AEW Dynamite
August 21st, 2024
By: John Siino
Utilita Arena Cardiff in Cardiff, Wales
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
RESULTS
*Dark: Michael Oku (w/ Amira) over Serpentico
*Chris Jericho over Tommy Billington via pinfall (9:25)
*AEW Women’s Title: Toni Storm (c) over Saraya via pinfall (8:39)
*AEW Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli went to a time-limit draw (20:00) (Recommended)
*Darby Allin & FTR over Jack Perry & The Young Bucks via pinfall (9:56)
The CEO x DMD Contract Signing
The show starts with Tony Schiavone in the ring for the TBS Championship Match for All In contract signing between Dr. Britt Baker DMD and the champion Mercedes Mone’ who comes out with Kamille. Schiavone reminded them that they both agreed to no physical contact tonight as this Cardiff crowd erupted into a big DMD chant. A CEO chant tries to stop but gets drowned out with boos right away. Mercedes talks about the truth, being that Baker is the past and that she will forever be the future before she signs the contract. Baker brings up Mercedes wobbling into Wembley Stadium last year on crutches to watch her wrestle, and that before there was ever a CEO, there was a DMD.
Mercedes calls Baker a loser, as the crowd chants for her to ‘shut the fuck up’. Mercedes says they are all fans who paid to see her before calling Baker her biggest fan and inspired her to be a wrestler before asking her if she’s really ‘All In’ since she had to go and get a degree. Baker comes back saying that while Mercedes was 1 of 4, Baker was always one of one and called herself the baddest bitch on the block. She admits that she used to admire Mercedes but that girl went away and only cares about money now, but she hopes that Mercedes finds that girl again and fast, because that’s the girl she wants to say she was able to beat at All In. Baker says she is going to follow the rules they agreed to by not hitting Mercedes, but says Kamille is getting on her nerves and knocks her over the head with the microphone. Kamille ends up sitting on Mercedes as Baker takes them both out with a crossbody off the table, before holding up the TBS Championship.
The Dynamite Kid On Dynamite
‘The Remarkable’ Renee Paquette is in the back with Chris Jericho, Bryan Keith & Big Bill and asks Jericho for any final thoughts before his match against Tommy Billington. Jericho talks about how he was thinking hard during his flight to ‘Cardiff, England’ and asks Billington what gives him the right to call himself the ‘Dynamite Kid’, and says he hasn’t even earned the right to be on Dynamite. Jericho says he doesn’t think he’s as good as the original Dynamite Kid and hopes Hook is watching as this is just a preview of what he will do to him at Wembley Stadium.
Chris Jericho (w/ Big Bill & Bryan Keith) vs. Tommy Billington
Tommy Billington starts with a pair of arm drags as Chris Jericho immediately starts getting frustrated. Billington continues by running the ropes and taking down Jericho with a shoulder tackle and a body slam before he heads to the top rope to hit a dropkick. Billington starts tossing Jericho outside around the barricades, but as Aubrey Edwards is distracted by attending to Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith attack Billington, going into picture-in-picture.
When we return they both go at it with crossbodies, but Jericho takes control and hits the Lionsault for a two. Jericho continues and puts on the Liontamer, but Billington is able to grab the bottom rope. Billington comes back with a snap suplex and a Tombstone piledriver, but instead of going for the cover he decides to go to the top rope and take out Keith with a dive to the outside before going after Bill. Billington now tries to hit a flying headbutt back inside, but Jericho stops him with a Code Breaker to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Chris Jericho by pinfall at 9:25
Jericho gets on the mic and calls Hook a stupid bastard and says he will do the same to him at All In and if he was right there right now he would rip him apart branch by branch by branch by branch, as Hook’s music hits, as he makes his way down to the ring. Hook gets right in Jericho’s face, but Big Bill takes out Hook from behind and hits him with a huge chokeslam, ahead of their one-on-one match this coming Saturday for Collision.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Saraya (w/ Harley Cameron)
This is coming off of Saraya saying she never got her rematch, and Toni Storm giving it to her with the story being that it could cost her, her spot for All In this Sunday. Storm is fully in her Timeless character and is able to outsmart Saraya in the beginning and is able to taunt her as Saraya goes to regroup on the apron. Saraya catches Storm on the apron, and as Harley Cameron attacks Storm on the outside, Saraya takes her out with a cannonball, going into picture-in-picture.
