AEW Dynamite – ‘Championship Fight Night’
February 8th, 2023
El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, TX
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
AEW World Championship Eliminator Match: MJF vs. Konosuke Takeshita
MJF comes out with a new jacket that says ‘2024’ on it while Konosuke Takeshita’s theme song sounds eerily similar to the WCW Monday Nitro theme. MJF starts the match in control as the crowd is split with ‘Let’s go Maxwell/Maxwell sucks’ chants. MJF takes Takeshita down with a hammerlock DDT for a two-count. Takeshita is able to fight back, hitting an exploder suplex to the corner but commentary brings up how MJF has been working on Takeshita’s arm and it’s showing now. MJF tried to flip off the corner, but Takeshita kicked him down and hit a brainbuster for a two. Takeshita heads to the top, and does an Eddie Guerrero pose before hitting a Frog Splash for a two, which this El Paso crowd gives an Eddie chant for. Takeshita stays in control hitting a piledriver and a deadlift suplex, as MJF escapes to the outside. Takeshita takes back control and heads to the top rope, but MJF knocks him down before trying a top rope back suplex. Takeshita instead tries a lariat, but MJF lands on his feet as they go into an elbow exchange before Takeshita hits a big lariat laying out both men. Takeshita tries a pin, but MJF kicks out at two and puts on the Salt of the Earth while biting Takeshita’s hands, before Takeshita turns it into a two count, knocks MJF to the outside where he flips and dives onto him. Takeshita tries to go for his knee again, but MJF rolls out to the outside, again. MJF uses the referee as a shield, which distracts him as MJF kicks the rope under Takeshita. MJF goes and hits a powerbomb but on top of his right knee and shows signs of injury as Takeshita meets him with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a two count. Takeshita follows that with his running knee strike, but MJF is able to put his foot on the rope at the last second. Takeshita has a bit of trouble hitting the senton atomico, as MJF dodges it and puts on the Salt of the Earth again. Takeshita tries to crawl to the ropes, but MJF flips over and keeps the hold on until Takeshita taps out.
Winner: MJF by submission at 13:18
The referee tries to raise MJF’s hand after, but he knocks him down, puts on his Dynamite diamond ring, and knocks Takeshita out with it. MJF busts Takeshita up with repeated punches, as Bryan Danielson runs out and chases MJF away. Officials go to tend to Takeshita who’s dripping blood heavily.
We get a promo from Samoa Joe who says everything is right in the universe as he is once again your TNT Champion. Joe says that Darby Allin is a worthy and brave adversary unlike Wardlow and he will take everything from him.
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Jamie Hayter (w/ Dr. Britt Baker DMD & Rebel) vs. The Bunny (w/ Penelope Ford)
The Bunny is able to start in control, but Jamie Hayter reverses her suplex off the apron attempt. They take it outside, where Bunny tosses Hayter to the barricade as they head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Excalibur says the title match would be next week if Bunny were to win. Penelope Ford takes a ‘Hayter-ade’ sign that Dr. Britt Baker DMD is holding and rips it out, as Hayter hits the Hayter-ade for the pin and the win.
Winner: Jamie Hayter by pinfall at 6:10
L is for Loser
Renee Paquette is backstage with Saraya and Toni Storm, where they call Jamie Hayter a loser before bringing in Leva Bates who they attack from behind and spray paint her.
You Only ‘Liv’ Once
Lexy Nair is in MJF’s locker room where MJF gives Konosuke Takeshita credit but says he’s not a match for him, as nobody is. MJF says Bryan Danielson and the fans treat him like he’s a scumbag, but a man doesn’t know what he’s truly made up until he’s met with an adversary. MJF brings up his junior year in high school getting speed tickets in his blue Camaro. When Junior Prom hit, he hooked up with a girl he calls ‘Liv’, but while driving at 90 MPH, they hit a telephone pole. ‘Liv’ went into the windshield, but she survived and MJF switched places before the police came so it seems like she was driving. MJF uses this as the reason why he is such a scumbag before threatening Bryan Danielson.
