten up for a good chunk of the thing, with Van getting in some snazzy offense. Van continues to be someone who feels like a potential project but it hasn’t really taken off yet. I’m not sure why Statlander got beaten up that much to start but it was an odd setup.

Post match here is Mick Foley, who announces a four way for the TBS Title, with Statlander, Hikaru Shida and Persephone challenging Maya World. Statlander is ready for some revenge but here are Shida and Persephone for their scheduled match.

Hikaru Shida/Persephone vs. Maya World/Thunder Rosa

World headlocks Persephone to start, sending her outside to escape. Rosa comes in for a running headscissors to Shida, plus a running clothesline. Rosa headscissors and headlocks them both down at once but gets sent throat first into the rope as we take a break. We come back with Rosa still in trouble but reversing a double suplex into a double DDT.

World is back in with a missile dropkick into a fall away slam to send Persephone outside. Shida kicks World outside but gets high crossbodied by Rosa. Shida’s Falcon Arrow gets two more with World making the save and getting jumped by Persephone. Rosa takes Persephone out and it’s the tabletop suplex to give World the pin on Shida at 10:34.

Rating: C+. World getting the pin was the right call here as she is still getting established as a real threat around here. At the same time, having her beat one of her challengers for next week might not have been the best way to get ready for the title match. Persephone is still getting better around here and it’s good to see her getting a chance to show what she can do. On the other hand you have Rosa and I have no idea what she has going on at the moment, but it doesn’t exactly feel like much.

Darby Allin talks about how he has no regrets from the World Title reign because he gambled and lost. Then he was attacked by Kevin Knight, so now Allin wants him in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Kyle Fletcher wants to defend the International Title at All In. He wants to defend against Konosuke Takeshita but Don Callis suggests adding Kazuchika Okada so the Family keeps the title. Fletcher leaves without saying yes. It feels like these people have been doing this “we don’t like each other but have to work together because we all hate Takeshita” forever. Wrap it up already.

Continental Challenge Cup First Round: Jon Moxley vs. Jack Perry

Moxley wrestles him down to start but Perry gets up for an actual clean break at the rope. Perry knocks him outside but the suicide dive is knocked out of the air. With his eye cut open, Perry tries to fight back but gets sent into the timekeeper’s area as we take a break. We come back with Moxley pounding on the cut and rubbing Perry’s face on the mat to make it worse.

Moxley ties up the leg and neck at the same time, with Perry having to make the rope. Perry finally manages to send him outside for a bunch of dives, including a moonsault out to the floor. Back in and Moxley hits a quick clothesline and piledriver for two, plus another two off another clothesline.

Moxley goes off with shots to the face, to the point where the referee stops him to check on Perry. That’s enough for Perry to get back up for the exchange of forearms (a Moxley signature) until Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap. Moxley rolls out of that and slaps on the bulldog choke for the win at 15:42.

Rating: B-. So Moxley beats him up to start, beats him up some more, shrugs off Perry’s offense, escapes Perry’s submission, and then chokes him out. What a great way to make Perry look like he’s in over his head as Moxley, again, gets to look like the most awesome thing ever. Hopefully he at least doesn’t win the tournament again, though it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.

Post match Moxley shakes Perry’s hand, because that saves some of Perry’s face I guess?

Overall Rating: C+. I really wasn’t feeling this one as much as I do most Dynamites, as it had a lot of stuff that felt like it was setting stuff up for the future rather than doing much here. That’s something you need at times, but between the horrible ending to Jericho vs. Knight and Moxley’s near squash of Perry (which of course took fifteen minutes), this was a long show that had a lot of tournament stuff and Don Callis. That’s not the best night and I wasn’t into this for the most part.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mike Bailey and Nick Wayne – Salt Of The Earth to Wayne
Jay White b. David Finlay – Blade Runner
Kevin Knight b. Chris Jericho – Crash Landing
Kris Statlander b. Viva Van – Staturday Night Fever
Maya World/Thunder Rosa b. Hikaru Shida/Persephone – Tabletop suplex to Shida
Jon Moxley b. Jack Perry – Bulldog choke

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – August 5, 2026 (Grand Slam): All The Right Parts

Dynamite
Date: August 5, 2026
Location: Arena Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in another country and a rather important arena for the latest Grand Slam special. While you make your own Denny’s jokes, I’ll be wondering how the Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis street fight will be going in what should be the show’s main event. They have three and a half weeks to go before All In so it’s time to really get things set. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Young Bucks vs. Death Riders

Cage and Pac start things off and Yuta offers a quick knee from the apron. Everything breaks down and the Riders are cleared out to the floor rather quickly. Cage adds his big dive onto the pile at ringside and we take an early break. We come back with Matt getting caught in the wrong corner for the running clotheslines.

The Dragonslayer goes on, with Nick diving in for the save. Matt is back up to take Yuta and Garcia down with an armdrag/headscissors combination, though he realizes he’s going to the wrong corner. Eventually the tag brings in Copeland to clean house and Cage gets to choke Moxley on the middle rope.

A top rope headbutt and elbow hit Moxley, followed by Cage’s low blow. The triple superkick gets two as the Riders make the save so Copeland gives Moxley the Impaler. Marina Shafir breaks up the spear so Cage pulls her down, earning a slap. Cage kicks her low so it’s a Downward Spiral/running knee combination to put Cage down instead. The Bucks get to clear the ring a bit and Copeland spears Moxley, with the referee being distracted. Copeland runs into Matt by mistake though and Moxley grabs a rollup with tights for the pin on Copeland at 11:33.

Rating: B-. It was another wild match but they didn’t go too long and that helped a good bit here. You don’t need to have these things go on forever and they did something interesting with Copeland vs. Moxley. It’s a smart choice for an opener too and the Tag Team Title match got something out of it too.

Post match Cage/Copeland seem ok enough with the Bucks.

Video on Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, with Jon Moxley’s efforts making Omega less than trustworthy of Ospreay.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Komander vs. Andrade El Idolo

Non-title but the winner is the #1 entrant in the Casino Gauntlet match. Ciampa is in American flag gear, which goes as well as you would expect. Komander is sent outside, leaving Andrade to win a brawl but Komander breaks up the running knees in the corner. The big moonsault takes out Ciampa and Andrade but the latter is back up to drop Komander again. We pause for the photo with the woman of the week and take a break.

We come back with all three down until Andrade and Ciampa can get up slug it out. Another pause lets Andrade take off his pants, setting up the Three Amigos to Komander. Ciampa knocks both of them down and beats up Andrade’s pants. Thankfully he stops to give Komander Project Ciampa, allowing Ciampa to go up.

Andrade is right there to catch him but Komander gives Andrade a springboard poisonrana (because that’s a thing). Ciampa plants Komander with a super Air Raid Crash for two more, leaving Ciampa stunned. Andrade gives Ciampa Dia de Los Muertos, with Komander adding Cielito Lindo. That lets Andrade grab the DM to pin Komander at 11:09.

Rating: B. Some of those spots were insane and that’s why you have a match like this one. It was cool to see them all going nuts with spot after spot, including that springboard poisonrana. I’m glad to see the champion win too, as having the champions lose falls in these things is rather frustrating.

Post match Andrade says he wants the World Title so he can bring it back to Mexico. He hits the catchphrase but MJF runs in from behind for the beatdown/recovering of the ring. MJF, with the Triple B, hits Andrade with the ring to bust him open. With Andrade being taken out, MJF says he’s the real World Champion because Will Ospreay let Kenny Omega steal the belt from him. Next week, MJF is entering the Casino Gauntlet qualifying match and moving on to All In to eventually get his title back.

Video on Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale.

Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale/Brawling Birds

Nightingale wants Mone to start but gets Bayne instead. That means a tag off to Windsor, who starts firing off the chops against the ropes. Bayne is back with the hard shoulders in the corner so all three non-villains boot her down. Mone comes in to kick away at Nightingale and start Three Amigos. That’s reversed into a fight over a triple suplex, which goes nowhere. Nightingale and Windsor send Kross and Bayne to the floor, with Hayter adding a dive onto the two of them plus Mone as we take a break.

We come back with the Birds double teaming Kross, who gets dropped with a middle rope dropkick. A four way clothesline leaves Nightingale and Mone to come in off a double tag. That means Nightingale can grab a spinebuster but Mone is back up with a middle rope Meteora. Everything breaks down and the Babe With The Powerbomb and Mone Maker are both blocked, with Nightingale settling for a backslide and the pin at 11:24.

Rating: B-. Take two feuds, put the wrestlers together and let them have a six person tag. It’s worked for years and it worked again here, though I’m worried that this is one of the consolation prizes for Nightingale before Mone wins, again, in London. Nightingale feels like she could be a star but that’s only going to go so far if she keeps having to drop titles to Mone.

International Title: Mike Bailey vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher, with Don Callis, is defending and Bailey takes a mask off, leaving Fletcher to pull out a mask and stomp on it. They trade some quick takedowns for two each until Bailey walks the ropes for a hurricanrana. A dive to the floor is pulled out of the air though and Fletcher hits a NASTY lawn dart into the barricade. Naturally Bailey is right back up with a moonsault to the floor and it’s time for the kicks back inside.

They go up top with Fletcher nailing a super Michinoku driver as we take a break. We come back with Fletcher knocking him to the floor but Bailey is up with the perfectly time springboard moonsault. Back in and Bailey rolls him up for a quick two but Fletcher grabs a hard half and half suplex. With the ring stuff getting dill, they go up to the stage with Bailey hitting a moonsault off the steps, banging himself up in the process.

They get back inside, with Fletcher grabbing a Michinoku driver for two more. Fletcher powerbombs him onto the apron and the brainbuster…gets two. They go up top where Bailey catches him with a super poisonrana. Bailey’s Ultimate Weapon (and he lands on his feet) gets two but Fletcher lawn darts him again. The turnbuckle brainbuster retains the title at 16:41.

Rating: B. This was the match you would have expected, though I was surprised by the result. Bailey getting the win was far from out of the question, though he did have his big moment at Redemption. His important singles win is still likely coming against Kevin Knight anyway, as I guess Jet Speed was that important of a deal.

Don Callis Family vs. Mistico/Chris Jericho/Darby Allin

Allin skateboards to the ring so Knight clotheslines the fire out of him to start fast. Hechicero knees Mistico down and it’s Okada taking over on Jericho (Corazon de Lion here) as we settle down a bit. Jericho fights back on Knight and hands it off to Allin, who gets to take over on Hechicero.

