AEW Dynamite
November 29th, 2023
By: John Siino
Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone & Bryan Danielson
The Dragon On Commentary
Bryan Danielson, sporting an eye patch, comes out at the start of the show to join Excalibur & Taz on commentary for tonight’s Continental Classic matches.
Continental Classic Gold League Match: Jon Moxley (3) vs. Jay Lethal (0)
Taz tells Danielson that he chose Jon Moxley over him in this tournament, and Danielson says he doesn’t blame him for choosing Moxley. They start the matching taking each other down with headlock takeovers as the crowd is fully behind Moxley. Jay Lethal puts on a figure four, as Moxley rolls them both to the outside. They brawl a bit until Lethal runs back in to hit the suicide dive to Moxley on the outside, but Moxley comes back with one of his own. They start trading blows and bites before Moxley stops a Lethal Injection attempt with a Bulldog Choke attempt that gets stopped itself. Lethal starts working on Moxley’s legs, before heading to the top and hitting the flying elbow drop for two. Lethal sends Moxley to the outside and into the crowd, as they head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, they are on the top rope, where Lethal knocks Moxley down with a vicious-looking Dragon Screw. They start trading chops and strikes, before trading pin attempts. Lethal eventually puts on the Figure Four again, but Moxley escapes and hits the Paradigm Shift. Moxley follows with the King Kong lariat and a piledriver, but Lethal kicks out at two. Moxley puts on the choke right away, as Lethal taps out.
Winner: Jon Moxley (6) by submission at 11:19, to get 3 additional points in the Continental Classic
Behind The Eight-ball
We get comments from Eddie Kingston after his loss to Brody King on Collision where he talks about knowing this wasn’t going to be easy and there aren’t any scrubs in this tournament. Kingston says he has Danielson next and he’s behind the eight-ball, but he’s not going to ‘go back’ and be humble in victory and defeat. We go to Danielson on commentary who says Kingston is lacking confidence now, and he’s coming in to win and be the first AEW Triple Crown Champion.
Date & Place For Sting’s Final Match
Tony Schiavone is backstage and announces that the AEW Revolution will take place on March 3, 2024, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Schiavone talks about Sting & Ric Flair wrestling there and how fitting for Sting to have his final match there as he brings in Sting & Flair. Sting talks about having his first-ever World Title match there against Flair and wouldn’t think he’d be standing here years later with them. Sting continues to praise Flair and talks about how many memories they had in Greensboro. Flair talks about being honored to be there as they start wooing away, with Sting saying this is the 80s all over again.
Continental Classic Gold League Match: Mark Briscoe (0) vs. Rush (0)
They start the match viciously going after each other with chops, and strikes, and attacking each other in the corners with splashes and dropkicks. They fight in the corner, where Mark Briscoe sends Rush to the outside and meets him with a dropkick through the ropes. Outside, they trade chops against the barricades, before Rush starts sending Briscoe into the barricades. Briscoe comes back by back body dropping Rush onto the barricade followed by the elbow drop off the apron. Back inside, there are more chops and kicks before Briscoe sends them both down with a lariat as they head to picture-in-picture.
More chops and strikes after the break, before Rush takes Briscoe down with a headbutt, but Briscoe comes back with an Exploder Suplex. Rush hits a suplex himself sending Briscoe to the corner, where he tries the Bull’s Horns but gets stopped with a spear from Briscoe for a two-count. Neckbreaker from Briscoe for another two. Bit of back and forth, as they end up on the apron where the chop party continues until Rush sends Briscoe crashing to the outside with a toss. They go back to the top rope, as Briscoe knocks Rush down and hits the Froggy Bow, but Rush kicks out at two. Rush sends Briscoe into the corner again and hits the Bull’s Horns to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Rush (3) by pinfall at 11:25, to get 3 points in the Continental Classic
Take Off My Shoes
RJ City is in the back with Toni Storm and asks her how she’s feeling after her title win celebration. Storm says she’s very fatigued and tired, as City tells her she has to defend her title next week. Storm says she’ll turn out fine and tells City to take off her shoes as they are getting swollen. Tony Schiavone joined them on commentary after that segment.