Upon return, Storm is punching away, before hitting a DDT and a Fisherman’s Suplex to get a two. Saraya stops a Storm Zero attempt, by hitting the Knight Cap for two. They head to the top rope where Saraya hits a flipping powerbomb followed by a DDT, but Storm is able to grab the bottom rope to break up the count. Storm comes back with a Sky High for two, as Cameron gets on the apron, just for Storm to give her a kiss before Saraya accidentally takes her out with a punch. Storm then gives Saraya a kiss, followed by Storm Zero to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Toni Storm by pinfall at 8:39, to retain
As soon as the match ends, Mariah May runs in and takes out Storm with a shoe.
Back to Renee who is in the back with The Conglomeration along with Willow Nightingale as Mark Briscoe starts hyping up All In, and says he, Orange Cassidy & Kyle O’Reilly will be in the Casino Gauntlet Match before suggesting a match for Collision.
The Facts & The Feeling
Will Ospreay comes to the ring to a huge reaction here for his face-to-face with AEW American Champion MJF, who isn’t as well-liked here in Cardiff unsurprisingly. Ospreay jokingly tells them to give MJF a reaction before saying it’s odd for an Englishman to get cheered here in Wales and starts comparing this to the British sitcom ‘Gavin & Stacey’, before naming all the small venues he wrestled in here. Ospreay moves on to talk about All In and calls himself Barry Scott because it’ll be like ‘Bang and the dirt is gone’.
MJF goes to talk and gets ‘who are ya’ and ‘shut the fuck up’ chants, to which he responds with ‘No’. MJF talks about coming back early from injury before he was fully rehabilitated, and the reason is that he was begged by the top brass in AEW & Warner Bros Discovery to clean up Ospreay’s mess. Ospreay talks about the joke of MJF being the world champion here went on for too long, and nobody talked about MJF’s match last year being an epic match but ‘two friends jerking each other off’. Ospreay continues saying that he wasn’t even signed back then but Tony Khan called him to sign him regardless of the ‘3,000 people he already has signed’ and told Ospreay to please put on a wrestling match as he can’t rely on his world champion MJF to do it. Ospreay continues saying this is more than about restoring the feeling, as he is the feeling.
MJF takes over and says he doesn’t care about these people as they are meaningless, and he only does what Americans do best, winning. MJF said he actually believed that ‘curly-haired dork’ when he said the company was in Ospreay’s hands, before asking Ospreay who the hell he is and the fans only know who he is because they are red-coated terrorists. MJF brings up how so many people think he is the best while only the fans here who know nothing, think Ospreay is the best and say they know nothing about professional wrestling since they like Ospreay’s matches. MJF starts running down his accolades and when they talk about this generation of wrestling he’ll be ace, while Ospreay is second place. MJF says Ospreay has the Tiger Driver in the chamber, being the only move that can beat him but Ospreay is not man enough to pull the trigger. Ospreay tells MJF to go all over Europe and to ask them who the best wrestler in the world is, and they will say Ospreay. In Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and America they will also all say Ospreay and that’s why he can’t lose in front of his wife and kids while it took 4 years for MJF to win them over, it took him 4 beats to his music to win them over.
MJF snaps back and says the fans all loved him until Ospreay came in and ruined it but admits he can never be like Ospreay being a role model to fans the world over, a great husband, a great father, and a great professional wrestler. In every way he fell short of being the face of AEW, Ospreay manned up and did it, however before the show tonight he got to spend a little time with Osprey’s wife and that ‘so-called kid’ of his, and gave one more fact to Ospreay, that he has a feeling after he had with Ospreay’s wife that the next kid she has won’t be Ospreay’s either. Security is surrounding the ring as Ospreay asks Tony Schiavone to ask Tony Khan how much the fine is if he attacks MJF, which Schiavone tells him 100,000 pound Sterling or $127,000. Ospreay says it’s worth it and starts attacking MJF. Security tries to keep them apart, but MJF takes out Ospreay with the Dynamite Diamond ring, before taking out security as well. MJF continues attacking Ospreay, busting him up, and hitting a brainbuster before mockingly doing the three count. MJF goes to hit the Tiger Driver, but security and Christopher Daniels run in and stop him.
