Anna Jay is returning to the ring for the first time in two months.
It was announced today that Jay vs. Britt Baker will take place at AEW’s House Rules live event this Saturday. It’s AEW’s second-ever house show and the first event on the House Rules tour.
Jay last wrestled when she and Tay Melo lost a street fight to Ruby Soho & Willow Nightingale on AEW Rampage this January. In February, Jay revealed that she suffered “some dislocated ribs” and a bruised tailbone during the street fight.
Melo was dealing with a back protrusion going into the street fight and also spent two months out of action after the match. She made her return at an indie show for Northeast Wrestling last weekend.
Saturday’s House Rules event is being held at Hobart Arena in Troy, Ohio. A tag team match pitting Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli against Big Bill & Lee Moriarty has also been announced for the show.
Tune into Speak Now Pro Wrestling hosted by Denise Salcedo as she reviews the November 30, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite. This was a really good show with lots of good wrestling and storytelling.
AEW has announced a change to the lineup for Dynamite.
Anna Jay will replace The Bunny in tonight’s AEW interim women’s title eliminator match. The Bunny has been pulled from the bout due to illness. Anna Jay will now face champion Toni Storm on the show.
“With first shot at the winner of Storm vs Hayter at stake, Anna replaces @AllieWrestling, who is out for tonight’s show due to illness,” Tony Khan wrote on Twitter.
AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, November 16 takes place from the Total Morgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows:
Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
AEW World title eliminator tournament semifinal: Ethan Page vs. Bandido
Interim AEW World Women’s Championship eliminator match: Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay
AEW Trios titles: Death Triangle vs. Top Flight and AR Fox
Anthony Bowens vs. Swerve Strickland
Interviews from Jon Moxley, MJF, Samoa Joe, Britt Baker (by Tony Schiavone), and Saraya (by Renee Paquette)
AEW has announced five matches for a special weekend edition of Dark.
The episode was filmed at Friday’s Rampage taping from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Darby Allin vs. Brandon Cutler will headline the show. Other notable matches include the Death Triangle taking on the Factory and Riho, Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue vs. Nyla Rose, Diamante & Emi Sakura. The House of Black and Anna Jay will also be in action.
AEW Dark on Saturday, May 28 will air at 7 p.m Eastern time on YouTube. The full lineup for the show is as follows:
Darby Allin vs. Brandon Cutler
Anna Jay vs. Sandra Moone
House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, & Brody King) vs. Adriel Noctis, Gregory Sharpe & Matt Brannigan
Riho, Yuka Sakazaki & Skye Blue vs. Nyla Rose, Diamante & Emi Sakura
Death Triangle (Pac, Penta Oscuro, & Rey Fenix) vs. QT Marshall, Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, with Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry on the call.
Lance Archer (w/ Jake Roberts) defeated Chase Oliver
This was Oliver’s debut and it started with Archer dragging him to the ring. Archer (44-9) destroyed Oliver from beginning to end, beating him with the Blackout in a squash. This was another win for him ahead of his World title Texas Death Match with Hangman Page.
After the match, Archer cut a promo about coming back and wanting the World title and Hangman Page. Archer ended his promo with his iconic “Everybody dies” catchphrase.
Brandi Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated KiLynn King
This was a homecoming match for Dark and Dark: Elevation regular King. She had the height advantage and used it to her advantage at the onset. Rhodes asked Anderson for advice on how to deal with King, but that didn’t work at all. Rhodes eventually targeted King’s legs to slow her down and change the flow of the match. Rhodes won with the Stretch Mark submission, upping her career record to 15-3.
Jay Lethal defeated Casey Carrington
This was the AEW debut for Carrington. Lethal started with a suicide dive, followed by the Ric Flair strut. Lethal dominated as Carrington was outmatched at every opportunity. A Macho Man elbow and the Lethal Injection got him his fourth AEW win of the year. He moves on to face FTW Champion Ricky Starks this Friday on Rampage.
Anna Jay defeated Nikki Victory
This was Victory’s AEW debut. Jay (24-11) won this short match by submission with the Queenslayer.
Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal defeated Aaron Solo, Nick Comoroto & QT Marshall (w/ Anthony Ogogo)
The Factory began by hitting Sydal, Moriarty and Martin from behind before the bell rang while their backs were to them. Sydal’s speed eventually forced Solo to tag Comoroto which once again changed the flow in favor of The Factory. Comoroto also showcased his strength by lifting Martin only using one arm.