The Fight in the Dog + The Devil Attacks
MJF heads to the ring still with his cane. MJF talks about Worlds End and the match against Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship. MJF says he doesn’t like Joe as a person but professionally he respects him. MJF says when Joe came here he didn’t come to line his pockets but for his love for the AEW letters. MJF says he remembers discovering TNA Wrestling and seeing a new cast of professional wrestlers he’d never heard of before and that’s when he discovered Samoa Joe. MJF says unfortunately later in his career Joe wasn’t given the opportunity to be world champion in WWE, but what Joe’s done in this sport is bigger than that by not having to be a male bodybuilder in this sport. MJF continues to talk about Joe breaking the mold and alternatives mattering, and without a guy like Joe there might not be MJF or AEW and he thanks Joe.
MJF talks about himself not being too shabby as he’s been here since day one and helped build it brick by brick. MJF talks about beating names here (including CM Punk), but the one name he says he’s surprised to have survived was Joe, and December 30th isn’t about Joe’s legacy, but MJF’s. MJF makes a promise to everybody that on December 30th, he doesn’t care if his left knee, hip, or shoulder isn’t 100 percent he promises he’s going to show the world it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. And if Joe wants to take what’s his, Joe’s going to have to put him down. MJF breaks the cane over his knee as the lights go out. When they come back on we see four masked men about to take him out with a bat, but Samoa Joe appears and chases them off. We see a message on the screen that says ‘IN THE SHADOWS, OUR GAME BEGINS. NEXT WEEK, MJF & SAMOA JOE, WILL YOU FACE THE UNKNOWN IN A TAG MATCH? ARE YOU A HERO, MAX?’ MJF says he isn’t going to deal with this crap and he will unmask the Devil, and next week he will give them the tag match.
Commentary talks about IT being on top of this, as these people are controlling the graphics and lighting, but Tony Khan has made the match official for next week for MJF & Samoa Joe vs. the unknown tag team.
Wardlow vs. AR Fox
AR Fox attacks Wardlow before the bell rings and dives onto him a couple of times, but Wardlow catches him and slams him onto the apron, before bringing him inside and officially starting the match. Wardlow starts tossing Fox around, and Fox ends up on the outside again. Wardlow follows him out and tosses him back inside where he tries to press slam him. Fox escapes, knocks Wardlow down, and hits a 450 Splash from the top rope, that Wardlow kicks out at one. Wardlow catches Fox and hits him with a chokeslam and a clothesline, before hitting a couple of powerbombs and the top rope senton. Wardlow hits another big powerbomb as the referee calls off the match.
Winner: Wardlow by referee stoppage at 3:13
The Hardys (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) & Isiah Kassidy vs. Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & Action Andretti
This is Dante Martin’s return match since his unfortunate injury on the ROH Supercard of Honor back in March. Matt Hardy & Action Andretti start the match, but Jeff Hardy comes in as The Hardys double-team on Andretti. Darius Martin & Isiah Kassidy tag in and start running the ropes and trading pinfalls, before Dante comes in, to a big pop, as Top Flight now starts double-teaming on Kassidy before they head to picture-in-picture.
Matt Hardy & Action Andretti take each other, when we come back before they both tag out to Dante & Kassidy. Dante takes out Kassidy with a crossbody, but Matt Hardy stops it. They all start going at it now trading moves. The Hardys place Dante on their shoulders, as Kassidy takes him out with a springboard dropkick to get a two-count. They all start going at it again until Dante takes out Kassidy with a sit-out suplex to get the pin and the win.
Winners: Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & Action Andretti by pinfall at 9:41
After the break, Renee Paquette is with Top Flight & Action Andretti as Renee asks Dante how he’s doing. Before he can answer, Penta El Zero Miedo interrupts shakes his hand, and brings in Komander & El Hijo del Vikingo to set up a trios match.
