AEW Dynamite
June 26, 2024
By: John Siino
KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
RESULTS
*Dark Match: EJ Nduka over Marcus Mathers
*Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & Titan over Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta via disqualification (10:52) (Recommended)
*Owen Hart Foundation: Jay White over Rey Fenix via pinfall (9:20) (Recommended)
*Mina Shirakawa, Toni Storm & Mariah May over Saraya, Harley Cameron & Anna Jay via pinfall (6:58)
*Zack Sabre Jr. over Kyle O’Reilly via submission (10:58) (Recommended)
*Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland over Gates of Agony via pinfall (10:06)
From Pillar To Backbone
The show starts with MJF making his way to the ring, but before he can say anything he gets interrupted by Buffalo’s own Daniel Garcia who gets a great reaction. MJF says he’s glad these people love Garcia but tells him to tread lightly. Garcia starts by thanking MJF for saving him next week (?) and says that since it’s Buffalo, everything here is his business. Garcia points to his family in the front row and says MJF will probably say something bad about this city or his family but Garcia is here to do something that nobody in the back has done to MJF before and that is say nice things.
MJF tells him to go on, as Garcia says he was watching MJF every single week as the longest reigning AEW World Champion of all time making history. They had a conversation where MJF saw Garcia as more than being a lackey and a background character, but as the same as himself; a pillar of AEW. MJF told Tony Khan if he had enough wins he’d challenge for the World Title, and when he did it was the most embarrassing moment of his whole life. That match motivated Garcia to go on the best run of his career and now he’s somebody that these people can respect and believe in. Garcia doesn’t want to settle to be the pillar but to be the backbone and the future that AEW is built on, and for that, he wants to thank MJF. Garcia tells MJF after all that, if MJF talks shit back he will look two-faced and have Buffalo go against him.
MJF says he didn’t come out here to talk trash to these fine people in Buffalo, but the reasons are to shamelessly shill Forbidden Door where he is challenging someone who looks like a poorly drawn comic book character in Hechicero before promoting his return to Collision on July 6th. His second reason was to ask Garcia to come out as he had a question for him, but before that, he wanted to say thank you and shake Garcia’s hand. MJF says everybody else was jealous but says none of them were talented enough to take his spot, but he knows one guy who’s getting closer and closer as he’s looking at Garcia. MJF says he gave Garcia the shot because he earned it and he reminds him of himself as two young very talented guys from New York. MJF says with all due respect he whipped Garcia’s ass without breaking a sweat, however since then Garcia has grown exponentially. MJF says maybe it’s time Garcia got one more shot at the king, but not just any shot, and proposes MJF vs. Daniel Garcia at Wembley Stadium for All In. Garcia starts saying that it is huge before he gets interrupted by Will Ospreay.
Ospreay says he appreciates Daniel Garcia and loves how he’s been racking up win after win to get a title shot for the AEW International Championship and says Garcia has lasted longer than he has in bed, before apologizing to his girlfriend. Ospreay says next week Garcia has the title shot, but he sweetens the deal by not only putting up the International Championship but the World Championship and putting out his hand which Garcia shakes and agrees. MJF looks upset in the corner, as commentary mentions him being upstaged by Ospreay. MJF says that’s a big opportunity for Garcia and says he needs to focus on that and leaves.
We cut to Swerve Strickland & Prince Nana in the back, as Swerve is asking why Ospreay is offering title opportunities before the match, and he doesn’t get him for putting the cart before the horse. Swerve says Ospreay better have his head on straight for tonight’s match, as the crowd is chanting that they can’t hear him.
Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & Titan)
Bryan Danielson joins the commentary table for this match with not only his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates but also his opponent for Forbidden Door in Shingo Takagi. NJPW referee Taito Nakabayashi is the official for this match. Claudio Castagnoli & Takagi start the match by running the ropes and testing each other’s power before going into a forearm exchange, followed by uppercuts from Claudio. They both tag out to Wheeler Yuta & Hiromu Takahashi, with Hiromu getting the upper hand before Los Ingobernables de Japon start triple-teaming on Yuta in the corner. Titan sends Yuta to the outside with a dropkick before hitting a tope suicida, head-first, sending him back inside for a two-count. Claudio enters and outpowers Titan before we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Shingo fights off both Claudio & Jon Moxley, before giving Yuta a brainbuster. Moxley & Shingo go at it until Shingo knocks Moxley down with a hard clothesline. Yuta & Hiromu go at it next with Yuta bouncing off the ropes and hitting a German Suplex, but Hiromu gets right back up and hits a Death Valley Driver for two. Hiromu puts Yuta in a dragon sleeper, but Moxley breaks it up with a chair shot as the match ends by disqualification.
Winners: Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi & Titan) by disqualification at 10:52
They continue to brawl after the match as Tetsuya Naito’s music hits as he takes his sweet time coming out and undressing, so Moxley just meets him up the ramp as they start brawling to the back. Shingo keeps attacking Yuta in the middle of the ring with elbows as Bryan Danielson leaves the announce table and enters the ring as Shingo backs off.
Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarter Final Match: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix
The match takes a while to start with everybody on the outside, so Rick Knox ejects Penta El Zero Miedo, Alex Abrahantes, Juice Robinson & The Gunns to the back. After a bit of back and forth, Jay White catches Rey Fenix off the ropes, but he comes right back with headscissors. Fenix dives off the top rope and hits an arm drag, sending White to the outside where he hits him with a tope. They battle on the outside for a bit, before White trips up Fenix as he was trying to jump up on the apron. White stays in control as we go to picture-in-picture.
We come back with White toying with Fenix who comes right back with chops. Fenix hits a Frog Splash but only gets a two, followed by a hurricanrana for another two. White hits a DDT followed by a sheer brainbuster for two of his own. White stays on top of Fenix, hitting a Uranage before setting up for the Blade Runner, but Fenix turns it into a roll-up for two. They counter each other back and forth before White finally hits the Blade Runner to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Jay White by pinfall at 9:20, to advance
The rest of the Bang Bang Gang come out with all their titles to celebrate, as they get interrupted by The Patriarchy. White & Christian Cage get into each other’s faces, before Cage and The Patriarchy back off.
The Elite’s Wild Card
We go to The Young Bucks in the back who address The Acclaimed for taking advantage of them last week by taking their titles and using them to win the match. They say they are still the AEW World Tag Team Champions, Kazuchika Okada is still the Continental Champion and Jack Perry will become TNT Champion after Forbidden Door. They talk about The Elite entering their own Wild Card in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament next week and win the AEW World Title as well, and take over the world.
Scissor Ace is Coming
The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn make their way to the ring, no rap from Max Caster, as we go to picture-in-picture.
Caster gets on the mic and says that last week they fought the ‘Young Cucks’ and the result surprised nobody because they pinned the tag team champions and earned themselves a title shot. They continue to call them ‘cucks’ which gets censored, and say they proved that they can’t run the TV production, the company right, or from a fight because The Acclaimed are getting their titles back. Anthony Bowens gets on the mic and says all they have to do is beat them one more time, and says the Bucks will have no excuses next time they come face-to-face and they have been discussing when to get their title shot.
They go to do their catchphrase but get cut off by Okada who comes out with the Young Bucks. Okada says ‘Scissor me, bitch’, before Matthew Jackson takes the mic from him. He gets booed, so Nicholas Jackson says Okada & the Bucks challenge The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn for Forbidden Door. Gunn says he can’t hear them over the boos but says he knows people in high places and knows a president, as we see Hiroshi Tanahashi on the screen which says ‘The Scissor Ace is coming to Forbidden Door’ as the match is made official for The Elite vs. The Acclaimed & Tanahashi.
Peppa Pig, Jr.