Ogogo interfered in favor of The Factory until the ref kicked him out. The Factory then isolated Sydal from Moriarty and Martin and took turns beating him up. Sydal used an impressive tijeras to finally escape and tag Martin who cleaned house.
The Factory used a triple combo to almost win the match, but Martin was able to kick out and the crowd went nuts. Martin hit the Nosedive on Solo to pick up the win.
This marked the debuts for Navarro and Meyers while this was Soho and Rosa’s second straight outing as a team and that experience working together helped them dominate here. Meyers took both a Future Kick and a fire thunder driver as Rosa and Soho won the match.
After the match, Mercedes Martinez came out to stare down Rosa ahead of their Rampage match this Friday.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Serpentico
Penta got the best reaction of the episode as the crowd went bonkers when he came out. On a side note, when Penta did his first “zero miedo,” he cursed in Spanish so fans that speak Spanish will really pop for that. Serpentico also talked in Spanish and said “maldita sea” meaning “damn it.”
This match was a great showcase for the argument that Penta (and Fenix as well) could be great players in AEW as singles stars. Penta picked up the win after hitting the Fear Factor won the match, increasing his overall record to 58-28.
Final Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable episode of Elevation. The best match of the night was Moriarty, Sydal and Martin vs. The Factory, but Serpentico vs. Penta was also fun and another match to check out.
Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade is set for next week’s Dynamite.
Andrade confronted Rhodes during a promo on tonight’s show. He put down Cody, mocking his tattoo and saying that while Cody may care that he gets booed, he does not. Andrade entered the ring and looked to attack when the lights went out. When they came back on, Malakai Black was in the ring and the two jumped Cody and Arn Anderson. PAC eventually made his way to the ring to make things even.
Two tournament matches will also take place. Jon Moxley defeated Preston Vance of the Dark Order tonight, making the Dynamite match next week him against Orange Cassidy. The winner of that match will advance to the finals of the tournament at Full Gear, where they will either take on Bryan Danielson or Eddie Kingston.
Anna Jay vs. Jamie Hayter in a TBS Women’s Championship tournament match will also take place. Both Jay and friend Tay Conti have been feuding with Britt Baker and her associates in recent weeks. Conti will challenge Baker for the AEW Women’s Championship at Full Gear.
Anna Jay returned to AEW tonight on Dynamite, aiding Tay Conti from a Hardy Family Office attack.
Conti had defeated Penelope Ford on tonight’s show, but was attacked after the match by both Ford and The Bunny. The Dark Order’s music then played as Jay came out and chased away both Ford and Bunny.
It was announced immediately after Jay had made her return that Tony Khan had added her to the Women’s Casino Battle Royal that will take place at All Out this Sunday. The winner of that match will receive a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship.
Jay has been out of action since February with a shoulder injury. At the time, it was estimated that she would miss 6-12 months. The following month, she underwent surgery for the injury.
Signing with AEW in 2020, Jay aligned herself with the Dark Order and was seen on television forming a friendship with Tay Conti.
New participants have been added to AEW’s Women’s Casino Battle Royale that will take place at All Out.
Abadon, KyLinn King, Leyla Hirsch, Rebel, and Jamie Hayter have been added to the match. Anna Jay, who returned to AEW after being off due to injury on tonight’s episode of Dynamite, has also been added.
Others announced for the battle royale include Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan, Hikaru Shida, Emi Sakura, Thunder Rosa, Tay Conti, Julia Hart, Big Swole, The Bunny, Red Velvet, Penelope Ford, Nyla Rose, and Diamante. Overall, nineteen participants have now been announced for the battle royale, with the winner getting a future AEW Women’s Championship match.
Originally the Buy-In preshow match, the battle royale has now been added to the main show after PAC vs. Andrade el Idolo was postponed.
Here is the current lineup for All Out pay-per-view, which takes place on September 5 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois:
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage title match
AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander title match
AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. Jurassic Express or Lucha Bros in a steel cage title match
AEW TNT Champion Miro vs. Eddie Kingston
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
Chris Jericho vs. MJF with Jericho’s career on the line
Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Women’s Casino Battle Royale
Buy In pre-show: Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta, and Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party, and TH2
AEW’s Anna Jay underwent surgery on Thursday to repair her shoulder injury.
