AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen
July 27, 2022
Worcester, MA (DCU Center)
Report by: Josh Boutwell
Interim AEW World Heavyweight Championship
“El Toro Blanco” RUSH w/Jose the Assistant vs. “Death Rider” Jon Moxley (c) w/William Regal
Rush defeated his brother Dragon Lee at this past weekend’s AEW Death Before Dishonor PPV. This is the first time Moxley and Rush have been in the ring together. Rush attacks Moxley as he was making his entrance and throws him into the barricade. Rush rolls Moxley in the ring and puts the boots to him in the corner. Rush whips Moxley into the opposite corner and hits a clothesline and a Splash followed by a Basement Dropkick before putting the champ in a Sleeper. He starts biting Moxley leading to Moxley rolling back out to the floor.
Rush slams Moxley into a chair at ringside and Moxley’s forehead is busted open. Rush starts rubbing Moxley’s blood on himself as he slams him into the barricade repeatedly. Rush tries to hit Moxley with a chair but Moxley moves out of the way and then hits a Tope Suicida slamming Rush into the barricade as he was taunting the crowd. Moxley Suplexes Rush on the floor and headbutts Rush repeatedly followed by slamming him into the ring steps.
In the ring, Moxley stands on Rush’s face in the corner and then they exchange chops. Rush hits a Superkick and a Snap Powerslam for a nearfall. Rush gets in the referee’s face before turning his attention back to the champ. He chokes Moxley on the ropes and drags him back out to the floor where he chokes Moxley with a camera cable.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Back from the break Moxley hits a Superplex off the top. Both men are down and get back to their feet at the same time leading to another exchange of strikes. Moxley ends the sequence with a big King Kong Lariat but when he goes for another one, Rush avoids it and hits a Snap German. Moxley gets out of a submission and stomps Rush’s face. He goes up top but Rush crotches him and goes for a Superplex only for Moxley to bite him and knock him off. Jose distracts the referee allowing Andrade to run down and crotch Moxley on the top.
Lucha Brothers run down and chase Andrade and Jose through the crowd. Moxley rolls Rush up for a nearfall. Moxley hits another King Kong Lariat but Rush comes back with a Leaping Knee. He hits the Straight Jacket Piledriver but Rush still manages to kick out. Rush goes for the Bull’s Horns but Moxley moves and puts him in a Rear Naked Choke. Rush escapes but misses a dropkick and eats the Death Rider! 1…2…NO Rush kicks out! Moxley immediately locks in a Rear Naked Choke and transitions into the Bulldog Choke for the submission.
Winner & STILL Interim Champ: Moxley via submission (Bulldog Choke)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Rush has a reputation of not wanting to look weak and not wanting to do jobs, so getting him to tap here was a bit surprising. Rush is at his best in brawls and so is Moxley and this match fit them perfectly. It was super physical and entertaining the whole way through. ***)
The Jericho Appreciation Society comes out and Jericho congratulates him on beating Rush. He says Moxley has been on a roll but the roll he’s been on pales in comparison to the roll JAS is on. He says Daniel Garcia is going to kick in Bryan Danielson’s head and Sammy Guevara is going to annihilate Dante Martin. Anna Jay says she is the new Anna Jay calling herself “Anna JAS” and calls herself the sexiest and toughest woman in AEW. She says she’ll choke out everyone in the arena. Jericho says that is the kind of intensity he had when Eddie Kingston brutalized him. He says his nose is broken and talks about the barbed wire and says that he will beat Moxley and get his title back. He says that he is demanding his rematch for the title and challenges him for the title in two weeks on Dynamite.
Moxley says he used to look up to Jericho but he hates him. He says in his own way he is the GOAT in wrestling but he’s so sick of all this “sports entertainment crap” and calls it pathetic. He says this isn’t the “world entertainment championship of the galaxy” and says it’s the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship and if he has the balls to get in the ring with Moxley alone he’s got the match. He says he doesn’t want the Wizard or La Champeon or anything else, he wants to see the guy from Super J-Cup, he wants “LION HEART!” “If I’m going to defend this title, I want the lsat survivor of the Hart Dungeon, I want ‘Lion Heart’ Chris Jericho!,” Moxley says.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: “Lion Heart” is the only Jericho I want to see. All these other alter egos are nothing compared to the OG Jericho.)