Renee Paquette is in the back with The Conglomeration of Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly. Briscoe starts talking about adding the TNT Championship to his other shoulder before talking about if there’ll be any Zack Sabre Jr. left for Orange Cassidy after he’s done with Kyle O’Reilly tonight. O’Reilly takes over and does his best Briscoe impersonation before Briscoe takes the reigns back and talks about fish & chips and calls Sabre ‘Peppa Pig’. Excalibur, unfortunately, doesn’t get the reference asking if he called him a ‘purple pig’.
Toni Storm, Mina Shirakawa & Mariah May vs. The Outcasts (Saraya & Harley Cameron) & Anna Jay
Mariah May comes out with Toni Storm, before going back in the tunnel just to come right back out with Mina Shirakawa. Mina & Anna Jay start the match as Mina showboats a bit before kicking Jay out from the corner, and teases to tag out to Storm, before tagging May instead. Harley Cameron tags in and starts working on May with elbows, but she comes back with a spinning sidewalk slam before being conflicted on who to tag out to first, as Mina & Storm both say ‘she’s mine’ and try to tag each other in, as Saraya & Jay attack them off the aprons as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Storm tags in and goes after The Outcasts, taking out Saraya with a German Suplex followed by the Hip Attack in the corner. Mina tags herself in as Cameron tags in with a backstabber, but May is there to break up the count. All six women run in now and go at it before Mina hits a spinning back fist on Cameron followed by the Mina Driver for the pin and the win.
Winners: Mina Shirakawa, Toni Storm & Mariah May by pinfall at 6:58
May grabs champagne and hands them to Storm & Mina, who toast and drink together. Storm & May start dancing, and Mina grabs a bottle of champagne to attack Storm with, but she ducks and Mina knocks out May instead. They get into each other’s faces before officials keep them apart, and tell them to save it for Sunday.
2 Belts Mone’
We see a video promoting Mercedes Mone’ vs. Stephanie Vaquer for Forbidden Door, in a title vs. title match for the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship & the AEW TBS Championship. We get a ‘bitch’ in there from Mercedes, of course.
We cut to Mercedes in the back who says she flew all the way to Mexico to watch Vaquer’s title match but asks where Vaquer is tonight. Mercedes says she heard Vaquer has a match on Collision right here in Buffalo, so she will sit ringside for that match and she will become ‘2 Belts Mone’ after Sunday.
Hi, Suzuki!
Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith come to the ring next, with Keith’s arm in a sling after the attack from last week from Hook, Samoa Joe & Katsuyori Shibata. Bill mentions how they were challenged, but now don’t have their third man available in Keith, but in the words of Jericho about one door closing, another ‘forbidden’ door opens. Jericho gets on the mic and says he is in AEW for the young guys to help their careers and they have found another partner. Jericho says they have a video from him, that they haven’t watched yet as they want to watch it together with their branches before cutting to it. We see Minoru Suzuki on the screen who says he understands Jericho wants him as a partner, but Suzuki says he doesn’t want to be Jericho’s partner but wants to wrestle him one-on-one. Suzuki continues that he wants nothing to do with The Learning Tree and tells Jericho to put his FTW Championship on the line and fight him. Bryan Keith starts yelling about how Jericho isn’t a chicken as Joe, Hook & Shibata make their way to the ring. Joe says they went back and watched every Learning Tree segment to get to knock them better as we cut to Shibata’s phone that says ‘Oh brother, this guy sucks’. They start brawling, as The Learning Tree gets chased out of the ring.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Orange Cassidy joins commentary, as we see The Undisputed Kingdom in the crowd along with Gabe Kidd. Cassidy doesn’t really know what to say and calls Kyle O’Reilly ‘cool’ before Taz asks him why Orange and not Purple Cassidy, as Orange tells him to ask his mother why she named him that. They quickly try and take each other down before coming to a standstill that gets a good reaction from Buffalo. As Orange slowly rambles on, O’Reilly & Zack Sabre Jr. work on trying to take each other down on the mat. They announce that Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong will team up to face The Infantry on Rampage this Friday. Sabre continues to work on O’Reilly’s limbs as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, O’Reilly is kicking away at Sabre, knocking him down. They start going back and forth on the ropes before O’Reilly suplexes Sabre right into an armbreaker, but he’s able to roll out of it and puts on an ankle lock on O’Reilly, who reverses it into one of his own. They battle hard back and forth until Sabre runs right into a kick from O’Reilly as we see Roderick Strong & Gabe Kidd disagreeing a bit in the audience. O’Reilly & Sabre start trading smacks, before Sabre traps on the arm breaker, as O’Reilly taps out.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. by submission at 10:58
Orange Cassidy enters the ring, as do The Undisputed Kingdom who pushed Cassidy away so they can check on O’Reilly instead. Cassidy & Sabre got into each other’s faces before Robbie Eagles & Shane Haste came out to be by Sabre’s side. Tomohiro Ishii then comes out and stands side by side with Cassidy.