“Hi everyone 🙂 I just got out of my shoulder surgery, and all is well,” Jay wrote on social media. “For the next two days I will most likely sleep and eat only ice cream and soup. But after that…I will be working my ass off in any way I can. Thanks for all of the support and well wishes. -99”
AEW announced last month that Jay had suffered a shoulder injury in training. It was stated that she’s expected to be out of action for 6-12 months.
Jay is a member of The Dark Order in AEW. She was supposed to take part in the promotion’s Women’s title eliminator tournament but was pulled from the tournament due to her shoulder injury. Jay was going to face Britt Baker in a first round match on the United States side of the bracket. Ryo Mizunami won the tournament and unsuccessfully challenged for Hikaru Shida’s AEW Women’s Championship at Revolution this past Sunday.
Jay debuted for AEW in April of last year and signed with the promotion shortly after.
Anna Jay is estimated to be out 6-12 months due to an injured shoulder that requires surgery.
AEW posted a video of Dr. Michael Sampson evaluating Jay. In their social media post, AEW explained that Jay was injured during training and is expected to be out 6-12 months following surgery.
“I’m super upset about this…. all I can do now is put in the work to come back stronger,” Jay wrote on Twitter. “Thanks for all the love and support everyone. It means a lot to me!”
Jay was scheduled to compete in the AEW Women’s title eliminator tournament, facing Dr. Britt Baker in the opening round. Madi Wrenkowski, who AEW touted as a protege of Thunder Rosa, will replace her. The rest of the opening round of the American bracket will air tonight on YouTube.
Jay last wrestled on the AEW Dark that aired on January 6, where she defeated Alex Gracia.
The winner of the Japanese bracket will face the winner of the American bracket on the March 3 edition of Dynamite. The winner of that match will advance to AEW Revolution on March 7, where they will face Hikaru Shida for the AEW World Women’s title.
Jon Moxley made his World title defense against Kenny Omega official on last night’s AEW Dynamite.
After Omega signed the contract last week for their match at December 2nd’s Winter is Coming, Moxley put pen to paper on this week’s Dynamite. Before signing, Moxley laid Omega out with a Paradigm Shift.
Hikaru Shida defeated Anna Jay to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship on Dynamite. After the match, Abadon entered and left a blood stain on Shida’s title belt.
In the Dynamite opener, Hangman Page defeated The Dark Order’s John Silver. Dark Order’s Evil Uno made a recruiting pitch to Page after the match.
A week before Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin face Team Taz’s Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks, Taz choked out Rhodes with a Tazmission.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager of The Inner Circle defeated SCU’s Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian after MJF hit Daniels with his Dynamite Diamond ring. Scorpio Sky saved Kazarian and Daniels from a post-match attack from the entire Inner Circle.
In the show’s final match, Butcher and Blade beat Death Triangle members PAC and Rey Fenix after an assist from Eddie Kingston. Kingston and his family assaulted Death Triangle after the match, but Lance Archer ran in to make the save and attacked Kingston.
For more of what you missed, including TH2 vs. Top Flight and Powerhouse Hobbs in action, scroll down.
The Thanksgiving Eve edition of AEW Dynamite airs tonight.
The build to Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega’s AEW World Championship match on next week’s “Winter is Coming” edition of Dynamite will continue. It was announced earlier today that Moxley will sign the contract for the bout on tonight’s show.
After reuniting their Death Triangle group with Penta El Zero M, PAC & Rey Fenix will team against The Butcher & The Blade from Eddie Kingston’s family. PAC made his in-ring return on last week’s episode and defeated Blade in a singles match.
Chris Jericho & Jake Hager of The Inner Circle will face the SCU unit of Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels in a tag match.
Hikaru Shida will defend the AEW Women’s World title against Anna Jay of The Dark Order. The storyline setup for this contest was that Dark Order leader Mr. Brodie Lee demanded a title shot for Jay.
A week after turning against Cody Rhodes and joining Team Taz, Will Hobbs will be in action against an unnamed opponent.
Newly signed tag team Top Flight will face the TH2 duo of Angelico and Jack Evans.