Instead of following up though, the ever focused Allin dives at Knight, with Okada kneeing him out of the air to cut it off. We take a break and come back with Mistico getting a tag for a springboard high crossbody. That immediately earns him a group stomping but Mistico is right back up to clear them all out.

Allin comes in to hammer on Knight and grabs the Scorpion Deathlock, with Jericho getting the Walls as well. Those are broken up so it’s a series of dives to take the Family out again. Knight is back up to tie Allin in the Tree Of Woe, with Jericho hitting a Judas Effect to cut that off. La Mistica and the Walls go on, leaving Allin to Coffin Drop Knight for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: B. There was pretty much no way Mistico was losing in Arena Mexico but it was a big time match with a stacked lineup. Allin and Knight have their issue and Jericho gets to add his own star power. That’s a fine way to use Mistico, as he’s the ultimate attraction around here and the fans went nuts for him, exactly as you probably expected. It’s a good match, and there is a strong chance that the Family won’t be happy about the loss.

We look at Kris Statlander costing Persephone a TBS Title shot last week.

Kris Statlander vs. Persephone

Persephone’s CMLL Women’s Title isn’t on the line. They take turns avoiding strikes to start until Statlander knocks her out to the floor. The dive off the apron takes Persephone down again but she’s back up with the running flip dive to the floor. The chinlock goes on back inside and we take a break. We come back with Persephone missing a Lionsault and getting pulled into a seal belt for two.

Statlander’s 450 misses though and Persephone hits a hard spear for two of her own. Persephone goes after her belt but gets in a tug of war with Thunder Rosa (in the front row). The referee gets knocked down so here is Hikaru Shida to hit Statlander with a belt. That and Persephone’s springboard splash finish Statlander at 10:09.

Rating: C+. Good enough here as Persephone gets built up a bit after a few weeks of losses. It’s clear that AEW sees something in her and she’s already a star in CMLL so this makes sense for both of them. Statlander gets to deal with Shida going forward and that should make for a nice fight.

Video on Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis.

Trios Titles: Hangman Page/Brodido vs. The Demand

Demand is defending and jump them to start fast until Page headscissors Liona down. King comes in for a springboard double wristdrag and everything breaks down, allowing Ricochet to pose on the buckle. Bandido gets backbreakered onto the top turnbuckle and we take a break. We come back with Bandido elbowing his way out of trouble but Kaun isn’t having this stuff. Ricochet comes in and goes up but gets dropkicked out of the air, meaning Page can get the tag.

Everything breaks down and the Demand hit a trio of dives to the floor. That lets Ricochet hit his running shooting star press for two but Page fights up against the Gates. Page and Ricochet knock each other down but Bandido can’t give Ricochet the 21 Plex. They go to the corner and of course Kaun Samoan drops all three of them at once (Oh come on. That’s not fair.). Back up and Kaun is knocked down, leaving Page to Buckshot Liona into a 21 Plex for the titles at 13:37.

Rating: B. I kind of like the idea of these titles changing hands so often, with another makeshift team picking up the belts. At the same time, the Demand losing so quickly is kind of fitting for them, as Ricochet’s big mouth getting shut is always worth seeing. If nothing else, at least Bandido didn’t lose for a change.

And now for the main event, as we’re already in the overrun of a show that got an extra half hour than usual.

Will Ospreay vs. Mark Davis

Street fight. Davis brings a chair and takes over to start, with the chair being wedged in the corner. Ospreay fights back and sends him to the floor for the slingshot dive. They go to the floor and Ospreay finds…a tire? With that knocked away, Ospreay gets in a running flip dive to hit Davis and it’s time to go back inside. Davis’ chair is kicked back into his face but he’s fine enough to get in an apron bomb. Another powerbomb sends Ospreay crashing onto a fan and we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay kicking away at Davis, who knocks him down the entrance steps, because that’s a good idea with the top good guy with a bad neck three and a half weeks before the biggest match of his career. Back in and Ospreay is sent face first into the chair in the corner. Naturally it’s time for a fork to Ospreay’s head but Ospreay fights back and stabs Davis right back.

Davis’ over the shoulder piledriver through some chairs knocks Ospreay silly so he throws the chair at Davis’ head. They head to the apron, where Davis rakes some barbed wire over Ospreay’s back. Ospreay responds by grabbing him low and hitting a piledriver on the apron. That’s not enough of course so it’s a Hidden Blade for two, because that’s not enough either of course. Davis’ spinning piledriver gets two more so Ospreay muscles him into a Styles Clash. The Hidden Blade, with barbed wire around Davis’ head, finishes him off at 17:01.

Rating: B, Well, this was the match I was expecting, as Davis felt like the star here as he survived a bunch of stuff from the top hero. The match got silly with the fork, but the point here was about being ridiculous with the violence. Ospreay gets a win, but it could have been done in a better, and much more dominant, fashion.

Overall Rating: A-. It’s another rather good Dynamite, with the action working well and some stories getting advancement towards All In. That’s more than you can ask for from a regular episode of any show and the hot crowd made it even better. Granted I’m not sure why a show that already had an extra half hour needed a 23 minute overrun but that’s AEW for you.

Results
Death Riders b. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage/Young Bucks – Rollup with tights to Copeland
Andrade El Idolo b. Komander and Tommaso Ciampa – DM to Komander
Willow Nightingale/Brawling Birds b. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone – Backslide to Mone
Kyle Fletcher b. Mike Bailey – Turnbuckle brainbuster
Mistico/Chris Jericho/Darby Allin b. Don Callis Family – Coffin Drop to Knight
Bandido/Hangman Page b. The Demand – 21 Plex to Liona
Will Ospreay b. Mark Davis – Hidden Blade with barbed wire

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – July 29, 2026: And So On And So On And So On

Dynamite
Date: July 29, 2026
Location: Masonic Temple Theater, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We have Redemption out of the way and that means all roads lead to All In in about a month. Kenny Omega is still the World Champion after turning back Kevin Knight, leaving him ready to defend against Will Ospreay. As for Ospreay and Jon Moxley and the rest of the Death Riders….it’s complicated. Let’s get to it.

Here is Redemption if you need a recap.

Commentary runs down the card.

We look back at the Redemption World Title match, with Kenny Omega retaining. After the match, Will Ospreay shook Omega’s hand but Omega laid him out to end the show. Jon Moxley is NOT pleased.

A ticked off Ospreay arrives and runs into the Death Riders. Daniel Garcia goes after him and gets dropped with a single shot to the face. Pac has to be held back and Jon Moxley asks Ospreay if he really wants to do that. Ospreay gives Moxley the Death Riders patch back and they let him walk past.

He doesn’t want to talk to Renee Paquette but runs into Hangman Page, who offers his help in any way Ospreay needs. Ospreay says he can’t trust Kenny Omega so he can’t trust Page so while he appreciates the offer, he’s doing this on his own. Page stops him and says Ospreay is going to be the best at All In. He says Ospreay has this and Ospreay is appreciative before going inside.

National Title: Nick Wayne vs. Jack Perry vs. Andrade El Idolo

Andrade is defending and gets dropped by Perry to start fast. Wayne takes Perry down as well but Andrade is up to suplex both of them. Perry bulldogs Wayne on the floor but gets taken down by a diving Andrade. We pause for a photo with a redhead in the audience so Wayne grabs Sliced Bread off the barricade, only to bang up his knee in the process. Back in and Andrade suplexes Perry into the corner but charges into Wayne’s standing Spanish Fly.

We take a break and come back with Andrade powerbombing Wayne out of the corner. Perry snaps off a heck of a top rope hurricanrana to bring Andrade off the apron, only to get caught by Wayne’s Canadian Destroyer. Back in and Wayne’s Prodigy Plex (fisherman’s buster) gets two on Andrade, who gets up to clothesline both of them. The running Meteora in the corner gives Andrade two so he puts Perry up top.

A charging Wayne is launched up into a super hurricanrana to Perry….who spins into a tornado DDT to drop Andrade (sweet goodness). Perry is back up with a string of dives but Andrade takes Wayne down. The frog splash hits knees though and Wayne’s phoenix splash gets two, with Perry making the save. Perry charges into the Dia de los Muertos (the spinning back elbow) and the DM finishes Wayne to retain the title at 14:21.

Rating: B. That hurricanrana into the tornado DDT alone was awesome and moved the match up another notch on its own. It was a good, fast paced match that you would expect from these people, though I’m not entirely sure how this was set up. The challengers felt kind of out of nowhere, but putting Andrade out there for a successful title defense is a good idea.

Post match Andrade says he’s happy to have screwed over MJF (with the ring) and Don Callis (in general). He’s feeling tranquilo though and is ready for the Casino Gauntlet match at All In. Schiavone asks him about his qualifying match next week in his hometown of “Mexico” and Andrade hits the catchphrase.

The Brawling Birds are ready to beat up some Athena and her Minions on Collision.

Don Callis, with his Family, knows that you take losses on occasion but it’s time to move forward. This seems to include Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight teaming up, though Fletcher doesn’t seem impressed. He says the title will always stay in the Family but Kazuchika Okada comes in to agree, with Fletcher not being happy.

Don Callis Family vs. Brodido/Mike Bailey

Fletcher wants to start with King so Bailey gives him what he wants. King runs him over with a clothesline and grabs the arm so Bailey can come back in to stay on said arm. Everything breaks down and Bandido misses an Eddie frog splash, instead settling for a suplex on Fletcher. Cage pulls Bandido outside though and powerbombs him against the post as we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher slamming Bandido, who comes back with the very spinning DDT. Cage can’t get anywhere with a suplex and it’s back to King to knock Cage and Doyle into the corner. The Cannonball connects for two so Bailey comes back in, with Cage immediately giving him a buckle bomb. Everything breaks down again and Fletcher and Bailey trade rollups for two each.

Fletcher lawn darts him but gets kicked in the head to leave them both down. Bandido comes back in to forearm away at Doyle, setting up the frog splash (third Eddie tribute in two matches) but Bandido gets sent outside. Bailey gets kicked in the head but bounces back up with his springboard moonsault to take Fletcher out on the floor. Back up and Bailey gives Doyle the Ultimate Weapon into the arm trap sunset flip for the pin at 13:51.

Rating: B. This got going and it was smart to give Bailey a bit more momentum into the upcoming title shot. It works well every time and they made it work again here. Other than that, Brodido can work well with anyone, even a less than regular team like Doyle and Cage. The match was more about Bailey though, with Bandido outshining him anyway.