The Garcia-Guevara Gauntlet Match: Ricky Starks vs. The Jericho Appreciation Society (Angelo Parker, Matt Menard & Daniel Garcia) (w/ Sammy Guevara)
Right away, Ricky Starks is able to dodge Angelo Parker and hits the spear to pin him in a little over a minute. Matt Menard tries to attack from behind, but Starks rolls him up with a pin, eliminating him right away. Daniel Garcia makes his way to the ring, but Sammy Guevara comes out right after and acts like he’ll be in the match, but Daniel Garcia attacks him from behind entering the match. The fans start chanting ‘Sammy sucks’ as he calls Garcia his best friend. Garcia stays in control as they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Garcia tries to put on a sharpshooter, but Starks rolls up for a two count, tries a spear, but Garcia hooks him with a guillotine. Starks is able to power out and hits a powerbomb to break it up. Starks goes to the top rope, but Garcia meets him up there and hits a superplex, holding on, Starks reverses it into a Northern Lights bomb for a two. They head to the apron and start punching and kicking each other until Starks spears Garcia off. We see a masked person in the audience who hits the Judas Effect on Starks, knocking him out. Garcia rolls Starks back inside and pins him for the win.
Winner: Daniel Garcia by pinfall at 10:08
The masked person takes off his mask, revealing himself as Chris Jericho as Garcia and Guevara act shocked.
Billy in the Back
Renee Paquette is backstage with The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn as Renee asks Billy how he’s feeling being in the middle of this feud with The Gunns. Billy says they came to a team decision and he will stay in the back for their match tonight. Max Caster supports it and says he and Anthony Bowens got it, but Bowens looks a bit reluctant before they scissor.
After the commercial, Renee Paquette is with Bryan Danielson and Konosuke Takeshita, but we see the door is closed behind them as it looks like Danielson is locked inside with his match up next as Rush is making his way down to the ring without Jose the Assistant, as commentary mentions it sounded like Jose when the door closed. MJF makes his way out to the ring limping and tells Aubrey Edwards they need to talk. MJF talks about the rule book and brings up how Danielson isn’t here in ‘shitty El Paso’ for his match and tells the crowd he doesn’t speak Spanish. MJF tells Aubrey she needs to ring the bell and start the match which she does.
Rush vs. Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson busts through the door, as Konosuke Takeshita attacks Jose the Assistant and Preston Vance on the other side. MJF yells at Aubrey Edwards to count Danielson out faster, but she takes her time as Danielson is able to get to the ring (at 44 seconds, mind you). MJF joins commentary for this match, as Danielson and Rush start exchanging chops. MJF should bring up how it’s 7 years to the day when Aubrey was in the audience crying as Danielson was retiring, as a reason why she counted so slowly. Rush catches Danielson off the ropes and hits a German suplex and a knee, before taking him to the outside, tossing him against the barricades. Danielson gets busted wide open, as they are fighting on the apron, where Rush tosses the bloody Danielson off to the floor as they head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Danielson puts on the LeBell Lock, but Rush escapes to the outside as Danielson teases diving into him. Rush tries to walk away, but Danielson restarts and hits a tope anyway. Danielson hits a missile dropkick in the inside, as they trade chops and kicks with the crowd chanting ‘si’ and ‘no. Rush is able to stop Danielson and hits a straight jacket piledriver for a two-count. Danielson comes back and hits a Busaiku knee, but MJF kicks out of it as MJF says ‘we are fine’. The crowd chants ‘si se puede’ as MJF asks what does that even mean. They trade headbutts and chops, with Rush dropping Danielson with one. Rush hits a German suplex, but Danielson comes back with a boot and another Busaiku knee, this time Rush doesn’t kick out. What a war.
Winner: Bryan Danielson by pinfall at 15:37
The match is made official for AEW Revolution, with MJF defending the AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson in a 60-minute Iron Man match, as MJF heads to the ring and knocks Danielson out with the Dynamite diamond ring. MJF puts on the Salt of the Earth, as security runs out and tries to pull MJF off as they head to commercial.