Hangman Page will also be in action for the first time since his Full Gear loss to Kenny Omega when he takes on Dark Order’s John Silver.
Plus, FTR will make their first appearance since losing the AEW World Tag Team titles at Full Gear on November 7th.
Our coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Show Recap —
Hangman Page defeated John “4” Silver
Before the match, a video played where it was revealed that Evil Uno personally requested the match because the Dark Order likes Page. Silver predicted that he’d win.
This was Page’s first match since Full Gear. The Dark Order joined Silver for his entrance, but he had no second for the match.
Page took control at the start with a shoulder block and a slam. Silver fought back with an armdrag and a dropkick before flexing in Page’s face. Page flattened him with a forearm smash. They traded chops in the corner before Page tossed Silver with a massive back body drop.
Silver continued the mind games with a spank. Page went for a springboard kick, but Silver cut him off and landed a diving crossbody for two. Silver laid in kicks and stopped Page’s comeback with a back elbow. They traded strikes yet again before Silver transitioned into a German suplex bridge for two.
Page avoided a corner attack and hit a springboard clothesline. Both men avoided dives, but the second pescado attempt from Page landed on the outside. Back in, Page hit a sliding lariat for two. Silver fought out and went for another crossbody, but Page turned it into a Samoan drop and hit a running shooting star press for a near fall.
Silver countered the Buckshot Lariat into a hurricanrana before hitting a cool flurry of offense, concluding with a brainbuster, for a good near fall. He laid in more kicks, but Page absorbed the punishment and fired up with forearms. Silver hit another kick combination but was met with a crushing lariat. Page followed it up with a Liger Bomb for two, before nailing the Buckshot Lariat for three.
That was an excellent opener. It came across like a combination of their respective Full Gear matches.
After the match, the Dark Order came out. Page was ready for a fight, but Uno said that they weren’t here to jump him. Uno compared the Elite to a cult and said that the Dark Order was here for Page, essentially offering him a spot in the group.
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Kenny Omega was interviewed by Alex Marvez. Asked about his thoughts on Moxley’s beatdown during the contract signing, Omega recalled that one year ago, he was nursing injuries from the Moxley match. The difference now is that Moxley is being called the “best in the world.” The common thread that binds Moxley and Omega is the AEW World Championship, and until Omega gets the belt, people won’t consider him to be the best.
Omega implored Moxley to leave the garbage wrestling at home, challenging him to beat him based on his wrestling ability. He brought up Moxley’s promo about his father last week, and said that his own father would “beat the sh*t” out of Moxley’s.
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A Darby Allin video aired. He set fire to a car and posed with the TNT championship.
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Before the match, Taz joined commentary.
Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Lee Johnson
Will Hobbs is now Powerhouse Hobbs. He also has new gear, a singlet that is very similar to what Taz wore as a wrestler. Hobbs easily dispatched Johnson to the floor and taunted the ringside wrestlers. Back in the ring, Hobbs hit a falling powerslam for the squash victory.
Taz grabbed a microphone and told Hobbs to go celebrate. He complained that the FTW championship is not officially recognized by AEW and said that he wouldn’t leave until the title meant something. Taz continued to complain until his microphone was cut off before demanding that Justin Roberts give him his microphone.
Cody Rhodes, with his producer’s headset on, walked out. He said that Taz was wasting time and announced that next week Hobbs and Ricky Starks would face Cody and Darby Allin. Taz said that wasn’t enough. Cody agreed to talk to his superiors about it, but Taz goaded him with references to WWE corporate speak. That pissed off Cody, who asked Taz why Taz’s son was training with Cody.
Taz dropped the microphone and told Cody that he had gone too far. He looked like he was walking off, but turned back around and choked Cody out with the Taz-mission. The Nightmare Family made the save, then Taz’s son appeared and walked off with his father.
I have no idea where it leads, but that was an incredibly entertaining segment. Everyone played their part, but Taz in particular was fantastic.
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Eddie Kingston was interviewed by Marvez. He was asked about the reformation of the Death Triangle. Kingston said he’s not mad, just really disappointed. He expected this from Fénix and PAC, but not Penta.
Jon Moxley interrupted and stared him down. Kingston said that the backstage attack wasn’t him, and Moxley walked off.