We get a sitdown interview with Adam Copeland/Christian Cage and the Young Bucks, who are set for the All In match. The Bucks’ families are coming to England for the match and it couldn’t mean more for them. Copeland says it means that much to them too and they’re glad to see the Bucks and FTR bringing tag wrestling back.

Cage says they’re not here for a greatest hits tour and they’re still the best tag team of this generation. The Bucks talk about being the most accomplished team in AEW history but they had to fight their way back. Copeland doesn’t want this to be a comparison game because they lost a combined seventeen years of their careers and didn’t win a Tag Team Title for twenty five years.

Matt says the Bucks are going to be coming harder, faster and stronger than ever and the champs will be lucky to get on the board. The Bucks are used to being told that they’re too small and don’t do the right stuff. They’ve never had the machine behind them (uh……) so they’re ready for the title match. The champs are ready too. The idea of having the Bucks as these scrappy underdogs who are just trying to get their glory is a bit much to ask.

TBS Title: Persephone vs. Maya World

World is defending (Persephone’s CMLL Women’s Title isn’t on the line). World grabs a headlock to start and then cartwheels away before getting two off a rollup. A running wristdrag takes Persephone down again and she misses a charge out to the floor. Persephone is back up with an electric chair drop onto the apron though and we take a break.

We come back with Persephone grabbing a quickly broken ankle lock so World can get two off a rollup. Persephone fall away slams her out to the floor for the suicide dive but World uses the apron for a tornado DDT. Back in and a hammerlock lariat takes World down and we get a double breather. World is up for a moonsault so here is Hikaru Shida, only for Kris Statlander to cut her off. The tabletop suplex retains the title at 10:00.

Rating: C+. This was a way to get World a first title defense after winning the title just a few days ago. AEW obviously sees something in World (which isn’t shocking) and it’s nice to see her getting an actual chance. We’ll have to see where it goes, but at least they’re off to a good start. Hopefully the rematch with Shida is pretty quick, as there isn’t much of a point to having that go on for a long while.

Mark Davis is mad about his title loss and wants to get back on top by beating Will Ospreay next week.

It’s Shark Week so a dancing shark joins commentary.

Here is Willow Nightingale for her big celebration as champion. We pause for the YOU DESERVE IT chants and Nightingale is moved to tears. She’s not just living her dream but she’s living THE dream. People look at a girl like her and see someone who doesn’t quite fit because she’s quirky or chubby but the fans seem to appreciate her.

After saying the makeup artist worked very hard and it’s being ruined by her tears, she talks about how much she has accomplished this year, but she got hurt. Her mom told her to keep fighting so here she is, having gotten into the Casino Gauntlet and then beaten a toxic champion. She’s ready to go to All In but here is Mercedes Mone, with the contract, to interrupt. They both quickly sign and Nightingale talks about how Mone must be upset that she wasn’t getting attention for five seconds.

Or maybe it’s that Nightingale has the one title that Mone can’t get. Mone is sick of Nightingale always having her name on Mone’s story. The fans do NOT want to hear it but Mone keeps going, saying she made Nightingale. Cue Megan Bayne and Lena Kross and Mone takes out Nightingale’s knee. This brings out the Brawling Birds and the villains run. Mone taking the title would be totally deflating but Nightingale retaining would be a heck of a moment. Please don’t do this the wrong way again.

Continental Title: Jon Moxley vs. Komander

Moxley is defending against another rather random challenger. Komander takes him down by the arm to start and they pop up for a standoff. Moxley gets in a knockdown of his own but a quick small package leaves Moxley frustrated. Back up and a headscissors sends Moxley down and he’s smart enough to roll away from the rope die. That’s fine with Komander, who hits a running dive as we take a break.

We come back with Moxley holding a headscissors and pulling on the legs at the same time. That’s broken up and Komander strikes away, including a superkick to the back. Komander tries some flips and is immediately cuttered back down. Back up and Komander drapes him over the top for a guillotine legdrop to the back of the head. Moxley misses a charge and gets caught with a quick springboard 450 for a rather near fall. Now the rope walk flip dive connects but Moxley avoids Cielito Lindo and scores with a Stomp. The Death Rider into the bulldog choke retains the title at 13:04.

Rating: B. This got better once Komander was able to throw everything he could out there and it made for a good match in the end. The idea here was Moxley finally catching Komander when he was going a bit too hard and it wound up working out. Again, it’s not a match that was about a realistic title defense, but in this case just getting Moxley on the show. As always.

Mick Foley is with the Bang Bang Gang (minus Jay White), who want the Death Riders on Collision. Foley gets in a cheap pop as only he can.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. The Demand

The Demand is challenging and jump them to start fast. That’s broken up and Cassidy drops an elbow (after taking his time getting down) on Liona. We get the bell and Kaun rams his own head into the buckle. Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets so Kaun grabs the hands and lifts him up for quite the visual. Strong comes in to strike away but Kaun picks Cassidy up to cut Strong off.

We take a break and come back with Strong giving Ricochet a half nelson backbreaker, allowing the tag off to O’Reilly. That means an ankle lock to Kaun, with Ricochet making the save. O’Reilly and Ricochet clothesline each other down but Ricochet gets up top, where Cassidy rakes his head.

Kaun gives Strong a top rope superplex before missing a diving headbutt. O’Reilly and Strong strike Kaun down and the High/Low gets two, with Ricochet making the save. Cue the Lethal Twist to offer a distraction, with Christian hitting a springboard belt shot to Cassidy. The Spirit Gun gives Ricochet the pin and the titles at 10:55.

Rating: B-. With all of the title matches they had on this show, they pretty much had to have at least one title change. The good thing is that the Demand is another regular team and it makes sense for them to get the belts. The Conglomeration did their thing long enough and it’s fine to switch the titles, as there are options to come after them.

Post match the double beatdown is on, with Brody King running in for a failed save attempt. Hangman Page comes out with a barbed wire steel chair for the real save.

The Death Riders are ready for Will Ospreay, who always tries to leave when things get hard. Jon Moxley is ready for the Continental Cup. Is that the Continental Classic under the wrong name or something new?

We’re a mere seventeen minutes into the overrun so here is Kenny Omega for a chat. Before he can get more than a few words out though, here is Will Ospreay to interrupt. Omega says what he has to say really doesn’t need to be heard by the people because it’s personal and just for Ospreay. It’s time for show and tell, because at Redemption, Omega showed Ospreay how he felt with the One Winged Angel.

Now it’s time for the tell part, because they had a promise to give it their best. That’s why Omega let Ospreay enter the Owen Hart Cup on his own but then Ospreay started hanging out with the Death Riders. Ospreay talks about coming back from the injury too soon and all he cared about was revenge. So who was he supposed to turn to? The only one was Jon Moxley, because he was the person who could get him to the World Title.

Ospreay liked the feeling of being a Death Rider because it was like being in Japan, but he doesn’t share their philosophy. That’s where it ends with the Death Riders, but Omega talks about how he was ready to be destroyed at Redemption. He got up and saw Ospreay holding the belt and the torn plastic bag. It took Ospreay so long because he was thinking about doing it and Omega slaps him in the face.

Omega says he thought Ospreay was his friend and Ospreay says he was. Omega accuses him of always crumbling under pressure and the fight is on, with Omega bailing from the threat of the Hidden Blade. With Omega gone, Ospreay talks about how this is what he has wanted the whole time and it’s so close that it’s time for the penalties.

If you know anything about England, you know they’re not great at them but he has the entire country on his back. Ospreay is going to pull the trigger and Omega is going to see it coming. They’re doing a nice job of turning this into a personal issue, which is impressive as they kind of had to throw everything together after MJF’s injury. I’m not sure how much sense the whole thing makes, but they’re certainly trying and this worked.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, on one hand, it was an effective show with good action and some rather strong pushes towards All In. You can see most of the card from here and we should be in for a big night in London. At the same time, my goodness they have got to get these shows lengths under control.

This was over two and a half hours long and it’s another case where it could easily be fixed by cutting out a match (Moxley vs. Komander didn’t need to be there). AEW/ROH is in the middle of a stretch where they have shows on six out of seven nights. If they absolutely have to have this many shows (they don’t), at least don’t have them go this long.

This was a good show, but after so much of AEW/ROH in recent days, I could go for a break from them. That’s not a good sign about a month before their biggest show of the year and we’re nowhere near done with this week. Anyway, good followup show to the pay per view and a nice build towards All In, but just trim things down a bit.

Results
Andrade El Idolo b. Nick Wayne and Jack Perry – DM to Wayne
Brodido/Mike Bailey b. Don Callis Family – Arm trap sunset flip to Doyle
Maya World b. Persephone – Tabletop suplex
Jon Moxley b. Komander – Bulldog choke
The Demand b. Conglomeration – Spirit Gun to Cassidy

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – July 22, 2026: Well, They Tried

Dynamite
Date: July 22, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before this weekend’s Redemption pay per view and we have some titles on the line tonight as well. That includes Kevin Knight defending the TNT Title, along with the Women’s Tag Team Titles being on the line. We should have a good show here and let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega are ready to team tonight. Ospreay mentions they’re undefeated as a team (stunning Omega in the process) and they agree to tag out if they need the help. Jon Moxley comes in to say there is no tension in this room and things get quiet rather quickly.

TNT Title: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending but Allin jumps him before the bell and they fight into the crowd. Naturally Allin gets a running start and runs him over with a clothesline back to ringside. Allin climbs onto the top of the post and clotheslines him into the timekeeper’s area for the huge crash. They go inside for the opening bell and are almost immediately out on the ramp.

Knight sends him crashing into the barricade and a catapult sends Allin THROUGH the steps (with the top breaking off), which is only good for two back inside. Allin fights off the top though and grabs a pair of Code Reds for two. Knight’s arm is put inside of the post and then he is knocked outside for a Coffin Drop (from the bleeding Allin) as we take a break.

We come back with both of them down until Knight is up to send Allin into the referee. Knight grabs the belt but walks into the Scorpion Death Drop. The Coffin Drop takes too long though and Allin ties him in the Tree Of Woe for a Coast To Coast. That and the UFO Splash retain the title at 11:20.

Rating: B-. This was much more of a wild brawl than a typical match and that isn’t a surprise for Allin. Outside of the spot with the steps, it could have been a lot worse with all of the violence and carnage and stung show insanity. I was hoping Knight to drop the title here to avoid another champion vs. champion match at the pay per view but oh well.