Hangman Enters The Casino Gauntlet
After the break, Renee talks about a backstage altercation happening where ‘Hangman’ Adam Page was then asked to leave the building. Before leaving, Page says he did what he had to do to make sure he was in the Casino Gauntlet. Page then stops Evil Uno and asks him if he knows who else is in it, as Uno excitedingly says he is himself. Page takes out Uno with a chair and says he doesn’t care who else is in it, as he will take them out.
AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli
They start the match by testing each other with lock-ups, before Claudio Castagnoli traps Kazuchika Okada against the ropes and teases hitting him with an uppercut, but doesn’t do it. Schiavone brings up how Claudio will be appearing in the CMLL International Gran Prix this weekend. They start running the ropes, before Okada takes Claudio down hard with a clothesline, going into picture-in-picture.
When we return, Claudio is able to hit a deadlift vertical suplex to Okada, before attacking him in the corner with uppercuts. They announce that Claudio will team up with PAC & Wheeler Yuta to take on Top Flight & Lio Rush on Collision, to see who will be the wild card in the London Ladders trios match for All In. They start exchanging forearms until Okada gets knocked down, but he’s able to come right back with a DDT. Okada continues with a neckbreaker and tries to go for the Tombstone, but Claudio stops it with an uppercut before clotheslining Okada and himself to the outside. Okada sends Claudio into the barricade, then back in the ring as we go back to break.
After the break, Claudio hits a gut wrench suplex and a stomp for two. Claudio tries to climb the turnbuckle, but Okada stops him with a dropkick, sending Claudio to the outside. Okada then goes to climb, but Claudio this time stops him with a pair of uppercuts and tries a superplex but gets headbutted off. Okada leaps over Claudio, hits a John Woo dropkick, and body slam, heads to the top rope and a top rope elbow drop, but doesn’t go for the cover. Okada does his Rainmaker pose flipping the crowd off, before stepping over Claudio. Claudio gets right back up and hits the Giant Swing, goes to run the ropes but gets stopped with a dropkick right to the face. Claudio is able to duck a Rainmaker attempt and hits a springboard uppercut, but Okada comes right back with a neckbreaker. They start trading forearms, as Bobby Cruise announces one minute left in this match, as the crowd boos a little bit before clapping them on. Back and forth, but a pop-up uppercut from Claudio, sends Okada spilling to the outside. Claudio tries to pull him back in, stomps on him and goes for the pin, but Okada kicks out as the time shortly runs out.
Winner: The match ends in a time-limit draw. As a result, Kazuchika Okada retains (20:00)
The Young Bucks & Jack Perry immediately make their way out and say that the match was phenomenal but ask the crowd if they would like to see Claudio & Okada go five more minutes. Matthew Jackson though says unfortunately that won’t happen because Okada’s contract said he had to wrestle for 20 minutes, not 25 and since they are EVPs they are sticklers for the rules, and tells Claudio great effort, maybe next time and asks him to remove himself from the ring as they have a match. They continue saying if they have to, they will physically remove him from the ring, but Darby Allin’s music hits as we go into our main event.
The Elite (Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson & Jack Perry) vs. Darby Allin & FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
All six men start brawling before the bell rings, as Claudio & Okada brawl their way to the back. Dax Harwood & Jack Perry enter the ring, as the official first two to start the match. Darby Allin ends up taking out Perry on the outside with a tope as The Young Bucks dive onto FTR on the outside, followed by a Coffin Drop to them from Darby. The Bucks followed with a Doomsday Device kick maneuver on Darby, going into picture-in-picture.