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The Hybrid2 (Jack Evans & Angélico) defeated Top Flight (Darius Martin & Daunte Martin)
They played clips from TH2’s appearance on Britt Baker’s Waiting Room show from Dark, which set up this match. Top Flight’s signing was announced earlier this week. This was a good showcase match with a couple sloppy moments.
Angélico and Darius started off. Angélico tried for some grappling, but Darius cartwheeled out of it, continuing to match Angélico’s chain wrestling. Daunte tagged in and Top Flight hit a double team. Angélico cut off Daunte’s leapfrogs with a kick, allowing TH2 to take control throughout the commercial break.
Daunte hit a roundhouse kick, buying him enough time to reach Darius for the hot tag. Darius ran wild on both opponents, concluding with a missile dropkick for two. They got a bit lost on a Daunte hot tag, but they eventually hit an assisted spinebuster before Angélico broke up the cover.
Evans looked for a German suplex on the apron, but Darius sent him to the floor. Darius hit a tope suicida immediately followed by a Daunte tope con hilo on both of the TH2. Back in the ring, Daunte hit a top-rope splash for a close near fall. Angélico made a blind tag as Evans sort of missed a springboard moonsault for two.
Angélico set up for a Razor’s Edge onto the turnbuckle, but Daunte turned it into a Code Red. Evans took out Darius on the floor as Angélico locked on the Navarro Death Roll, forcing Daunte to submit.
TH2 kept up the beatdown after the match, but the Young Bucks ran out and sent them packing.
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Vickie Guerrero spoke with Nyla Rose behind her. Guerrero said that she would tell a lesson in nepotism, referring to Brandi Rhodes. She said that she wasn’t the one who told Jade Cargill to attack Brandi last week.
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An FTR video package aired. Flanked by Tully Blanchard, they said that even though their Full Gear match won a ton of accolades, that doesn’t mean anything, because they lost. They maintain that they are the best tag team in the world. Tully said that the championships remain FTR’s destiny, and told the Young Bucks to fear the revelation.
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Chris Jericho & Jake Hager (w/ the Inner Circle) defeated SCU (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
The entire Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, Sammy Guevara, MJF, and Wardlow) was out with Jericho and Hager. The main story behind the match is that Jericho and Daniels have wrestled a combined 58 years and yet have never faced off, so they started off.
Daniels got the advantage and tagged in Kazarian, but Jericho escaped to Hager, who beat down Kazarian in the corner. The Inner Circle kept up their beatdown with frequent tags. Kazarian used a series of strikes to escape for the hot tag.
After Daniels ran wild, Ortiz tripped him when the official wasn’t looking. Kazarian argued with the official while the rest of the Inner Circle beat down Daniels on the outside. They kept up the attack during the commercial break. A Complete Shot on Jericho allowed Daniels to reach Kazarian for another hot tag.
Kazarian took down both opponents and landed a springboard moonsault on Jericho for two. Ortiz hopped up on the apron, so Kazarian knocked him off and sort of hit a slingshot hurricanrana. The distraction looked to provide an opening for Jericho, but Daniels tagged in and hit a stomp. There was a visible video cut after Daniels’ stomp.
Hager tagged in and leveled Daniels with a lariat, but Daniels hit a diving flatliner. He nailed the Best Moonsault Ever, but Jericho broke up the pin. With the official distracted, MJF punched Daniels with the Dynamite diamond ring, allowing Jericho to hit the Judas Effect for the pin.
Kazarian laid out MJF after the match, but the Inner Circle was too much for SCU. Jericho grabbed Kazarian, looking for MJF to hit him with the ring, but Scorpio Sky ran out with a chair for the save.
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Miro and Kip Sabian were with Penelope Ford to debut their new video game segment. Orange Cassidy walked up and Miro snapped, but the Best Friends were outside. Both teams brawled, and the Best Friends powerbombed Sabian into a port-a-john. Miro knocked down the camera to end the segment.
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The Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal was announced for next week.
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AEW World Championship contract signing: Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
Omega posed behind the backlit screen as usual for his entrance, but Moxley attacked, which was a cool visual. In the ring, Moxley hit a Paradigm Shift onto the championship.
Moxley took a microphone and said that whoever Omega hired to attack him last week did a bad job, because he’s still here. He said that the only way that Omega could become champion would be through digging down deep and being the Omega that everyone thinks he can be. Moxley actively started promoting the match and said that “winter is coming” for Omega. He told Omega to steady his aim and take his shot, because he’s only going to get one. Moxley thanked Tony and signed the contract.