Post match here are Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada for their tag match, with Knight seemingly not liking the two of them taking his moment.

Post break the Don Callis Family is in the ring, with Mark Davis not being worried about Andrade El Idolo at Redemption. Knight says he just won on his own, but Fletcher isn’t impressed, saying he hopes Knight wins another title on Sunday. Fletcher doesn’t need help either and he’s going to make sure that the title is banned from ringside at Redemption. And heck let’s do that again right now.

Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada vs. Brodido

The Family is banned from ringside, save for Don Callis himself, who is on commentary. Bandido and Fletcher go with the grappling to start until Bandido gets a wristdrag into a dropkick. King comes in for a suplex, plus the rather loud chops in the corner. It’s back to Bandido, who gets double flapjacked as we take a break.

We come back with Bandido slipping away from a double team and bringing King back in for some house wrecking. Fletcher is Death Valley Drivered onto the apron but Okada manages to hoist King up for an Air Raid Crash onto the knee. Fletcher is back in but runs into a swinging Boss Man Slam for two but Fletcher is able to superkick a moonsaulting Bandido out of the air. A pop up faceplant, followed by a frog splash (with Eddie Dance) give Bandido two each but Okada is back in with the Rainmaker. Unforgiven it hits Fletcher by mistake though and the 21 Plex gives Bandido the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B. The match was fast paced and kept a few things going at once, which is quite the use of what they had here. If nothing else, at least Bandido got a win to build him up a bit for Sunday and that was rather needed. Okada vs. Fletcher seems to be coming sooner or later and that should be….something.

Post match Okada begs Fletcher’s forgiveness but Fletcher yells a lot. Don Callis sends the team after Brodido but Andrade El Idolo comes in before the violence can start. The villains skedaddle.

We get a video on the Painmaker version of Chris Jericho.

Here is Mick Foley for a chat and yeah the fans like him. Foley brings out Thekla and Willow Nightingale for their staredown, with Thekla also showing off her new Stardom title (She has two belts, which comes after a segment involving four different champions staring at each other. Either unify some of the things or stop having everyone bring in their titles from elsewhere because good grief enough already.).

Thekla accuses Nightingale of hiding behind her smile and offers to beat the poison out of Nightingale at Redemption. Nightingale finds it interesting that Thekla accuses someone of wearing a mask and only cares about the AEW Women’s Title. Foley compares himself to Nightingale, as they both had smiles but Nightingale has more teeth.

Thekla tells Foley to shut up and that’s too far for Nightingale She calls Thekla a “dumb b****”, which has Thekla smiling as she tells Nightingale to smile anyway after she gets beaten up. Thekla hits her in the head with the mic and takes off her belt (the traditional kind, not the star shaped one), only to get Pounced.

Video on Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World.

Jay White vs. Clark Connors

The fans are behind White and they play a bit of chase to start. White gets behind him though and almost gets the Blade Runner. Instead White fires off some chops before grabbing an armbar. White sends him onto the ramp but Connors grabs the referee, setting up a spear through the ropes.

We take a break and come back with Connors going to the eyes and hitting a running shoulder. Another such shoulder only hits an open chair though and they get back inside, where White starts on the leg. Connors is fine enough to hit something of a Pounce but walks into a swinging Rock Bottom. The cutthroat suplex drops Connors, who is back with a powerslam for two of his own. Connors’ spear is countered into a guillotine choke, with White rolling over to choke him out at 12:33.

Rating: B-. I’m rather glad to see White get back in the ring as he has a style that makes him stand out for some reason. He’s good at what he does and feels like a star, though it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t stay healthy. At the same time, if the Dogs completely disappeared from AEW, I really can’t imagine I would notice.

Post match David Finlay runs in with the shillelagh shot to White so the Bang Bang Gang chases him off.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage are jumped by the Death Riders, who can’t believe Copeland and Cage challenged them for Redemption. On Sunday, the Riders will remind them who they are.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Sisters Of Sin vs. Megan Bayne/Lena Kross

The Sisters are challenging and this is No DQ. That’s how they can get away with jumping the champions with kendo sticks before the bell and knocking them outside. Some running shots off the apron put Kross and Bayne down again and Blue unloads with the kendo stick shots back inside. Hart’s Old School hurricanrana is blocked with raw power but Blue is up for the save. Blue (bleeding from the head) is put in the corner where Bayne throws a chair at the chair on Blue’s chest and we take a break.

We come back with Bayne being put through a table on the stage and Kross being knocked down for two. Bayne is back up and it’s a string of shots to the face to leave everyone down. After Bayne takes off her hockey sweater, the four of them all grab a belt (yep) and miss a shot each. Blue is up to try…something to Kross but Bayne grabs her off the ropes for a chokeslam through the table at ringside. Back in and Bayne reverses Hart’s Octopus into a Tombstone and the Divine Intervention retains the titles at 12:45.

Rating: B. This got fun as the champs were having to fight to win for a change. You could definitely see Bayne getting more into this and showing a lot of emotion. That’s not something you often see from here and it could add something else to her future. At the same time, the Sisters gave them a good fight in a losing effort and I’ll take that for a match like this.

The Bang Bang Gang want a double chain match with the Dogs at Redemption. Well of course they do.

Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay vs. Don Callis Family

Ospreay and Hechicero go with the grappling to start with Hechicero grabbing a headscissors on the mat. That’s broken up and we’re already up to a standoff. Omega comes in to take over on Hechicero’s arm and the go….well the non-Callis guys take turns working on the arm. Omega gives Moxley a rather weak tag and Hechicero gets away for the tag to Doyle.

That means Moxley gets sent into the corner for the stomping but he’s able to send Doyle outside. There’s the suicide dive and Ospreay is back in for a Stundog Millionaire to Cage. Doyle runs Ospreay over though and Omega is knocked down as well and we take a break. We come back with Omega hitting a spinning kick to Cage, allowing the tag to Ospreay (and leaving Moxley hanging).

A moonsault hits Cage but it’s back to Hechicero to work on the knee. That sets up a kneebar but Moxley comes in for the save, even without the tag. Everything breaks down and Hechicero is left alone for some triple teaming, including the running shots in the corner. Omega knees Moxley by mistake though and Cage gives Omega a pumphandle knee to the face.

Moxley is back up to cut off a double Doomsday powerbomb and it’s a Hidden Blade/V Trigger combination to finish Hechicero at 13:19. Sidenote: Omega raises his fists in celebration right after getting the pin. I love little things like that as wrestlers are supposed to want to win. Be happy when you do.

Rating: B. The best thing here is that it went as it should have. There was almost no way, save for a total implosion, that Moxley and company were losing here as that’s a crazy lineup. At the same time, this match didn’t go too long and that’s great to see for a change. Sometimes the right call is for a match to do something like this and it worked well here.

Post match Omega apologizes to Moxley and offers a handshake but Moxley shoves him. They go nose to nose so Ospreay breaks it up, only for Omega to shove him down as well. Moxley is thrilled with the two of them fighting but here are the Young Bucks to go after Moxley and Ospreay. RPG Vice runs in so Omega tries to give them a V Trigger, only to get taken down by a very surprising diving clothesline from Kevin Knight to end the show. I appreciate the Knight vs. Omega stuff but I have a better chance of leaving Redemption with the World Title than Knight does.

Overall Rating: B. They were in a tough place here as Redemption feels as weak of a pay per view as any they have offered in a long time. It isn’t so much that the show is looking bad, but it doesn’t feel important. That makes building the show up very difficult and they did what they could here. It wasn’t a big time show but I liked it well enough, partially because it was almost twenty minutes shorter than last week. Believe it or not, a lack of overstaying your welcome can make a big difference.

Results
Kevin Knight b. Darby Allin – UFO Splash
Brodido b. Kyle Fletcher/Kazuchika Okada – 21 Plex to Fletcher
Jay White b. Clark Connors – Guillotine choke
Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Sisters Of Sin – Divine Intervention to Hart
Jon Moxley/Kenny Omega/Will Ospreay b. Don Callis Family – Hidden Blade/V Trigger combination to Hechicero

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – July 15, 2026: Wow That’s A Lot

Dynamite
Date: July 15, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

We’re done with one of the bigger Dynamites of the year and now we have less than two weeks before Redemption. Last week saw Kenny Omega regain the World Title in a heck of a fight against MJF which means the title match at the pay per view (assuming there is one) could go in a few directions. The rest of the Redemption card needs to be set up as well so let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Beach Break recap.

Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta warm up for their Tag Team Title match. Jon Moxley fires them up and then tells Will Ospreay that he has earned this but it is time for some hard decisions. Ospreay has to take the shot when he has the chance, no matter the target.

Tag Team Titles: Death Riders vs. Adam Copeland/Christian Cage

Copeland and Cage are defending. Yuta goes for Copeland’s leg to start before driving him down by the arm. That just earns him a big boot so it’s off to Cage vs. Garcia. Cage backs him into the corner and it’s back to Copeland to hammer away. The Riders tie Copeland up in the ring skirt though and pound him down to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Copeland grabbing a powerslam, allowing a tag back to Cage. That means house can be cleaned quickly, with Garcia having his neck snapped over the top rope. Everything breaks down and Yuta’s German suplex gets two on Cage. The Riders do their weird spinning circle thing and then go to take off a turnbuckle pad. That’s enough for Cage to get in a low blow, followed by the spear to pin Yuta and retain at 11:57.

Rating: C+. This was perfectly acceptable match and they didn’t stay out there too long, which makes sense as there was no reason to think Garcia and Yuta were winning the titles. There is nothing wrong with getting the champs out there for a simple title defense and at least it’s against a regular team. Not bad here, with Cage just kicking Yuta low to set up the finish being pretty funny.

Post match the Dogs run in and beat the champs down so here is the Bang Bang Gang for the save. The Dogs are cleared out and Cage and Jay White have a staredown but things stay peaceful.

We look at Hikaru Shida attacking Harley Cameron after their match and Queen Aminata making the save. Aminata gets a TBS Title shot on Collision.

Video on Andrade El Idolo.

Andrade is ready to beat Jake Doyle and move on to eventually win the World Title. Oh and he has the Dynamite Diamond Ring, seemingly thanks to Will Ospreay. How you know?