Excalibur introduces the beautiful new AEW Trios Championships, which will be crowned at All Out!
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: FINALLY! The belts that AEW needed to debut instead of that damn All-Atlantic Title to begin with. Does this mean Omega is cleared?!)
Backstage, Dante Martin says that Sammy Guevara can’t hack it on the roster anymore and that’s why he went crawling back to Jericho. He says he’ll have Skye Blue in his corner tonight to counter Tay Conti.
FTW Championship
“Absolute” Ricky Starks (c) vs. Danhausen
Starks got a special introduction video bfore he came out. Danhausen surprises Starks with a Pump Kick and a Northern Lights Suplex for two. He went for a La Magistral Cradle but Starks kicks him and goes for the Spear. Danhausen sidesteps it and Starks hits the turnbuckle. Starks sells the neck and Danhausen rolls him up for two but Starks comes right back with the Spear for the pin.
Winner & STILL FTW Champ: Starks via pinfall (Spear)
Starks continues to grab his neck but he says he’s got plenty left in the tank and asks for another challenge, which is accepted by… HOOK!
FTW Championship
“Absolute” Ricky Starks (c) vs. HOOK
Starks gets in HOOK’s face and HOOK nails him with a series of body shots followed by a Pump Handle Suplex. Starks comes back with a series of strikes and a Back Suplex. He goes for a Hip Toss but HOOK flips onto his feet and goes for the El Camino. Starks counters and Spears the shit out of HOOK! Starks goes for Roshambo but HOOK escapes into the Red Rum! Starks tries to roll through but HOOK hangs on and Starks taps! Starks fist bumps HOOK after the match.
Winner & NEW FTW Champ: HOOK via submission (Red Rum)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: This may have legitimately been the most entertaining match I’ve ever seen under five minutes. The crowd was hot as hell and they did a ton in that short sequence with the finish palying into the previous match, as well. Taz being on commentary was cool, as well. ***)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Tony Schiavone interviews Starks and questions his decision to do the second match. Starks says he is no stranger to losing and he says that he was given that title when everyone said it was a noose and he brought it back to prominence. He says that he turned coal into a diamond and says he exceeded all expectations. Starks says people in the back tell him to be patient and wait his turn but he doesn’t want to hear that anymore. He says his gotdamn time is right now. Starks says he doesn’t want people to say he had a string of bad luck but before he can say anything else Hobbs clotheslines him! Hobbs hits a Spinebuster!
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Terrific promo from Starks, you can tell AEW sees a star in this kid and rightfully so. The turn from Hobbs was interesting and unexpected, so it will be cool to see where this goes.)
“The Spanish God” Sammy Guevara w/Tay Conti vs. Dante Martin w/Skye Blue
Sammy and Martin speed things up right off the bat with some great counters. Sammy gets the better of the opening sequence with a dropkick and he taunts Martin. Martin leapfrogs Sammy twice and hits a dropkick of his own. Sammy blindsides Martin and throws him to the floor but as Sammy went for a dive Martin leaped back in the ring. Martin kicks Sammy and goes for a dive of his own only to moonsault back into the ring as Sammy dove back into the ring to avoid a dive.
Sammy decides he’s had enough and starts walking up the ramp only for Martin to blindside him and shove him off the ramp. Martin dives off the stage with an INSANE Somersault Plancha onto Sammy!
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Martin backdrops Sammy over the top to the floor and Martin goes for a Springboard Plancha but eats a Flying Knee from Guevara in midair! Guevara hits the Fosbury Flop onto Martin on the floor. In the ring, Sammy hits a Standing Spanish Fly for two. Guevara goes for the GTH but Martin escapes and gets a backslide for two. Guevara misses the Knee Strike and Martin backflips over a charging Guevara before hitting a Reverse Suplex for two.
Martin goes for the Nosedive but Guevara leaps up to the top and crotches him. Guevara attempts a Superplex but Martin lands on his feet and hits a Spanish Fly as Guevara charged at him for two! Martin hits a Sitout Half Nelson Slam for two. Martin goes for the Nosedive again but Guevara sidesteps him and hits the Sammy Cutter off the top! Sammy hits the GTH for the pin.
