AEW Dynamite
August 31, 2022
Chicago, IL (NOW Arena)
Report by: Josh Boutwell
Jon Moxley makes his way to the ring fresh off his domination of CM Punk last week. The fans chant for CM Punk as Moxley grabs a microphone and Moxley smirks at them. Moxley taunts the crowd saying that he thinks they’re still mopping Punk off the floor in Cleveland. He says people used to call Punk the “modern 60-minute man” and that just turned out to be a “load of crap.” He says he had 57 minutes left in him last week but Punk didn’t. He says he pushes everyone that claims to be the heart and soul of AEW and he tests them and finds out what they are made of.
Moxley says Punk was looking for a way out last week because he realized Moxley wasn’t going to stop coming at him. He says that Punk folded and says that he has zero sympathy for him. Moxley says that Punk turned out not to be whatever thought he was. He says Punk has a fragile ego, weak mind, weak spirit and fragile body. “It’s a tough business, dude, sorry,” Moxley said. “It is what it is and we move on.”
Moxley pulls out a contract and says it’s an open contract for any challenger and he’ll leave it in the ring for whoever wants to take it. Moxley says it doesn’t matter who wants to face him, he can outlast anyone and he will. He says wrestling Jon Moxley is hazardous to your health and whoever wants to face him has been warned.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Excellent promo work from Moxley. That was one of his top promos in AEW. The open contract will be interesting to see how this plays out.)
Former Ring of Honor wrestler – and current AEW agent – comes to the ring and puts the contract in his pocket.
In the back, Tony Schiavone interviews Chris Jericho. Jericho says that American Dragon vs. Lionheart is a dream match for most but a nightmare for Danielson. Jericho admits that Owen and Stu Hart may have appreciated Danielson’s skill a bit more than his but they would respect all of his accolades more than Danielson’s. Jericho says he will add beating Danielson to his accolades this Sunday.
Daniel Garcia walks up and apologizes to Jericho and pledges his loyalty to the JAS. He says he knows Jericho will beat Danielson and he doesn’t need to cheat or use any cheap tricks to beat Danielson. Jericho thanks Garcia and warns Danielson to watch his back.
“American Dragon” Bryan Danielson w/William Regal vs. Jake Hager w/Chris Jericho
Jericho and Regal join the commentary table for this one. Danielson attacks Hager with leg kicks to start things off and then tries to take him down but Hager backs him into the corner and peppers him with body shots. Hager tosses Danielson across the ring and charges at him but Danielson gets his boot up. He puts Hager in a Guillotine but Hager tosses him off. Hager charges at Danielson again but Danielson sidesteps him sending Hager to the floor. Danielson hits a Tope Suicida and dives off the apron only for Hager to catch him and put him through the timekeeper’s table with a Spinebuster!
Hager slams Danielson into the ring post repeatedly and then Suplexes him on the floor. Back in the ring, Hager mounts Danielson and throws repeated elbows at him. Danielson tries to fight back by putting Hager in a Kneebar but Hager stomps on his face. Hager picks Danielson up and drops him with another Spinebuster.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Danielson hits a Missile Dropkick to Hager as he was arguing with the referee. Danielson lays into Hager with leg kicks and then starts throwing the Yes Kicks at him. Danielson hits the Buzzsaw Kick for a nearfall and immediately starts throwing elbows at Hager. Danielson goes for a rollup but Hager blocks it only for Danielson to catch him in a Hanging Armbar. Hager fights out but Danielson catches him in a Triangle Choke out of nowhere. Hager deadlifts Danielson into the air and drops him with a Powerbomb to break it up. Hager starts throwing elbows at Danielson but Danielson catches his arm and goes for the LaBell Lock. Hager reverses it into the Ankle Lock but Danielson rolls through into a Crossface!
Hager manages to get to the ropes to break the hold again. Danielson lays into Hager with chops and kicks in the corner and follows up with the Flying Dropkick. Danielson goes for a second one but Hager catches him and hits a Urange Suplex in midair. He goes for a Choke but Danielson counters into a rollup for two. Danielson hits the Flying Knee for the pin!
Winner: Danielson via pinfall (Flying Knee)
(JOSH’S 2 CENT: I could legitimately watch Danielson put people in submissions for 20 minutes straight and be entertained. He’s just so good. This type of match – and Danielson – really plays into Hager’s style really well and this was one of his better one-on-one matches in AEW. ***1/2)
2point0 hits the ring and attacks Danielson until Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta run out and even the odds. Jericho runs down to the ring with a chair but Daniel Garcia runs down and takes the chair from him. Garcia argues with Jericho and he turns around into a Flying Knee from Danielson!
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
The Wingmen are in the ring with signs whining about now being on the show. Ryan Nemeth says they are the hottest, sexiest “hunks” in AEW. Peter Avalon says from now on Wednesday nights will be known as Wingmen Wednesdays. W. Morrissey, the former Big Cass, makes his way to the ring. Morrissey beats them all down and Stokely Hathaway walks out and hands him his card. Schiavone attempts to ask Stokely what he’s up to but Stokely gets in his face and says it’s none of his business.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: I’m glad that Morrissey has turned his life around and I know a lot of people like him but I’m sorry, he’s terrible. AEW’s roster is already unbelievably bloated. Adding Morrissey to this roster adds absolutely nothing of value. At some point they are going to have to pay off this stuff with Stokely because there is literally no rhyme or reason to the guys he’s recruiting.)
Alex Marvez interviews Will Ospreay backstage when Don Callis walks up and praises Ospreay for his career. He says people call Ospreay the next Kenny Omega but says that he’s the first Will Ospreay. Callis reminds Ospreay that the last time they were in a match against each other, he ate a One Winged Angel, though.
Dr. Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter w/Rebel vs. Hikaru Shida & Toni Storm
Hayter and Shida exchange strikes and then counters. Shida hits a Rana Driver and tags in Storm, who hits a series of uppercuts and kicks to her. Storm holds Hayter as Shida dives off the top with a Flying Axe Handle and vice versa. Hayter manages to catch Storm with a Jawbreaker and tags in Baker only for Baker to walk into a Drop Toe Hold. Storm and Shida work on Baker in their corner. Hayter trips Strom up on the outside and the heels jump on her.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Storm hits a Tornado DDT on Hayter and tags in Shida. Shida hits a dropkick in the corner followed by a Delayed Vertical Suplex. She hits a Springboard Meteora for a nearfall until Baker broke it up. Storm and Shida go for a Double Suplex on Hayter but she blocks it and reverses it. Baker tags in and hits an Overdrive for nearfall. Baker goes for the Ripcord Elbow but Shida rolls her up for two. Baker Superkicks Shida and attempts the Curb Stomp but Shida sidesteps her and goes for a German Suplex. Baker counters into the Ripcord Elbow.
Baker goes for the Lockjaw but Shida hits a Springboard Enziguri out of nowhere. Shida pulls Hayter off the apron to keep her from making a tag. Storm hits a Flying Hip Attack on Baker in the ring and then dives onto Hayter on the outside. Shida hits the Katana on Baker for the pin.
Winner: Shida & Storm via pinfall (Katana)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That was a fun little tag match. It didn’t get enough time to be really great but Shida and Storm were really good here. **1/2)
Kip Sabian talks about attacking PAC last week and says that he can read PAC like a book. PAC says that Sabian has been pestering him for too long and if he wants a shot at the title he can get it at All Out.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Miro cuts a promo on the House of Black and says that his God made a deal with the devil to take him out but that hasn’t worked. Darby Allin and Sting walk up and Darby says he thinks Black is intimidated with the successs that King had without him. Sting says that the enemy of his enemy is his friend.
CM Punk makes his way to the ring looking as depressed as I was after that match last week. Punk talks about his broken foot and says that his surgeon told him he “pulverized” the bones in his foot. He’s visibly limping now and talks about the plates and screws that were put in his foot. Punk taunts a fan at ringside that is heckling him and says those screws are 16 times more than he’s ever been screwed in his life. Punk says he probably shouldn’t have said that and he probably shouldn’t have come back too early from his injury.
Punk says he got beat up in Cleveland and had to drive home with nothing else but his thoughts to ride home with him. He says his foot is 100 percent and says that he was cleared by doctors but the problem is that is a new 100 percent for him. He says he isn’t sure if that 100 percent is good enough anymore. Punk says that the business doesn’t love you back but the fans do and part of why he came back was for the fans. He says that it hurts him thinking he let everyone down and then he points to his sister and says it hurts to think he let her down.
Punk starts getting emotional and says that love maybe not enough anymore. Ace Steele – who teamed with Punk in ROH – walks out and asks him what the hell he’s doing. Steele says this isn’t what they talked about in the back that he would talk about and he says this isn’t him. Steele talks about their history together and says they are family. He says Punk didn’t let his family down or the fans down, he reminds Punk that he filled up an arena on nothing more than a rumor. He says he isn’t letting him leave now.
Steele slaps the shit out of Punk and tells him to get his ass up and fight and he’s going to fight on Sunday. He pulls out the contract and tells Punk to sign the damn contract and fight Moxley. A fired up Punk rips his shirt off and says that before he was CM Punk he was just a punk kid from Chicago that was born blue in the face with the umbilical chord wrapped around his neck because they’ve been trying to kill him since birth but no one has been man enough to do it yet, and Moxley ain’t it!
Punk walks out into the crowd and says Moxley may be a wild man but he isn’t wild enough for him. Punk says that Moxley can’t break his bones or drink his blood “because we are Chicago!” Punk signs the contract and celebrates with the crowd.
(JOSH’S 2 CENT: As much as I despised that match last week, man this promo gave me literal chills. The entire set up to this match was beautiful. AEW has gone out of their way not to do immediate rematches in the past and got around that with Moxley’s own open challenge. Setting up Punk with Ace Steele – and having Steele explain the history to those that were unaware – just made it that much better. Awesome stuff.)
Jim Ross sat down with Christian and Jungle Boy earlier today on the condition of no physicality. Jungle Boy and Christian talk about their history and Jungle Boys says that this was the real Christian all along, he was just hiding it. Christian says he isn’t here to be Jungle Boy’s father figure and Jungle Boy says that his father taught him what it meant to be a man and on Sunday Christian will be fighting Jack Perry.
Wardlow & FTR vs. Ren Jones, Icepick Dupree and Silas Young
FTR hits the Big Rig on Dupree and then Wardlow hits the Powerbomb Symphony for the pin.
Winners: FTR & Wardlow via pinfall (Powerbomb Symphony)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Jon Moxley walks out and says if that is what “your boy” wants than that is exactly what he’ll get. Moxley says that if Punk wants to go out on his shield in his hometown then that’s exactly what he’ll get. Moxley confirms the match will happen at All Out and says that if Punk thinks he has one more miracle left in him he better find it quick. He says he will put on a display of brutality that Punk has never experienced before. He says he will show CM Punk the difference between a fake messiah and a legend.
Schiavone interviews Dark Order backstage. 10 can’t wrestle because of an injury and Andrade walks up and offers Pres10 a chance to be in his crew. When Evil Uno gets pissed, Andrade beats him down.
4-Way Match
Dante Martin vs. “Toro Blanco” RUSH vs. Wheeler Yuta w/William Regal vs. “Animo” Rey Fenix w/Alex Abrahantes
They got hot and heavy right from the start with guys flying all over the place. Yuta puts Rush in an Octopus but Rush backdrops him out of it and hits a Snap Powerslam. Martin hits a Springboard Flying Cross Body on Rush but Fenix goes for a Gory Bomb only for Martin to counter into an insane Code Red for two. Fenix hits a Rana for two and then connects with a Tope con Giro onto Rush on the floor! Yuta dives onto Fenix and Martin hits the Springboard Tornill on everyone! In the ring, Martin goes for a springboard move but eats a headbutt in midair from Rush! Rush hits a Somersault Plancha onto Fenix and Yuta on the floor!
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Martin goes up top with Yuta but eats a German Superplex from Rush! Yuta hits a Missile Dropkick on Fenix and then eats a Straight Jacket Suplex from Rush for a nearfall. Fenix dropkicks Rush to the floor and then goes for a Springboard Lucha Arm Drag only for Martin to block it and hit a Half Nelson Slam for two. Martin goes for a Piledriver but Fenix blocks it and hits a wild Facebuster. Fenix follows up with a wild Powerbomb for two but Rush broke it up.
Rush throws Fenin into the ropes but he bounces back with a Hook Kick. Martin hits the Poison Rana on Fenix and goes for the Nosedive but Yuta shoves him off the top. Yuta goes up top but Fenix cuts him off and then hits a Springboard Plancha onto Rush on the floor. Yuta goes for a Frog Splash on Martin but Martin moves and Yuta lands on his feet. Yuta catches a diving Martin with the Seatbelt for the pin.
