AEW Dynamite
February 7, 2024
By: John Siino
Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
AEW World Championship #1 Contenders Match: Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana)
They come out with sports-like entrances to the ring, as the winner of this match will challenge Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship at Revolution. They have a face-to-face as the bell rings as this Phoenix crowd is very rowdy, cheering for Swerve Strickland. They spend the first couple of minutes circling and locking up with each other before Swerve gets smacked by Adam Page and tackles him, they quickly take it outside as Swerve whips Page over the barricade and leaps onto him. They take it back inside, as Swerve stays in control, knocking Page down with a big boot and keeping him in the corner with stomps. Page comes back with a fall-away slam and sweeps Swerve off the ropes, before mounting him with punches as the fans boo Page. Page sends Swerve onto the apron where he hits on the back of the neck before sending him flying into the ring post. Page keeps attacking Swerve on the outside, sending him into the barricade before hitting a fall-away slam on the outside. Back inside, Page attacks Swerve in the corner with chops, but Swerve is able to turn it against him. They go back and forth a bit until Page hits a backbody drop to Swerve to the outside, but misses the Orihari moonsault. Swerve comes right back, leaping over the ropes with a moonsault to Page. Swerve continues with suplexes and the House Call, but Page kicks out at two. They fight on the ropes as Swerve almost lands on his head before Page comes back with a Liger Bomb for two. Swerve is able to dodge a Buckshot Lariat, and hits one of his own followed by the Swerve Stomp for a two-count. They take it back outside, as Swerve tries a piledriver on the barricade, just for Page to reverse it with a DDT as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, they both go after each other and knock each other down with boots, as we see a table was set up on the outside during the commercial. Swerve starts laughing as they start trading punches, but Swerve stops it with a backbreaker for two. Swerve traps Page on a Tree of Woe but on the outside of the ring, where he hits him with a Swerve Stomp. Page tries to get out of the way and lays on the table, but it collapses down. Swerve goes and gets another table, and sets it up before trying a 450 Splash, but Page gets his knees up for a two as we hear a 5-minute warning from Justin Roberts. Page comes back with a lariat before hitting the Buckshot Lariat, but Swerve is able to put his foot on the bottom rope. Page hits the Dead Eye on the apron, as Swerve collapses to the outside. Prince Nana starts doing his dance over Swerve to motivate him to go back inside, which he does before the 10 count, but Page dropkicks him right back outside and goes to hit him with a chair, but ends up taking out Nana instead. Swerve kicks the chair right into Page’s face, sends him back inside, and hits another Swerve Stomp, but buckles his ankle on the landing. Swerve goes for the JML Driver, but Page escapes and snaps Swerve’s ankle. They go to the apron, but Swerve fights Page off and puts him right through the table with a Dead Eye of his own. Swerve sends Page back inside and tries another Swerve Stomp, but Page dodges it as Swerve lands right on his hurt ankle again. Swerve blocks a Buckshot Lariat attempt and hits the JML Driver, but as Swerve goes to cover Page, the time expires.
Winner: The match ends in a time-limit draw (30:00)
Revolution Three-Way
Swerve gets on the mic and says he wants five more minutes. Page responds that Swerve had to beat him to be the #1 contender, and he didn’t do it. Page says Swerve won’t be world champion and now it’s over. Tony Schiavone gets on the mic and says Tony Khan told him that this is not done, and since we have two #1 contenders, it will now be a three-way at Revolution.
Renee Paquette is with Samoa Joe after the break and asks him what his reaction is about the match being a three-way now. Joe says he can’t believe he is dealing with this and none of those men deserve to be in a ring with him, but the powers that be don’t want him as their champion. Joe says despite your best efforts, no matter what you do he will walk out Revolution as a world champion and it’s a shame his opponents will suffer because of it.
AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Toni Storm (w/ Mariah May & Luther) vs. Red Velvet
Deonna Purrazzo joins commentary for this match and starts saying how she doesn’t know this Toni Storm, and she’s a stranger to her. They start with wrist control before Storm takes Red Velvet down with a side headlock takeover. Tony Schiavone tries to apologize to Deonna for their behavior, as Taz reminds us that Deonna used to be on his Taz Show back on CBS sports radio. Storm follows with a sit-out powerbomb for two, as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Velvet takes Storm down with a bulldog and knees to the back before hitting a standing moonsault press for two. Storm trips up Velvet sending her face-first into the corner, before hitting a hip attack and a DDT for a two. Storm dodges a corkscrew kick and puts on an ankle lock while staring down Deonna, as Velvet eventually taps out.
Winner: Toni Storm by submission at 7:48
Storm refuses to let go of the hold before Deonna joins the ring. They have a face-off, with Storm smelling Deonna, but Luther gets in between them to break them up as Storm leaves with Mariah May and Luther.
That’s Weird
Renee is backstage with Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero as Beretta says it’s weird that Cassidy is wrestling Tomohiro Ishii this Saturday on Collision. Renee asks if Orange is worried that they have to fight The Undisputed Kingdom first on Friday, and he says he’s not worried. Renee asks for an update on Chuck Taylor, as Orange says they will go check on him now.