Winner: Guevara via pinfall (GTH)
(JOSH’s 2 CENTS: Some of the sequences they did in this match were just insane. It was nothing but a spot fest but it was fun as hell. ***)
Guevara continues to beat on Martin until Skye Blue gets between them. Conti and Blue get in each other’s faces and Anna Jay runs out and attacks Blue. She and Conti beat her down until Ruby Soho, Ortiz and Eddie Kingston run them off.
Backstage, Daniel Garcia taunts Danielson asking him if he’s been playing in his garden the lst two months, while Garcia has been busting his ass in the ring. He says that he’s going to send Danielson back to his garden tonight.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Backstage, Jay Lethal says that Samoa Joe beat him with an illegal choke at the PPV but says he doesn’t want to talk about that anymore. He says they have some unfinished business with Best Friends. They walk up and say they’re free on Friday and challenge them to a match, except for Sonjay because they say they know he doesn’t have it anymore. Sonjay gets pissed and accepts the match and then freaks out when they walk away asking what the hell he just did. Sonjay hasn’t wrestle since 2017.
Tony Schiavone interviews Jungle Boy with Luchasaurus in the ring. Jungle Boy calls Christian the biggest pussy he’s ever met and says that he and Luchasaurus made him the most relevant he’s been in his career. He says he didn’t get what Christian was so angry about at first and says he didn’t believe his reasoning about eliminating Christian in a Battle Royal a year ago, and says that he realized that the real reason is he was upset because he needs the money from that win because his wife had just divorced his bitch ass. Jungle Boy reveals that Luchasaurus sided with Christian because he was protecting Christian for Jungle Boy, because he wants to be the one to take him out.
Jungle Boy starts talking about burying his dad but Christian appears on the screen and cuts him off. Christian says that Luchasaurus’ future would have been nothing but gold by his side but he threw it all away to be Jungle Boy’s lap dog. He says he ran away because he was scared of what he would do to Jungle Boy if he stayed. He says he hasn’t seen anything yet and he says he will put him in a bodybag and won’t have to worry about him disrespecting his dead father anymore because he’ll be ride beside him. He says that he knows all Jungle Boy’s secrets and now he’ll pray on his weakness.
In the back, the Young Bucks are told about the trios titles backstage and they walk up on Hangman Page. Before they can start talking, Dark Order walks up and they separate.
Handicap Match
Swerve Strickland vs. Tony Nese & Smart Mark Sterling
Swerve brawls with Nese on the outside and then goes for a dive but Sterling hits him from behind allowing Nese to slam him on the apron.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Nese has Swerve in a Body Scissors until Swerve punches his way out of it. Sterling distracts him again allowing Nese to hit him from behind. Nese misses a clothesline and Swerve Pump Kicks him into Nese forcing a tag. Swerve hits a Flying Elbow to Nese in the corner followed by a Diving Uppercut to the back of a seated Nese. Swerve tosses Nese to the apron and Superkicks him in the face causing him to hang upside down where he eats a Slingshot Stomp! Swerve chases Sterling into the ring and hits a Flying Back Kick for the pin.
Winner: Swerve via pinfall (Flying Back Kick)
In the back, Keith Lee has been laid out by former ROH star Josh Woods, who Tony Nese has been scouting. Swerve sees it on the screen and Nese hits him from behind with one of the tag titles.
Malakai Black and Brody King cut a promo on Miro and Darby Allin. King challenges Allin to a Coffin Match.
Highlights of PAC defending the All-Atlantic Title in England against Connor Mills last week is shown.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
AEW World Women’s Championship
Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Miyu Yamashita
Yamashita pinned Rosa in Japan for TJPW earlier this month to earn this title shot. Rosa and Yamashita mat wrestle to start things off and then they speed things up with some arm drags and counters. They exchange nearfalls and eventually come to a stalemate and stare each other down. Rosa kicks Yamashita but she blocks an uppercut and backdrops Rosa over the top. She charges at Rosa but Rosa catches her with a knee in midair and drags her to the apron where she goes for a Suplex only for Yamashita to escape and sweep her legs.
Yamashita misses a Punt Kick and Rosa kicks her on the floor. Rosa slams her into the barricade and throws her into the apron but Yamashita bounces off the apron into a Flying Back Kick.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Rosa hits a Corner Dropkick and drapes Yamashita cross the ropes and dropkicks her. Rosa hits another Flying Dropkick followed by a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Rosa goes to the top but Yamashita kicks her off the top. They exchange elbows until Yamashita hits a Roundhouse Kick. She hits a Flying Knee but Rosa catches her with a Cazadora attempt only to eat a Wheelbarrow Suplex from Yamashita for two. Yamashita hits a Springboard Flying Back Kick and then the Skull Kick for two!