Impractical Jericho
Tony Schiavone is backstage with Brian Quinn & James Murray of Impractical Jokers who have Chris Jericho’s bat and start saying he was a diva when he was a guest on their show. They said they pulled a prank on Jericho and he has to come on their show tomorrow to get it back.
AEW World Trios Championship: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (c) (w/ Brandon Cutler & MT Nakazawa) vs. AR Fox & Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin)
AR Fox and Top Flight have on matching tights, and I appreciate that. Don Callis joins commentary as Matt Jackson and Dante Martin start the match. Darius Martin and Fox make quick tags in and out as Nick Jackson & Kenny Omega run in and get involved until The Elite is left standing. Omega hits Darius with a backbreaker for a two count, as we head to commercial.
When we come back, Darius hits Matt with a Spanish Fly but Nick breaks it up before Omega and Fox go at it. Wild offense between Fox and The Elite as Fox hits three back-to-back cutters on them before diving onto the Young Bucks doing the same to Omega on the other side and then diving into the Bucks yet again. Fox hits a senton atomico on Omega for a two count. Dante and Nick are able to tag in as Dante does some wild flips and headscissors on Matt, before Matt catches a flying Dante into his Northern Lights sequence before Dante tags out. Matt hits the third suplex on all three opponents but only gets a two-count. Darius hits a wild DDT on Matt, but Nick breaks up the pin from Dante. AR Fox hits his insane inside-out moonsault to The Elite, as Dante hits the Nose Dive followed by a 450 splash from Fox, but Omega is able to break up the pin. Fox tries a move on Matt, but Omega stops him with a dragon suplex. All six men continue with nonstop wild offense until they hit the triple-team Tombstone on Fox, but that gets broken up as well. Nick Jackson hits a crazy springboard moonsault to the outside, as Fox dodges a V Trigger for a two-count. Omega follows with a knee into a Doctor Bomb for another two. Omega hits the V Trigger and the One Winged Angel attempt, but Fox reverses into a two count. They go back and forth until Omega is able to trap Fox for the pin and finally end this insanity.
Winners: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) by pinfall at 14:40, to retain
We see a video package for Hook before Lexy Nair is asking Stokely Hathaway about fractures in The Firm between Ethan Page & Matt Hardy. Stokely denies all that and blames Hook for all these issues, but Hook walks up behind him as Stokely says next time they are in Harlem they can go to Sylvia’s for some mac & cheese before Hook tells him to watch his words.
Rampage Line-Up
- Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Kip Sabian, The Butcher & The Blade
- Jack Perry in action
- Ruby Soho vs. Marina Shafir
- We hear from Mark Briscoe
- Dynamite matches to be announced
AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) (c) vs. The Gunns (Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn)
Max Caster’s freestyle brings up the border wall not being finished as well as saying ‘ass boys’ and ‘small balls’ in Spanish to get a pop from this El Paso crowd. Caster and Austin Gunn start the match, before Anthony Bowens tags in staying in control throughout as they head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Austin stays in control over Caster who sends Austin over the top rope to the outside, before sending Colten Gunn out as well. Caster makes the hot tag to Bowens who takes down The Gunns with punches and kicks. All four men get in the ring and start battling before it ends up being just Bowens and Austin. As Bowens goes to hit a rolling elbow strike, Austin pushes the referee in the way to take it instead. Austin hits the Quick Draw on Bowens, before grabbing a title belt. Billy Gunn runs down to the ring to help Bowens up and blocks Austin from trying to hit him with a belt before Colten takes out Billy with the title. The Acclaimed take control as Caster hits the Mic Drop, but Stephon Smith is still laid out on the outside. Caster tosses the referee inside, but Colten breaks up the pin count. In a roll-up battle, Austin pushes Bowens into Colten who knocks him out with the title, as the referee makes the slow count as Austin pins Bowens.
Winners: The Gunns (Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) by pinfall at 10:32, to become NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions