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley) vs. Volador Jr., Hechicero & Mascara Dorada
We see CMLL luchadores Mistico, Star Jr. & Esfinge sitting in the crowd for this match. Hechicero and Bryan Danielson start the match, coming off of their great Collision match this past Saturday. They take it to the mat right away, as Hechicero leaves Danielson with a confused face after he pretzels him up. Claudio Castagnoli & Mascara Dorada tag in next as Dorada sends the bigger Claudio to the outside with head scissors. Volador Jr. and Jon Moxley go at it next, with Volador sending Moxley to the outside where he meets him with a tope suicida. All six men start fighting on the outside before the referee has to split them apart. Back inside, Moxley sends Volador to the outside and hits him with a tope suicida himself as they all start brawling again going picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Claudio hits the Giant Swing on Volador, before Moxley comes in and starts stomping away at him. Dorada tags in and starts going at both Moxley & Danielson before taking Claudio to the outside with a spinning head scissors as well before Hechicero & Volador hit dives to the outside. Dorada follows with a Shooting Star Press to them, off the middle rope. The CMLL guys stay in control before Dorada hits a 450 Splash on Danielson, which gets broken up by Moxley & Claudio. All six men start going at it, including a Busaiku Knee to Volador from Danielson before Hechicero takes him out with a springboard shoulder block. Hechicero & Claudio start trading kicks and punches before Hechicero starts twisting up Claudio. Danielson breaks it up with stomps, but Hechicero starts twisting Danielson up next with a Stretch Muffler. All six go at it again before Hechicero hits a Guillotine leg drop on Claudio for two. Claudio pushes Hechicero into the referee and uses this distraction to hit a low blow on Hechicero before rolling him up for the pin.
Winners: Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson) by pinfall at 14:41
Mistico, Star Jr. & Esfinge run in the ring, but AEW is quickly backed up as Matt Sydal, Christopher Daniels, Angelo Parker & Matt Menard run into the ring.
Get Well Soon, Chuck
We go to the back and we see Chuck Taylor is being attacked by The Undisputed Kingdom as Adam Cole tells him to ‘get well soon’.
Big Business
We go to Tony Khan in the back with his big announcement who talks about being excited and brings up AEW returning to Boston at TD Garden on March 13th and calls it an important night as it will be called Big Business, and calls it one of the most important nights in AEW history and one that everybody will remember.
Chris Jericho vs. Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis & Powerhouse Hobbs)
They start testing each other with shoulder blocks before Chris Jericho sends Konosuke Takeshita to the outside with a clothesline as Don Callis gets right in his face and smacks him to get into it. Jericho attacks Takeshita from behind, but he’s able to reverse it and whip Jericho into the barricade. Takeshita keeps it going with a brainbuster on the outside before sending Jericho back inside and hitting him with a senton. Powerhouse Hobbs trips up Jericho, causing Takeshita to take advantage but Sammy Guevara runs down and hits Hobbs with a chair, which doesn’t phase him. Hobbs tries to go after Guevara, but he takes him out with a cutter off the steel steps before going after him with a chair again. Jericho takes Takeshita to the outside, puts on Takeshita’s mask, and dives onto him on the outside as we go to picture-in-picture.
We come back with Takeshita in control, hitting Jericho with a dropkick that has him whiplash against the ropes, before diving onto Jericho on the outside. Inside, Jericho comes back with a Lionsault, but Takeshita is able to get his knees up. They go back and forth before Takeshita is able to deadlift Jericho up into a German Suplex. Takeshita runs the ropes before Jericho stops him with a Codebreaker for two. Jericho tries another Lionsault, but Takeshita grabs him and hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a close two. Jericho starts attacking Takeshita in the corner with the ten punches, but Takeshita slips out and hits an avalanche Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Jericho is able to dodge the knee from Takeshita and puts on the Lion Tamer, but Callis interferes and stabs Jericho with a screwdriver. Takeshita puts the Lion Tamer on himself, as Jericho taps out to end the match.
Winner: Konosuke Takeshita by submission at 13:51
AEW World Tag Team Championship Tornado Tag: Ricky Starks & Big Bill (c) vs. Darby Allin & Sting
We see Sting’s family is sitting ringside for this match, and they all brawling to start the match as there is a referee on the outside as well for this Tornado Tag match. Sting & Ricky Starks take it into the crowd right away as Sting keeps pushing Starks into the barricades. We see Big Bill walking through the crowd as well with Darby Allin on his back. Bill & Starks are attacking Darby by an entranceway, as we see Sting on top of it before he dives onto Bill & Starks before we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Starks & Darb are in the ring, and as Darby tries to dive onto Bill on the outside, he catches him right into a spinning Bossman slam. They announce that Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli will take on Esfinge & Star Jr. on Collision this Saturday. We see Bill slamming Darby down after a choke slam, before tossing him backward to the other side of the ring. Bill sets up a table, but Sting is able to dodge him in the ropes. Starks stops Sting with a Scorpion Death Drop, but Darby is there to break it up. Sting hits Bill with a pair of Stinger Splashes as Darby hits the Code Red on Bill. Darby takes out Bill on the outside with a Coffin Drop, as Sting dodges a dropkick from Starks and puts on the Scorpion Deathlock. Bill gets back into the ring with Darby on his back, but Darby pushes Bill off the apron onto the table on the outside. Starks tries to grab the bottom rope and eventually breaks out of the move as Starks dodges Sting in the corner, with Sting going right into the exposed turnbuckle. Starks looks conflicted but hits the spear on Sting anyway, as Sting kicks out at two. Sting blocks another spear attempt and hits the Scorpion Death Drop to get the pin and the win.
Winners: Sting & Darby Allin by pinfall at 13:19, to become NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions
The EVP Trigger
Sting’s sons join their dad and Darby in the ring to celebrate, but The Young Bucks enter the ring and attack them all with bats. Darby is busted open and the blood is all over the Bucks white outfits before they take out Darby with the BTE Trigger, which Excalibur says was told is now called the EVP Trigger. The Young Bucks stand in the middle of the ring as Darby, Sting, and his two sons are laid out in a pool of blood and confetti to end the show.