Yamashita goes for a Fireman’s Carry but Rosa rolls her up for two. Yamashita reverses into a nearfall of her own and then hits a Spinning Head Kick followed by a Spinning Back Kick. Yamashita goes for a Shining Wizard but Rosa moves and hits a Flying Knee. Rosa hits a Roundhouse Kick and the Fire Thunder Driver for the pin.
Winner & STILL Women’s Champ: Rosa via pinfall (Fire Thunder Driver)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: It started off unbelievably clunky and I thought the match would fall apart only for them to really kick it into gear right before the break through the end. Yamashita’s kicks look amazing. I’d love to see her more. ***)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Main Event
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. “Red Death” Daniel Garcia
This is Danielson’s first match since he suffered a concussion at Double or Nothing. Garcia tried to attack Danielson but eats a bunch of kicks for his troubles. Danielson hits a Flying Dropkick in the corner and then backdrops Garcia to the floor! Danielson hits a Tope Suicida knocking Garcia into the barricade. Danielson throws Garcia into the ring post and rolls him back in the ring where Garcia immediately elbows him over and over.
Danielson mounts Garcia and hits some nasty elbows to Garcia. Garcia answers with some uppercuts and hits a Hangman’s Neckbreaker for one. Garcia throws Dragon to the floor and then whips him into the barricade. Garcia pulls the padding up around ringside but eats a Flying Forearm from Danielson. Danielson hits a series of kicks and then dropkicks Garcia into the barricade! In the ring, Danielson hits a Missile Dropkick but Danielson sells it like he hurt himself on the landing. Garcia realizes Danielson is hurt and immediately starts elbowing him in the face. Garcia whips Danielson into the corner but he backflips out only to then collapse in the ring.
The referee checks on Danielson but he rolls to the floor and Garcia follows him and throws him into the ring steps. Garcia DDTs Danielson on the concrete!
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
The referee keeps checking on Danielson but he keeps fighting and Garcia continues the onslaught. His head is busted open from the DDT on the outside. Danielson keeps trying to fight back but collapses each time and Garcia goes to town on him. Garcia chokes Danielson in the ropes and rakes at the cut on his forehead. Garcia lifts Danielson up to the top rope and goes for a Superplex but Danielson escapes and crotches Garcia on the top. Danielson hits a Back Superplex but Danielson again sells it like he hit his head on the landing.
Danielson and Garcia exchange strikes with Dragon getting the better of the sequence. Danielson hits the Yes Kicks and caps it off with the Buzzsaw Kick. Danielson falls down again but gets back up goes for the arm tap stomps only for Garcia to grab his arms and pull him into a Rear Naked Choke! Danielson fights up to his feet but rolls backwards into the Cattle Mutilation! Garcia fights it off and Danielson hits a Tiger Suplex for two! Danielson elbows Garcia in the face but Garcia grabs his arm and reverses it hitting a series of elbows of his own.
Danielson fights him off and hits his elbows before hitting a Cradle Suplex for two! Danielson goes for the Flying Knee but eats a Lariat from Garcia and a Brainbuster for two! Garcia goes for a Sharpshooter but Danielson rolls him up for two. Danielson and Garcia exchange strikes until Danielson hits the Flying Knee! Danielson goes for the LaBell Lock but Garcia immediately gets to the ropes to break the hold. He rolls to the floor but eats a Flying Knee off the apron from Dragon. Back in the ring, Danielson’s leg gets grabbed by someone under the ring allowing Garcia to hit the Piledriver! Garcia locks in the Sharpshooter! Danielson passes out!
Winner: Garcia via KO
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: There are a lot of people that don’t like playing on real life injuries like Danielson’s head injuries but it just doesn’t make sense to me. You KNOW that everyone knows, so why not play into that? That said, the story telling in that aspect was excellent and Danielson is legitimately one of the best wrestlers to ever do it. He was fantastic and Garcia held up his end, as well. The match was excellent and a MASSIVE win for Garcia, while also protecting Danielson. ****1/2)
The person that grabbed Danielson’s leg is revealed as Jake Hager.