The Conglomeration tease an open challenge for the Trios Titles and the Demand interrupt. Don’t worry though because they’re not going to lay a finger on the champs….but here is the Lethal Twist to jump the Conglomeration instead. Ricochet: “They’re not in the Demand!”

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jake Doyle

If Andrade wins, he gets a National Title shot against Mark Davis. Doyle knocks him outside at the bell and then hits the running shots in the corner. Andrade gets a boot up though and an enziguri sends Doyle back outside. We pause for the photo with the woman before they head inside…and go right back outside, where Doyle chokeslams him onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Doyle knocking him down again. Andrade knocks him to the floor though and hits the middle rope moonsault, only to get powerbombed back inside. Doyle’s big right hand knocks Andrade out of the air for two but Andrade spinning elbows him in the face. The DM finishes Doyle at 12:15.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much the most obvious result in the world but it went fine, as the fans are WAY into Andrade at the moment. It makes sense too as he’s on fire and dripping with charisma. Keep going with him for the moment, as it’s working for the moment, though there is always the chance that Andrade could turn it off at a moment’s notice.

Video on Kenny Omega winning the World Title back last week.

Here is Omega for his World Title celebration. Hold on though as here are the Young Bucks to present Omega with the original World Title design. Omega didn’t think he was going to get back to this spot again and thanks everyone for believing in him. We have less than fifty days before All In and you are going to see the best version of Omega. This brings in Will Ospreay, who asks the Bucks to talk to Omega on his own.

The Bucks leave in peace and Ospreay is glad to see Omega as World Champion again. Last week Omega got hit in the face with the belt “and then you kicked out at once you cheeky slag!” Ospreay has wanted to be just a fraction of the wrestler Omega is and now he wants to show everyone what they can do at All In.

Cue Kevin Knight to interrupt, saying he wants to face Omega one on one. Knight wants the title shot at Redemption but Omega says no…but he’ll give Knight a title shot anyway because he thinks Knight has something. Then Knight listened to Don Callis, which Omega understands. Omega did that before and he bought into the idea, but Knight doesn’t need to be there.

Now Omega is saying the same thing that everyone but Callis believe: Knight doesn’t need Callis because he could be champion on his own. That makes Knight the only real fraud because there is a good guy in there who doesn’t need Callis. If Knight is getting the title shot, Omega wants him to get it on his own. Knight says there isn’t goodness in him, because it’s greatness.

With that, Knight decks Omega with the microphone and ducks the Hidden Blade to escape. Darby Allin runs in to jump Knight so here is the Don Callis Family to beat Allin down. The Death Riders come in for the save. Maybe a segment that was about Omega and Ospreay, with Knight coming in for his part, shouldn’t wind up having about a dozen people involved?

Jack Perry issues an open challenge for Collision. Luchasaurus is his tech guy.

Brodido vs. Nick Comoroto/Aaron Solo

Bandido gets to show off a bit with the gorilla press to Comoroto before King drops him onto Comoroto for an early two. King knocks them both down and Bandido’s frog splash gets a double pin at 2:16. That was efficient.

Post match Bandido runs into Kyle Fletcher and gives him a wanted poster. Oh sweet goodness Bandido is going to lose another singles match on PPV and no one is going to care about the Ring Of Honor World Title in the slightest isn’t he? It’s a rhetorical question because OF COURSE HE IS.

International Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander

Fletcher is defending and gets taken down for an early near fall, which has Fletcher thinking twice. Komander sends him outside but gets pulled out of the air, allowing Fletcher to boot him in the face. Back in and Fletcher knocks him to the floor, setting up the big rope walk flip dive as we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher laughing at Komander striking away until a superkick puts Fletcher down. An apron superplex is escaped and Komander flips him off the top for a roll to the floor. Komander hits a big dive and a 450 gets two back inside. Cielito Lindo is broken up so Komander goes with a super Destroyer for two. A Michinoku Driver gives Fletcher two and he grabs the brainbuster to retain at 11:02.

Rating: B. Good match here, which shouldn’t be a shock. Komander getting title shot after title shot became a running joke but his matches have been enough of a blast to shake a lot of that off. At the same time you have Fletcher, who works well with anyone. Again, they didn’t go too long in a match where there was no drama and that helps so much.

Post match Fletcher goes for the mask so Konosuke Takeshita runs in for the save. Kazuchika Okada is here too though and the Rainmaker drops Takeshita. Brodido run in to take out Okada and Fletcher.

Kenny Omega is ready to face Kevin Knight but Darby Allin comes in to say Knight isn’t changing overnight. Allin is ready to take the TNT Title and leaves. Jon Moxley comes in to agree that some people cannot change.

Here are the Brawling Birds for a chat. They want the Women’s Tag Team Titles and All In is coming up so let’s consume alcohol.

Chris Jericho wants a rematch with Tommaso Ciampa at Redemption but he’ll bring the Painmaker.

Ciampa is in and issues an open challenge for Collision.

Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage

Cage jumps him to start fast and drops him onto the ramp as Taz talks about making the mistake of paying for Cage’s dinner before. Allin is sent flying with a fall away slam and we take a break. We come back with Allin hitting a running dropkick off the steps and grabbing a super Code Red for a near fall. Allin’s suicide dive connects but Cage is right back up with a gorilla press toss to send Allin head first into the post. Naturally Allin is up again with a Coffin Drop onto Cage onto the steps, followed by a regular one to pin Cage at 9:58.

Rating: C+. Have I mentioned that I’m sick of Allin doing stupid stunts in a match and then popping back up to win? It’s just been a few years of the same thing now and that’s a bit irritating. Allin vs. the Don Callis Family isn’t exactly an original story but at least he has a feud with Knight already built up and he very well may take the TNT Title next week.

Kyle Fletcher is ticked off and ready to defend against anyone. For now, he wants Bandido and the title shot is offered for Redemption.

Kevin Knight and Don Callis are ready to take out Kenny Omega. Mike Bailey comes in to say he’s ready for Knight to change back.

Maya World/Hyan/Willow Nightingale vs. Lena Kross/Megan Bayne/Mercedes Mone

Nightingale backs Mone into the ropes to start and the other four come in, with Hyan and World taking over in the corners. We settle down to Nightingale cartwheeling out of a whip into the corner but missing an enziguri. Kross is knocked down into the corner though, leaving Mone to get beaten up by Hyan and World. Mone is tossed onto Kross and Bayne and we take a break.

We come back with Mone hitting a Backstabber for two on World. Back up and World brings in Nightingale to clean house, including some elbows in the corner. A powerbomb gets two on Bayne and everyone knocks everyone else down for a big breather. Mone grabs Three Amigos to World and hits the frog splash with Hyan making the save. Bayne and Kross are back up but Nightingale breaks up the Divine Intervention. The Pounce sends Bayne flying and Hyan spears Mone, who is right back with the Mone Maker for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. Well that was….long. It came at the end of a rather lengthy show but we needed every single bit of Mone’s stuff in there. After all, it had been a full what, hour or so since the last Eddie Guerrero tribute? Anyway, I’m not sure I get why Mone needed the attention here (yes it’s her hometown and Heaven forbid a heel not be the conquering hero in their hometown) when Nightingale is a week and a half away from her title shot, but I’m sure it made sense to Mone.

Overall Rating: B. They had to cover A LOT of ground here as there isn’t much time left for Redemption. While they managed to make that happen, which is rather impressive, they did it so fast that it was quite the packed show. It worked more than it didn’t, though it still had a lot of the same issues that tend to come up in AEW (inconsistencies with title shots, way too many champion vs. champion matches, so many people flying around, the obsession with Mone looking stronger than Superman). I’m beyond the point of believing those things are going to change, so all things considered, this show went pretty well.

Results
Christian Cage/Adam Copeland b. Death Riders – Spear to Yuta
Andrade El Idolo b. Jake Doyle – DM
Brodido b. Aaron Solo/Nick Comoroto – Double pin
Kyle Fletcher b. Komander – Brainbuster
Mercedes Mone/Lena Kross/Megan Bayne b. Hyan/Maya World/Willow Nightingale – Mone Maker to World

 

 

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 – July 8, 2026 (Beach Break): They Nailed This

Dynamite
Date: July 8, 2026
Location: BayCare Sound, Clearwater, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s Beach Break and we have a couple of big matches this time around. The real main event is MJF defending the World Title against Kenny Omega in what is Omega’s last shot ever if he loses. Other than that we have a big grudge match as Tommaso Ciampa faces Chris Jericho. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Kenny Omega is looking rather serious in the back and says this is it, do or die. That’s when he does his best work and the only person with him tonight is Michael Nakazawa, who has been with him for twenty years (potential uh oh). Catchphrase.

The venue is an outdoor arena, looking something like Daily’s Place. There’s also a beach setup with sand, ala Bash At The Beach. That’s a rather cool look.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Chris Jericho

Ciampa tries a sneak attack at the entrance but Jericho sneaks up on HIM and jumps him in the sand. Jericho throws him inside and the bell rings with Ciampa’s leg cut open, possibly with sand inside to make it even worse. Ciampa is sent outside for a big dive but comes back with a quick Willow’s Bell.

They go to the apron for a Death Valley Driver, with Ciampa crashing onto the apron and out to the floor. That’s shrugged off and Ciampa hits a Fairy Tale Ending onto the steps to take over. That leaves Jericho busted open and we take an early break. We come back with Jericho hammering away in the corner but getting caught with a super Air Raid Crash.

Jericho counters an attempt at the Walls with a small package for two and now the super hurricanrana connects. Back up and Ciampa grabs a bucket full of sand but walks into a Codebreaker for two. The Lionsault misses so Ciampa knees him down for two of his own. Another knee is countered into the walls but Ciampa throws some sand into the eyes to blind Jericho. The running knee finishes Jericho at 13:45.

Rating: B. This was a good, hard hitting match with Jericho putting someone else over on his latest AEW run. It’s a case where Ciampa does feel like he got something out of this as it was mostly serious Jericho rather than his latest mostly not funny stuff. Odds are the feud continues but for now at least, both guys looked good in the process.

Post match Ciampa hits him with a chair…and grabs the power drill. Security comes in to prevent a bad case of murder.

The Brawling Birds beat up some people in a bar.

Will Ospreay is pulling for Kenny Omega tonight but MJF comes in to mock him for trying to get Jon Moxley’s approval. MJF isn’t happy with everyone wanting Ospreay vs. Omega at All In and is ready to take out Ospreay’s neck in Wembley. Ospreay calls MJF a beggar and says there are 14 year old Japanese girls who can do what he does. The brawl is on and is quickly broken up.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher, with Don Callis and Lance Archer, is challenging. They start slowly with Takeshita’s running shoulder not getting him anywhere. A jumping shoulder drops Fletcher instead and Takeshita fires off some right hands in the corner. Fletcher’s running boot sends Takeshita outside and a running kick off the apron staggers him again. Takeshita is right back up with a running clothesline but he elbows the post by mistake. Back in and Takeshita suplexes him down, with Fletcher bailing to the floor for a running flip dive.

We take a break and come back with the traditional exchange of forearms until Takeshita catches him with a Blue Thunder Bomb. They go to the apron again, with Takeshita hitting a Tombstone into a wheelbarrow suplex, leaving Fletcher mostly dead on the floor. Naturally Fletcher is back on his feet about a minute later, with Takeshita reversing a lawn dart into a poisonrana.

Takeshita gets caught on top but powerbombs Fletcher right back down. Callis’ distraction doesn’t work as Fletcher is back with a Raging Fire, only for Fletcher to put a foot on the rope. Fletcher’s brainbuster gets two and a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle gives him the title back at 16:47.

Rating: B+. I wasn’t exactly expecting this one but it came in a heck of a match (save for the usual lack of selling after Fletcher should have been legally dead). Fletcher getting the title back is something of a surprise as I’m not sure where it leaves Takeshita. It’s not like Fletcher getting the title is ridiculous but he’s been in a similar spot before and I’m not sure how much different this will be. Still though, heck of a match.

Post break the Don Callis Family is in the ring with Mick Foley coming out for a special interview. Foley asks Fletcher about winning the title with Fletcher saying Takeshita was never his friend. Callis accuses Foley of stealing the spotlight but Foley says he means it when he praises Fletcher as a great talent (Fletcher seems appreciative). For now though, Foley wants to bring up his shoes, which have pictures of Foley’s dogs (only one of whom is still alive). If Callis says anything like that again, one of those dogs is going to be inside of Callis.

Cue Kevin Knight, who mocks Fletcher for taking so long to get a title shot. He’s coming for the World Title after tonight but here is Andrade El Idolo, who wants a title of his own. Callis insults him and gives him a match with Jake Doyle tonight, and if Andrade wins, he can have a National Title shot. The chase is on and they run into Darby Allin in the back, with a skateboard exploding thanks to Andrade. That was quite the situation and a nice use of Foley, who did perfectly well.

Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley vs. Workhorsemen

Ospreay is apparently officially a Death Rider. Henry actually takes Moxley down by the arm a few times to start and Drake drops a backsplash. Moxley is back up with a dragon screw legwhip to take Henry down and it’s off to Ospreay for the big slingshot dive as we take a break. We come back with Ospreay kicking out of trouble and bringing Moxley back in for a suicide dive. Right hands and some biting in the corner have Drake in more trouble and Ospreay hits a Styles Clash. The Paradigm Shift and Hidden Blade connect at the same time, with Moxley pinning Drake at 8:31.

Rating: C+. This was getting very close to far too long for the match we were seeing, but ultimately the last few moments were pure destruction of the Workhorsemen. I’m still not sold on the whole Ospreay/Death Riders stuff but Moxley is going to be on almost every show no matter what so at least give him something different to do. If nothing else, Ospreay hitting a bunch of finishers made for a fun ending.

Video on Hikaru Shida.

Casino Gauntlet Match

For a Women’s Title match at Redemption (with champion Thekla on commentary and Mercedes Mone watching from a beach chair) and it’s first fall wins, with the fall being possible at any time, no matter how many entrants have taken place. Athena is in at #1 and Maya World is in at #2 with World hitting her in the face. World gives her a running boot and a fall away slam as Skye Blue is in at #3.

Blue starts swinging the kendo stick and neckbreakers World for two but Athena slams Blue into the steps. We take a break and come back with Mina Shirakawa in at #4 (Thekla approves) to go after Athena. Shirakawa’s slingshot dive gets two on World with Rina (from Stardom) in at #5. Thekla: “Rina is one of the few smart b****** I know from Stardom.” The slugout is on until Julia Hart is in at #6 and beats up various people, including security. Blue joins in on beating up security as we take a break.

We come back with Thunder Rosa in at #7 and neckbreakering Athena. Rosa cleans house for some near falls but Athena’s O Face drops Rosa for two with a save having to be made. Willow Nightingale is in at #8, making me think there wasn’t much of a reason to vacate the TBS Title. That means Nightingale gets to wreck various people until the Babe With The Powerbomb gives Nightingale the pin on Hart at 17:31.

Rating: B-. Well, the ending was a nice surprise and I do like having an unexpected name getting the shot. There is a very good chance that Nightingale wins the title and moves on to All In, but please don’t have her just drop the title to Mone again. Nightingale has turned herself into something and it would be a shame to see her suffer the same fate.

Post match Thekla goes after Nightingale but Megan Bayne and Lena Kross beat up the Sisters Of Sin. Mone takes out Thekla to stand tall.

Video on Jack Perry, who has officially re-signed with AEW.

Mike Bailey wants a National Title shot on Collision.

AEW World Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Kenny Omega

Omega is challenging but can never challenge again if he doesn’t win the title. Omega gets a bit entrance and MJF has a card for his own entrance, saying he isn’t from this land of incest. MJF hits him in the throat to cut off the early right hands and sends Omega to the floor to cut off an early One Winged Angel.

MJF (with his bad leg) limps into the crowd with Omega giving chase and hammering away in the audience. Omega throws him through some chairs and it’s time to go for a walk around the arena. They get back to ringside and then inside, where the referee gets in the way of a V Trigger. MJF goes to the eyes and hammers away, setting up a slingshot cutter for two. The fight goes back up to the entrance, with Omega moonsaulting off a lifeguard chair.

Back in and Omega hits a big running flip dive to the floor, followed by a running Fameasser (more like a bulldog) back inside. The V Trigger is countered with a drop toehold into the ropes and they strike it out. A double clothesline leaves both of them down for a needed breather. MJF is back up with a package piledriver for two and loads up the announcers’ table.

A Tombstone is loaded up on the apron (uh oh) but Omega slips out and hits a running kick to send MJF through the table for an awesome video. We take a break and come back with MJF raking the face to escape a fireman’s carry on the apron. Omega is right back with You Can’t Escape on the floor, which only hits raised knees. Back in and MJF’s knee gives out, allowing Omega to hit a V Trigger. The One Winged Angel is countered so Omega settles for a German suplex.

The V Trigger to the back connects in the corner and Omega tries a super One Winged Angel. That’s broken up though and MJF spikes him ON HIS HEAD with a super poisonrana. That and the Heatseeker get two and they’re both down again. MJF grabs the title as a ruse to load up the ring, but here is Will Ospreay to take it away. Omega picks up the belt but won’t do it, allowing MJF to hit him low. The belt shot only gets one and MJF is stunned. Some V Triggers rock MJF and a third knocks him into another planet. The One Winged Angel gives Omega the title back at 24:08.

Rating: A. They were doing all kinds of things to hide that MJF’s knee is messed up but it went about as well as it could have. Omega does deserve another title reign and MJF could barely walk at times so the title change had to happen. This felt like an Attitude Era brawl as they were all over the building at first and then came back for the real action in the end. It’s a heck of a match and an even better moment, which had to happen if the knee is that bad.

Omega gets the big celebration to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. What more can you ask for? The opener was rather good, Fletcher vs. Takeshita was better, and the main event was awesome with a huge moment. This felt like a short form pay per view and it sets us up for the road to Redemption, even if they were mainly talking about All In for most of the show. For a free TV show, what more could you really want?

Results
Tommaso Ciampa b. Chris Jericho – Running knee
Kyle Fletcher b. Konosuke Takeshita – Brainbuster onto the turnbuckle
Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley b. Workhorsemen – Hidden Blade to Drake
Willow Nightingale won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet match – Babe With The Powerbomb to Hart
Kenny Omega b. Maxwell Jacob Friedman – One Winged Angel

 

 

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AEW Dynamite – July 1, 2026: Them Time

Dynamite
Date: July 1, 2026
Location: Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re done with Forbidden Door (thank goodness) and it’s time to get ready for Redemption, the pit stop in July, on the way to London for All In. Will Ospreay and Mercedes Mone are in line for title shots, but first up is Mark Briscoe challenging MJF for the World Title tonight. Let’s get to it.

Here is Forbidden Door if you need a recap.

We get a clip from after Forbidden Door with Will Ospreay being rather happy with his win. Ospreay then ran into Jon Moxley and asked what Moxley meant about seeing something in him. If Moxley could explain it in words, he would explain it to anyone. This place could be something special but if Ospreay wants the Death Riders’ patch, he has to ride with them

Ospreay went on to see Kenny Omega, who praised him for his win but not being wild on the Death Riders tease. MJF came in to mock them both, with Omega threatening to come after the title and MJF not really caring. With MJF gone, Omega seemed to suggest that everything was fine with Ospreay.

AEW World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is defending and insists on being announced from the Best Coast, the east coast. Briscoe knocks him down to start but MJF is right back up to rip the bandage off of Briscoe’s head. MJF bites at the cut but Briscoe flips out of a backdrop, meaning it’s time for Red Neck Kung Fu.

Briscoe gets crotched on top but knocks MJF down, with the Froggy Bow getting two. Another shot sends MJF outside for the dive, followed by the chair step up flip dive for a bonus. The table is set up on the floor but Briscoe takes too long and knocks him off the top. That lets him return the table under the ring and we take a break. We come back with Briscoe winning a slugout and knocking him out to the floor, with Briscoe pulling the pads back.

MJF is able to backdrop him onto the concrete but can’t hit a Tombstone, instead getting slammed on the concrete. The Bang Bang Elbow on the floor and a Cutthroat Driver connect for two back inside, allowing Briscoe to set up the table again. Once again it takes too long but once again Briscoe cuts MJF and gives him a Blockbuster on the floor.

The Froggy Bow puts MJF through the table for two, as the foot on the rope saves the title. MJF goes to the eye but gets clotheslined for a double down. Another Froggy Bow connects and the Jay Driller gets a rather near fall. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Briscoe so he tries another Jay Driller, which is countered into an Alabama Slam. The Heatseeker retains the title at 18:23.