Winner: Yuta via pinfall (Seatbelt)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Pure action from start to finish here. I love these 4-Ways when AEW does them and all four of these guys were amazing tonight. ***)
Backstage, Schiavone interviews the Dark Order and says they’ll do the match alone if they have to after both 10 and Evil Uno got hurt. Hangman Page walks up and says if they need a partner, they have one in him. Reynolds and Silver are excited.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Main Event
AEW Trios Titles Tournament Semifinals
The Elite w/Brandon Cutler & Don Callis vs. The United Empire
Omega isn’t wearing the big brace on his shoulder this week. Omega and Ospreay start off with break neck speed. Ospreay clotheslines Omega to the floor but eats an Assisted Rana from the Bucks. The Bucks hit stereo dives onto Aussie Open but they catch them and sandwich Omega with the Bucks. Ospreay hits a Sky Twister Press onto the Elite on the floor! United Empire beats The Elite all around ringside and up onto the stage. Nick Jackson hits a Somersault Plancha off the stage onto United Empire!
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
During the break, Ospreay hit a Handspring into a Double Enziguri on the Bucks. Mark Davis tosses the Bucks all around the ring and hits a Double Clothesline and then Double Scoop Slams them at the same time. Kyle Fletcher tags in and Aussie Open hit an Assisted Kick and an Assisted Diving Cutter off the top for a nearfall. They go for another double team move but Matt hits a Rana on Fletcher and hits a modified Code Red on Ospreay as he came in the ring.
Omega tags in and hits a series of strikes on Davis followed by a Basement Dropkick to the knees. Omega hits the Leg Lariat for two and follows up with a Snap Dragon on a charging Fletcher. He dishes one out to Fletcher and then tosses a charging Ospreay over the top. Ospreay skins the cat back into the ring and kicks Omega in the face. He goes for the OsCutter but Omega blocks it and goes for the Snap Dragon. Ospreay lands on his feet and hits a Rana sending Omega to the floor. Ospreay goes for a dive but Omega catches him in midair with the Snap Dragon. That may have been the most insane sequence I’ve ever seen.
Omega goes to the top but Fletcher crotches him. Aussie Open climb up with Omega and hit a Delayed Vertical Superplex for a nearfall. Ospreay rips Omega’s shirt off revealing that his ribs and shoulders are taped up. Ospreay attacks the areas that are bandaged with elbows and kicks. He hits a Spinning Backbreaker for a nearfall.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
United Empire spent the entire break working on Omega’s rips and shoulder. Nick hits a Springboard American Destroyer on Ospreay and then a Diving Rana/Armdrag on Aussie Open. He hits a Slingshot Double X-Factor on them then backflips to the outside into a Tornado DDT on Ospreay. Nick goes for a 450 on Ospreay but he got his knees up. Ospreay hits a Snap Dragon of his own and goes for the V-Trigger but Omega gets in his face. They trade forearms and strikes until Omega goes for the V-Trigger only for Ospreay to do a wild counter where he flipped around Omega and hit a Powerbomb.
United Empire attempts their finisher but Nick Jackson hits a Cutter in midair. The Bucks hit Superkick Parties on Fletcher and then Omega hits a Powerbomb and the Elite hits the BTE Trigger! 1…2…NO Davis break sit up! Nick hits a Springboard Somersault Plancha onto Davis on the floor and then the Bucks go for the Meltzer Driver on Fletcher but Ospreay catches Nick with the Ospreay! Fletcher and Ospreay hit an insane Shooting Star Meltzer Driver on Matt! 1…2…NO Matt kicks out!
Ospreay goes for the Hidden Blade on Matt but Nick grabs his boot allowing Omega to kill Ospreay with a V-Trigger! The Bucks hit Superkick Parties on Aussie Open. The Elite hits a Superkick Party on Fletcher all together! Omega goes for another V-Trigger but Ospreay hits one of his own in midair! He superkicks the Bucks but then Omega catches him and they hit the Indytaker on Ospreay! Omega hits the V-Trigger on Fletcher followed by the One Winged Angel for the pin!
Winners: The Elite via pinfall (One Winged Angel)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: They surpassed the match from last week, just pure insanity from start to finish. Some of the sequences these guys pulled off are mind blowing. We have to get Omega vs. Ospreay soon. *****)