AEW TBS Championship House Rules Match: Julia Hart (c) vs. Emi Sakura
The house rule that Emi Sakura made for this match was that you can not win by submission, eliminating Julia Hart being able to win with the Hartless. Hart starts by attacking Sakura in the corner, but Sakura comes back with chops. Hart sends Sakura to the outside, but Sakura reverses her and sends her into the steel steps where she hits her with a crossbody as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, they both start trading submissions but Aubrey Edwards has to keep reminding them they can’t win that way. Sakura misses a top rope moonsault, as Hart puts on the Hartless. Sakura starts tapping out until she finally lets go, and hits a clothesline to the back of Sakura’s head, followed by a top rope moonsault to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Julia Hart by pinfall at 7:36, to retain
Mariah May Wants To Fight
RJ City is in the back with Mariah May who says she had quite the run in Stardom and is dying to show AEW what she can do. She thanks City for hooking her up with Toni Storm and says this means the world to her as May enters Tony Khan’s office.
Go Fuck Yourself: The Sequel
Christian Cage enters the ring with five security guards and calls out Adam Copeland. After a couple of times of asking, Copeland doesn’t come out. The crowd chants for ‘Adam’, as Christian tells the truck to play Copeland’s music. Copeland eventually does come to the ring, as security stands in front of Christian. Christian says he didn’t ask for security tonight and asks them to leave the ring. Christian tells Copeland they aren’t going to make it to Montreal next week to have their match because he’s sorry. Christian knows everybody is thinking he’s only sorry since he’s on an island by himself as the crowd chants bullshit at him.
Christian talks about being so upset after Copeland took out Killswitch, that he drove until it turned into a road trip of reflection and soul searching. Christian talks about them taking his mom’s car and having fun driving around and having the time of their lives. Christian says they ended up becoming the greatest tag team ever and world champions and brings up how everybody knows Copeland grew up without a father, but says he’s not his father, but his brother. Christian says his father, became Copeland’s father and he became one of their own. Christian says they aren’t some random guys who were thrown together and he loves him as they are family. Christian says before Copeland’s mother passed away she asked for them to team up just one last time and says they should do this for her. Christian goes to hit Copeland with the belt, but he stops him with a low blow and tells him ‘Nice try, dumbass’ and to shine up the title real nice as it’s coming home with him. Before he leaves, he tells Christian to ‘go fuck yourself’.
Continental Classic Gold League Match: Jay White (3) vs. Swerve Strickland (3)
Bryan Danielson rejoins commentary, as Prince Nana comes back from his injury on crutches before heading back to the back before the match. They quickly take the match to the outside and start fighting against the barricades, before Jay White sends Swerve Strickland back inside and starts going after his right arm. They head back outside, where Swerve sends White into the crowd. Swerve keeps on the attack, with a stomp of the apron to White’s back, before sending him back inside. White takes control, as we head to picture-in-picture.
They come back, as Swerve takes out White with a back drop, before attacking with punches against the ropes. Swerve moves around like fluid before hitting a vertical suplex on White for two. White stops any momentum from Swerve, with a clothesline that sends both men down. White continues, by hitting a uranage to get a two and puts on an armbar on Swerve. Swerve escapes and snaps White’s arm to a chant of ‘you sick fuck’. Swerve stops a low blow attempt with a backbreaker and hits the House Call, goes to the top rope, and hits the Swerve Stomp for a two count. White comes back with a Blade Runner, but Swerve rolls to the outside. Back inside, they trade pin attempts before trading chops back and forth. White hits a sleeper suplex and goes for the Blade Runner, but Swerve turns it into a pin for the win.
Winner: Swerve Strickland (6) by pinfall at 15:27, to get 3 additional points in the Continental Classic
Current Gold League Standings
- Jon Moxley (6)
- Swerve Strickland (6)
- Rush (3)
- Jay White (3)
- Mark Briscoe (0)
- Jay Lethal (0)
Collision Line-Up
- Continental Classic Blue League Match: Bryan Danielson (0) vs. Eddie Kingston (0)
- Continental Classic Blue League Match: Andrade El Idolo (0) vs. Daniel Garcia (0)
- Continental Classic Blue League Match: Claudio Castagnoli (3) vs. Brody King (3)
Dynamite Line-Up
- AEW TNT Championship: Christian Cage (c) vs. Adam Copeland