We come back, and Dax takes Matthew to the outside with a clothesline, before hitting a couple of German Suplexes on Perry, followed by a brainbuster for two. FTR sets up for the Shatter Machine, but The Elite are able to stop it as Cash Wheeler goes after all three of them, but the Bucks stop a Gory Special attempt from Wheeler to Perry. Wheeler ducks an EVP Trigger, as the Bucks go crashing into each other. All six men go at it now, as FTR both put on Sharpshooters while Darby puts on the Scorpion Deathlock. The Elite escape and all take their titles and start the leave, but Wheeler stops them with a wild suicide dive. Superkicks to all from Nicholas Jackson, but Darby stops him with a Code Red. Perry then stops Darby with a Scorpion Death Drop but misses the running knee strike and walks right into a Shatter Machine. FTR follows with the Power & Glory to Matthew, followed by a Coffin Drop from Darby to get the pin and the win.
Winners: Darby Allin & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) by pinfall at 9:56
The Elite start to leave through the crowd, as The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn make their way out to the ramp. Max Caster starts mocking FTR & The Young Bucks calling them the Royal Family, but gives them a lot of credit for being considered the best tag teams in the sport, but neither could beat them recently and the same thing will happen at All In. Anthony Bowens mentions as bad as they want to go down there and beat them again, they have nothing to prove but at All In they will fight until they are the next AEW World Tag Team Champions.
Do It
Renee in the back is getting a word with Will Ospreay, who is still all bloody, Before he can say anything, Bryan Danielson stops him and tells Ospreay to ‘do it’.
The Final Showdown
Nigel McGuinness is in the ring to moderate the ‘final showdown’ between Swerve Strickland & Bryan Danielson. Nigel gives an over-the-top introduction to Swerve who comes out with Prince Nana. Nigel goes to introduce Danielson, but instead starts talking down on him calling him ‘The Neck Break Kid’ and asks Swerve how it feels to go into this match as the overwhelming favorite. Swerve says he is the most dangerous man in AEW because of the pain he endures and inflicts and the people he defeated to get here and keep this world championship.
Swerve starts naming them; Hangman Page (twice), Jay White, Konosuke Takeshita, Samoa Joe, Claudio Castagnoli, Christian Cage, and the man who put Bryan Danielson’s neck in jeopardy, Will Ospreay. Swerve says he is going to dissect Danielson head-to-toe at All In and as much as he appreciates Danielson, he still can’t help but feel disrespected by him about saying lately that he’s ready to retire and be a family man, as he feels that him trying to take that away from Swerve. Swerve says he is taking that moment from Danielson and will do something to him that will make sure he’s not capable of getting into the ring. Swerve starts talking about how Danielson maybe wants to do an independent show without knowing he is there to beat him down or wrestle in Mexico under a mask, but he’ll be there in the streets of Mexico to beat him down. Swerve starts talking about Danielson’s family, which causes him to run out and take out Swerve with a Busaiku Knee.
Danielson gets on the mic and says he doesn’t come out here and talk about himself for 20 minutes, but he knows the truth about who he is and says the truth is that he’s ‘the best fucking wrestler in the world’ and he has been for the last 20 years. So Swerve thinks he can cripple him in front of his daughter, then this Sunday at Wembley Stadium in front of the fans who have paid to see him, for the last 25 years, for his peers who he has traveled the road with for the last 25 years, and in front of his family, his wife, his son, his daughter, Swerve will have to damn near kill himself, because he is going to leave his soul in the ring. Excalibur goes off about how this is what Jeff Jarrett, Eddie Kingston & the world wanted to see. Danielson says tonight there’s been a lot of wrestling and fighting, but there’s only one question left; ‘Can Bryan Danielson, the American fucking Dragon beat Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship?’, which prompts a ‘Yes’ chant. They know the answer and Swerve knows the answer, as Taz says ‘The dragon is awake’.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It was great to see Dynamite with a full, loud, and rowdy crowd throughout, that really makes me wish AEW would continue doing their weekly shows in countries that they haven’t before because it certainly shows their appetite. The in-ring segments were much stronger than the wrestling this week, with my only recommended match being the Continental Championship match, despite it being a draw, for what I figure might set up a rematch for All Out.