They announced Beach Break will happen next week in Chicago for AEW Dynamite, presented by Shark Week.
Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) vs. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
Local Buffalo wrestler Kevin Blackwood is seen during Gates of Agony’s entrance as they pass him their garbs. Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland have a bit of a scuffle as they try to decide who will start, but Paul Turner starts the match anyway as Gates of Agony starts attacking Swerve & Ospreay until it’s just Ospreay & Bishop Kaun in the ring. Swerve & Ospreay try to take out Gates of Agony, but end up facing off with each other as Toa Liona takes them both out. Gates of Agony continue to double team on Swerve as Prince Nana gets the crowd behind Swerve as we go to picture-in-picture.
Gates of Agony continues to double-team on Swerve before he is finally able to fight them off and make the hot tag to Ospreay. Ospreay fights them both off before hitting a standing Shooting Star Press on Kaun for a two, goes to the top rope but gets stopped by Liona as Kaun runs up and hits an avalanche Jackhammer that Swerve is there to break up the count for. Swerve knocks Liona to the outside where he takes him out with a Swerve Stomp as Ospreay teases the Tiger Driver on Kaun, but Kaun breaks out of it. During all this confusion, Ospreay knocks Swerve off the apron by accident. Swerve & Ospreay finally get on the same page and double-team on Liona as Ospreay hits an Os Cutter just for Liona to kick out. Swerve holds down Kaun and snaps his arm, as Ospreay takes out Liona with the Hidden Blade to get the pin and the win.
Winners: Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland by pinfall at 10:06
Ospreay grabs both belts again like last week, but this time Swerve takes Ospreay out with the House Call.
FINAL THOUGHTS: “There’s a lot going on”
After the conclusion (confusion?) of the Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Kyle O’Reilly match where there were 10 wrestlers in the ring, Taz said a line that could sum up the majority of tonight’s show; ‘There’s a lot going on here’. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not a good thing. I understand them trying to reintroduce a lot of NJPW talent as we are that much closer to Forbidden Door, but with the lack of reaction or excitement from this Buffalo crowd, a lot of it fell flat. This mixed with the fact that they were teasing and announcing matches for not only Forbidden Door, but Collision, Beach Break, and All In while also trying to juggle the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and keep the Blood & Guts still on our minds as well as other matches with no clear destination, makes me possibly want to break out a chart to try and figure out what’s happening where. The in-ring action was strong as ever, as it always will be for AEW, but I feel like they were trying to throw too many things for us to try and figure out. For example, they tease the Tag Team Title match just for them to swerve us and insert Hiroshi Tanahashi into the match making it a six-man instead. Then Minoru Suzuki is randomly inserted into this Learning Tree story, and they head into a singles match for Chris Jericho instead. Don’t get me started on the O’Reilly/ZSJ segment where there were ten different people involved and nobody really knows who was siding with who during it all. I hope they got all the silliness out of the way between Storm & Mina, and their match is the banger that it could be for Forbidden Door. I know it’s silly to complain when these will surely all be great matches, but it feels like they just need to slow down a little bit and focus on one show and one feud at a time.