Rating: B. Well, that was quite the use of Briscoe’s title shot after building it up for a good while. I was expecting this to be at Beach Break but I guess they want to clear the way for Ospreay for the next month and a half. The match wasn’t an instant classic but it was physical and hard hitting, with Briscoe being so easy to cheer for to make it better.

Post match MJF loads up the Diamond Ring and knocks him silly. He loads up another shot but Kenny Omega runs in for the save. Omega wants a title shot tonight but MJF shoots that down, saying he’s beaten Omega before. MJF will face Omega next week, but if MJF wins, Omega can never challenge for the World Title again (note that MJF did not say Omega had to win the title). Omega has until the end of the night to decide.

Post break, MJF promises that payback is coming for Andrade El Idolo. With that out of the way, he lists off all of the names he has beaten, including Cody Rhodes, with Kenny Omega being 0-2 against him. He knows Omega won’t agree because MJF is gutless. Will Ospreay comes in to ask why the stipulation, with MJF saying it’s because he’s the champion. MJF will see Ospreay at Wembley.

He is Andrade El Idolo for a chat. He is done with the Don Callis Family and wants the World Back Title. How you know? Cue the Family to jump him from behind and the big beatdown is on. Don Callis wants Andrade out of here for Kevin Knight’s match.

Mercedes Mone brags about winning the Women’s Owen Hart Cup because she is the conversation no matter where she was going.

TNT Title: Kevin Knight vs. Lio Rush

Only Knight is defending. Rush scares him to start and throws Knight a backpack, containing…a black version of the ROH TV Title. Knight is freaked out so Rush sends him into the ropes, with Knight bailing to the floor. Rush does his run around the ring for the suicide dive and we take a break.

We come back with Knight hitting a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker but banging up his knee on a springboard attempt. Rush grabs a weird choke (as in Rush looks like he’s trying a cutter but just holds on when they’re on the mat) until Jake Doyle pulls Knight outside. Back in and Knight hits a sitout spinebuster, followed by a Rock Bottom to retain at 8:45.

Rating: B-. The match was fine, but did they really need to have Rush lose here? Rush is A, on fire with his new gimmick and B, a champion in ROH. Bandido and Athena have already lost recently and it would be nice for the ROH champions to be something other than jobbers to the main roster stars. I get that they’re beneath the AEW stars, but there are so many people in AEW/ROH who aren’t champions who could lose just as well.

Post match Darby Allin comes out to say he wants the TNT Title shot or the same things are going to keep happening to Knight. That has Knight ready to agree but Callis cuts him off because Allin was a criminal at Forbidden Door. Allin says that’s Knight digging his own grave.

We look at Chris Jericho beating up JD Drake and mocking Tommaso Ciampa.

Ciampa calls Jericho a bully but Jericho jumps him from behind. They go outside, where Ciampa rolls a shopping cart at him and then tries to stab Jericho in the head with a drill. Security tries to break it up but Jericho dives out of a truck to take out both Ciampa and some guards. The drill was dumb but I want to see these two fight.

Kenny Omega talks to the Young Bucks about the stipulation but Omega hasn’t made a decision just yet. He didn’t like what he had to do to win the title in the first place and wants to do it on his own. The Bucks have his back no matter what but Omega still hasn’t decided.

Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley vs. The Swirl

The Swirl jumps Moxley to start fast and seem to hurt his knee. Moxley fights back like he’s Jon Moxley and they’re the Swirl, allowing him to roll over for the tag to Ospreay. A running hurricanrana sends Christian outside and there’s the running flip dive to take the Swirl out again.

We take a break and come back with the Swirl’s Death Valley Driver/top rope double stomp combination getting two on Moxley. Marina Shafir beats up Jay Lethal on the floor and Moxley makes the comeback, allowing Ospreay to come back in. Johnson gets beaten up in the corner and Christian springboards into a cutter. The Paradigm Shift into the Hidden Blade finishes Johnson at 9:15.

Rating: C+. On one hand, I get the idea of Ospreay and Moxley as the unlikely super team, but at the same time, I’m still not sure why they’re together in the first place. In theory Ospreay got the help that he needed and now wants to see how far they can take him and Moxley is happy with getting the new member of the team. I guess that’s the story and while it makes sense, I’m not sure I buy Ospreay just suddenly being cool with the Death Riders. Or Moxley being cool with him for that matter.

After retaining their Tag Team Titles, Christian Cage and Adam Copeland weren’t sure about Jay White. Cage still doesn’t like him and Copeland isn’t sure what to think.

Here is the Bang Bang Gang for a chat. Jay White says they have waiting for well over a year to do this and he’s glad to get to say the catchphrase again. He remembered people not liking the Death Riders but now they’re hanging with the biggest fraud in wrestling. That aside, he wants to talk about the Dogs, who he doesn’t like because of things that happened in New Japan.

White remembers joining the New Japan Dojo with David Finlay, who is a fourth generation wrestler and raising a fifth generation star. Finlay has wrestling in his blood but he’s still a whiny little boy. White is still the catalyst of wrestling and this is still his era. If the Dogs, or anyone, has a problem with that, Guns Up. I still like White a lot and he can talk very well, but he has to prove that he can go more than a few months without a major injury.

Shane Taylor Promotions want the Bang Bang Gang in an eight man tag on Collision.

TBS Title: Kris Statlander vs. Maika vs. Harley Cameron vs. Persephone vs. Queen Aminata vs. Hikaru Shida

Survival Of The Fittest (six way elimination match) for the vacant title. It’s a brawl to start with Persephone standing tall but Shida takes her down with a rollup for two. Cameron is back in with a Shining Wizard to Maika before hammering on Aminata in the corner. Persephone sneaks up on Cameron for a Razor’s Edge and the elimination at 2:33. Well there goes the crowd favorite. Statlander Angle Slams Persephone and we take a break

We come back with Maika and Statlander slugging it out until Shida comes in with the kendo stick. Maika drops Shida with a discus clothesline but Statlander takes away the kendo stick. Shida hides behind the referee and rolls Maika up for the elimination at 7:52. We’re down to four and it’s Aminata coming back in to slug it out with Shida. Aminata’s fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two but she misses a top rope double stomp. The big headbutt sends Shida into the ropes for the running knee, only for Persephone to roll Aminata up for the pin at 9:49.

Persephone actually does the L on her forehead to mock Aminata as we take another break. We come back again with Statlander’s Blue Thunder Bomb getting two on Persephone. A bridging German suplex drops Statlander for two but Shida is back in, only for Statlander to chop Shida and Persephone. Staturday Night Fever is broken up but Statlander cradles Persephone for the pin at 15:30.

Shida kicks Statlander in the head, only for Statlander to grab the Falcon Arrow for two more. They fight over a rollup until Shida gets the ankle lock, with Persephone getting in a belt shot (fine with the referee). Shida grabs the leg and adds a choke to the out cold Statlander for the title at 17:27.

Rating: B-. This was kind of a strange match as there wasn’t a heavy betting favorite coming and a few different people could win the thing. Shida certainly fits the description, as she has a long history of winning titles so this is a nice fit. She might not be champion for a long time (though it wouldn’t be crazy), but beating her means enough that it could be a big moment.

Here’s what’s coming on Collision and next week at Beach Break.

Will Ospreay tries to talk Kenny Omega out of making a bad decision but Omega says if he’s going out, it’s with guns blazing.

Here is Omega for his big decision. Omega talks about how he has been doing this for over half of his life and he always gives this everything he has. He has a career that he could hang his hat on and be proud about but there is a part of him that believes he still has it. If the Elite can believe and the people can believe, then he knows he can be a champion AEW can be proud of one more time. At Wembley, against Will Ospreay.

All he has to do is put everything on the line against MJF, but Cody Rhodes and Hangman Page have done the same thing. He is still the best bout machine and yes the match is on and he’ll be ready for whatever MJF has for him. MJF runs in for the brawl but Omega fights back, with security breaking it up to end the show. That’s a huge match and they’re throwing it out there pretty quickly, but the result feels far from certain, which helps a lot.

Overall Rating: B. There was a lot on this show but the best part about it is that the show flew by. Nothing felt like it was dragging here and I had a good time with the show. It set up something big for next week and gave us the MJF vs. Briscoe match, even if it came and went rather quickly. There’s a new TBS Champion as well so that gap is covered, making this a pretty eventful night for the Forbidden Door follow up. See how nice it is when AEW can focus on AEW?

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Mark Briscoe – Heatseeker
Kevin Knight b. Lio Rush – Rock Bottom
Will Ospreay/Jon Moxley b. The Swirl – Hidden Blade to Johnson
Hikaru Shida won Survival Of The Fittest last eliminating Kris Statlander

 

 

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 – June 24, 2026: The Really Big Warmup

Dynamite
Date: June 24, 2026
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz

It’s the last Dynamite before Forbidden Door and the finals are officially set for the Owen Hart Cups. That means we need to have the big hype segments for Sunday’s final showdowns. As for tonight, Zack Sabre Jr. is here again to face Jack Perry in his Forbidden Door warmup match. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley gives the Death Riders a pep talk. Will Ospreay gets in their bouncing circle and falls down. Well of course he did.

Death Riders vs. Brodido/Mistico

Yuta grabs Bandido’s arm to start and they trade takedowns. Back up and Bandido snaps off a running headscissors before headlocking Moxley. That earns Bandido a trip into the corner, meaning Castagnoli can stomp him down. Bandido shrugs that off and brings Mistico in to get a rather spinning headscissors to take Castagnoli down.

It’s off to King for the big man slugout and of course King can run the ropes to springboard into a double wristdrag to Castagnoli and Moxley. The Riders are sent outside for a triple dive and we take an early break. We come back with Bandido still in trouble and Moxley getting two off a suplex.

Bandido gets in a running kick to the chest and Mistico gets the much needed tag. That means house can quickly be cleaned, including a quick sunset flip for two on Castagnoli. Bandido muscles Castagnoli over for a suplex but Marina Shafir offers a distraction. That’s enough for Moxley to get in a belt shot and roll King up for the pin at 12:19.

Rating: B. This was a good, hard hitting opening match with King getting to showcase his impressive athleticism. At the same time, this doesn’t make Bandido look strong going into his title shot and Mistico has his upcoming tag match and this…really had nothing to do with that either. It’s a weird way to go, though Bandido getting a pin here would have made a bit more sense.

Post match Bandido has a quick staredown with the Riders.

The Conglomeration is ready to fight in the cage at Forbidden Door. Darby Allin is ready to fight and the team promises to load up their backpacks. The rest of the team leaves and Orange Cassidy looks a bit annoyed but insists he’s fine. Renee Paquette doesn’t seem convinced.

Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Marina Shafir vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron is in Supergirl inspired gear and gets kicked in the ribs to start fast. Shafir mounts her but Cameron is right out into a half crab. That’s broken up as well and Cameron knocks her outside for a crossbody off the steps. Back in and Shafir gives her an AA and we take an early break. We come back with Shafir snapping off some judo throws but Cameron manages a belly to back suplex. Cameron hammers away in the corner until Shafir knees her right back. The half crab is broken up again so Shafir flips her into a choke, only to have Cameron backflip into a cradle for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. This was a nice surprise victory for Cameron but what matters the most here is that Cameron is going to be in next week’s match. I’m not sure if she’s going to win the title and she probably won’t, but at least she’s going to bring her rather amazing charisma to the whole thing. She’s a good bonus to the match and could even win the whole thing, which is kind of stunning considering where she was when she first came to AEW.

Video on Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup finals.

Will Ospreay vs. ELP

ELP (El Phantasmo) works on the arm to start and runs Ospreay over with a shoulder, earning him a nip up. Ospreay sends him outside without much trouble and hits a slingshot dive but ELP is back up with a quick drop onto the apron. One heck of a moonsault takes Ospreay down again and we take an early break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting an enziguri, only for ELP to grab a tornado DDT. Ospreay’s forearms make ELP laugh and they trade kicks to the head until Ospreay grabs a standing Spanish Fly. ELP gets in a superkick for two of his own but Ospreay flips over into a Styles Clash. The Hidden Blade pins ELP at 10:42.

Rating: B-. It was another entertaining match with Ospreay getting to do all of his stuff, though again I’m not sure how well this did to make Ospreay look great. It did a good job of building up ELP, who hung with Ospreay for a good while before getting taken out. That’s something that happens quite a bit during this season and it’s kind of annoying as Ospreay is in the likely main event of Forbidden Door and ELP isn’t likely going to be here beyond tonight.

Post match Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana come out for a staredown, with Ospreay leaving through the crowd.

Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia

Garcia walks in from outside and…how long has he been waiting out there? Strickland runs him over to start so Garcia pops up to get in Strickland’s face. That’s not a good idea as Strickland shoves him down and stomps away, setting up a running boot to the floor. This time Garcia pulls Strickland down for a hammering but takes too long yelling at a fan. Strickland kicks him in the face again and we take a break.

We come back with Strickland missing a Swerve Stomp to the apron and getting his leg dragon screw whipped. Strickland’s leg is fine enough to roll over and drop Garcia with a suplex. Garcia’s clothesline is shrugged off so he kicks out the leg instead. The ankle lock has Strickland in more trouble but he backbreakers his way out. A powerbomb is spun into a powerslam (cool) to plant Garcia, who pops up with a Styles Clash for two of his own. Strickland House Calls him for two, followed by a Hidden Blade to finish Garcia at 12:25.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this was a good way to build up someone who has nothing going on while the person set for a big match on Sunday is going 50/50 with Garcia. If protecting Garcia is that important (and I’m sure it is for whatever reason), don’t put him in the match. Strickland and Ospreay should have looked like killers in their matches and instead they’re just out there taking 10+ minutes to beat stars beneath them.

Post match Strickland goes after Garcia’s arm so Ospreay runs back in for the brawl. Nana offers a distraction though and Strickland gives Ospreay the House Call. A Vertebreaker drops Garcia and Ospreay chases Strickland off with a chair.

Video on Team Ospreay vs. Team MJF.

Don Callis and his Family are ready to win but MJF cuts them off to rant about Mark Briscoe. The reality is that Briscoe has never beaten MJF and that isn’t going to change. MJF thinks the two sides haven’t been on the same page but Callis whips out a shirt for TEAM DCMJF and yes the image is of them muscular and in limited clothing. MJF and Callis love it but the Family is less than impressed.

Jack Perry vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre takes him down with a cravate and shrugs off Sabre’s attempt to go after the leg. They fight over a double arm crank until Perry rolls him up for some near falls. A very near fall sends Sabre outside but he’s fine enough to start in on the arm, including snapping it over the top rope.

We take a break and come back with Perry hitting a Sliced Bread but getting sent outside. Sabre grabs a cross armbreaker on the floor but has to let it go, allowing Perry to hit another Sliced Bread on the apron. A moonsault to the floor takes Sabre out again, only for him to grab a triangle choke back inside. Perry reverses into a sitout powerbomb for two and the Snare Trap has Sabre in trouble for a change. Sabre twists the arm around to escape so Perry grabs a package powerbomb for two more. That earns him a double arm crank, with Sabre using his leg to pull Perry’s arm down for the submission at 13:12.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of Sabre getting to take Perry apart, which boosts him up on the way to facing Kenny Omega on Sunday. Granted we saw Sabre do something similar in his most recent match around here so it was only so necessary. It’s certainly fitting the theme for the night though and we’ll get the big match with Omega soon enough.

Young Bucks vs. TMDK

Tito jumps Matt from behind to start fast but the Bucks are right back with their stereo running bulldogs. A double clothesline puts TMDK on the floor for the stereo dives, followed by some back elbows to the face back inside. Matt gets crotched on top though and Nick gets pulled out of the air, with a spinebuster getting two on Matt in a big crash. Matt flips away from both of them though and grabs a DDT, allowing the tag off to Nick. House is cleaned and the Superkick Party is on, setting up the Meltzer Driver to pin Nicholls at 4:20.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted and I’ll take this over the rest of the matches, as the Bucks get a pretty nice win over a team who doesn’t have anything going on. That’s a good way to go here as there was no reason to have the Bucks in any serious trouble. Nice enough job here and I’ll take that just about all the time.

Post match TMDK jumps the Bucks and Kenny Omega makes the save. Forearms are exchanged with Sabre and TMDK bails. Omega says may the best man win on Sunday and he certainly will.

We look at Thekla invading a Stardom show and attacking the owner.

Survivor Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Red Velvet vs. Queen Aminata

Velvet’s ROH Women’s TV Title isn’t on the line. Velvet rolls over her into a sunset flip for an early two and then wristdrags her down again. Aminata is right back with a snap suplex for one but the big headbutt misses. Aminata’s right hands in the corner are countered into a powerbomb and we take a break.

We come back with Velvet grabbing a sitout bulldog for two but Aminata gives her a slingshot reverse suplex to leave them both down. The running boot in the corner sets up a middle rope double stomp for two on Velvet. Back up and Velvet flips her off the top, setting up a frog splash to the back for two. Velvet kicks away and, after an apology, misses the big kick to the head. Aminata knocks her into the ropes and hits a PK for the pin at 10:17.

Rating: C+. And of course a reigning champion loses clean in a qualifying match. I’m sure there was absolutely no one else available to take this loss, but it’s just Ring Of Honor anyway, which has been treated like nothing since it was brought back from the dead to create a promotion of cannon fodder. This is the kind of stupid stuff that drives me crazy in wrestling and it doesn’t need to happen but here we are anyway.

The Young Bucks are ready to superkick their opponents at Forbidden Door but Adam Copeland and Christian Cage brawl through with the Dogs. They brawl into the makeup area and Connors blinds Copeland with some hairspray to take over. The Dogs choke them both out. And we get a five second pose, complete with Cage’s old over the top sunglasses.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet

Takeshita is defending and the Gates Of Agony are here with Ricochet. An early cheap shot knocks Takeshita outside and the big flip dive hits him as well. Back in and a springboard 450 gives Ricochet two as he’s certainly starting fast. Takeshita is back up but misses a charge in the corner, allowing Ricochet to hit a 619. The springboard clothesline and a running shooting star press give Ricochet two and we take a break.

We come back with Ricochet striking away in the corner and knocking him out to the floor. The shooting star off the apron is countered into a suplex though and they’re both down. Back in and a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two before they trade kicks to the head. The wheelbarrow suplex drops Ricochet, who is right back up with Vertigo for two.

A shooting star press gives Ricochet two but he flips out of a German superplex. Takeshita’s Last Ride gets two but Ricochet uses the referee to cut off the running knee. A kick to the head sets up a Ricosault for two and Ricochet is stunned on the kickout. Takeshita drops him with a clothesline though and it’s the running knee and Raging Fire to retain at 13:48.

Rating: B. I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised that these two had a fast paced match together and they made it work here. Ricochet getting a somewhat random title match is hardly a stretch and it’s fine as a main event for a bit of an odd show. Takeshita gets a nice title defense as well and that’s a good thing as he looks for his next big challenger.

Here is Mark Briscoe with something to say about MJF. He and his friends are ready to fight in the cage on Sunday and he brings up their history in Blood & Guts. That was all about the thrill of the fight but this has some more consequential implications. Briscoe agrees that he and MJF are nothing alike (and he thanks God for that) but he knows he can beat MJF if they get a chance. On Sunday, he’ll be fighting with his friends while MJF has some hired stars who don’t care about him.

Cue Don Callis for a distraction so MJF can jump Briscoe from behind. Briscoe fights back and we get the parade of people running in one at a time to hit a single big move. Andrade has to save MJF from the Jay Driller but they go face to face. Callis cuts that off and MJF loads up the ring, only to accidentally hit Andrade. The Jay Driller lays MJF out to end the show. This was pretty much what you would have expected, though they do have some stories in the big cage match, which does help things.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a good example of a show where it’s perfectly fine from a quality standpoint, but it’s not something that interests me. A good chunk of this show was built around setting up Forbidden Door matches for wrestlers who aren’t likely to be regulars around here in a few days.

They aren’t regulars coming into this show either and it made for a less than thrilling show. Forbidden Door isn’t doing much to get my attention this year, though they’ve done an effective enough job with what they had. Not a bad show at all here (though another champion losing in a qualifying match makes my head hurt), but not my taste for the most part.

Results
Death Riders b. Brodido/Mistico – Rollup to King
Harley Cameron b. Marina Shafir – Cradle
Will Ospreay b. ELP – Hidden Blade
Swerve Strickland b. Daniel Garcia – Hidden Blade
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Jack Perry – Double arm crank
Young Bucks b. TMDK – Meltzer Driver to Nicholls
Queen Aminata b. Red Velvet – PK in the ropes
Konosuke Takeshita b. Ricochet – Raging Fire

 

 

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