Moxley was great here as usual but the lack of a true face-to-face ahead of “the biggest match in Dynamite history” is puzzling.
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Jericho was supposed to be interviewed, but MJF immediately took the microphone, calling Kazarian a coward for sucker punching him. Jericho said that the Inner Circle’s fun and games are done and announced that he would face Kazarian next week.
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A really good video package aired ahead of the women’s championship match, helping it come across like a big deal. Jay discussed her lack of experience and how she’s being trained in judo by Tay Conti. Shida said that her knee is fine and challenged Jay to find more heart.
AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (c) defeated Anna Jay (w/ Tay Conti)
Jay’s Dark Order compatriots John Silver, Alan “5” Angels, and Preston “10” Vance came out on the ramp before the match. The match was good but they used a lot of smoke and mirrors to make it seem like Jay had a chance.
They had a shoving match right away. Jay immediately went for the Queenslayer sleeper, but Shida escaped and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a dropkick. Jay evaded a knee on the floor and drove Shida into the barricade. She targeted Shida’s injured right knee during the break.
Jay kicked Shida off the turnbuckle with the Dangerous Jay kick before demanding a chair from Conti. The official took the chair but Silver gave Jay a kendo stick. Jay domed Shida with it for a great near fall.
Shida escaped out of the Queenslayer and hit a stratjacket German and a forearm smash for a near fall. She then hit the Tamashii for the win.
After the match, Abadon made her return and took the championship.
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A delusional Matt Hardy called himself the most influential trailblazer in wrestling. Now that he’s overcome his insurmountable odds, us at home can overcome our pedestrian challenges.
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Team Taz (without Taz) spoke. Starks said that Cody crossed the line tonight. They all respect Taz, but Cody’s paper-thin ego keeps getting in the way. Before today, it was all business, but now, it’s personal.
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The Butcher & The Blade (w/ The Bunny) defeated PAC & Fénix (w/ Penta El Zero Miedo)
Eddie Kingston was on commentary for this match. This was a fun brawl, but the match layout was a bit odd, with the heels, Butcher and Blade, working from underneath through the commercial break.
PAC and Fénix dominated right away and hit dives. PAC went for the Black Arrow too quickly and Butcher popped up as he and Blade took control. They tried to isolate PAC, who fought out and tagged in Fénix. Death Triangle took turns attacking Blade, but PAC got cocky and allowed him to fight back. They had a strike exchange which Blade won with a lariat.
Fénix and Butcher, neither of whom were the legal man, had a battle in the ring. Butcher took out Fénix but was met with a big move from PAC, leading to all four men being down. During the break, PAC distracted the official as Penta beat down Butcher on the floor.
Butcher cut off Fénix and landed a knee drop for two. He and Blade isolated Fénix until Fénix hit a handspring cutter, buying him enough time to reach PAC.
PAC tagged in and hit kicks on both opponents. He nailed a Northern Lights suplex bridge on Blade for a near fall. Blade avoided a shooting star press and tagged in Butcher, who leveled PAC with a lariat for a near fall. Butcher and Blade hit more double teams, concluding with a doctor bomb, but Fénix broke up the pin attempt with a dropkick.
Fénix made a blind tag and they took out Blade. Kingston ran down to the ring and distracted the official, allowing Butcher and Blade to hit a powerbomb neckbreaker combination for the win.
The Family continued their attack after the match. Kingston DDTed PAC onto a chair twice. Lance Archer ran out with Jake Roberts trailing and took out the entire Family. He tried for a chokeslam on Kingston, but Butcher broke it up. Fénix popped up and The Family was sent packing.
Archer posed on the turnbuckle and jawed with Kingston to close the show.
Four matches, including an AEW Women’s title match, were announced for next week’s Dynamite.
Hikaru Shida will defend the championship against Anna Jay of The Dark Order. It was revealed that Mr. Brodie Lee (off-screen) demanded a title match for next week. Jay, along with John Silver, cut a promo tonight saying she was no longer a rookie, that she was in the Dark Order, and that she would win the championship.
Chris Jericho will also be in action next week, teaming with Jake Hager to take on SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels). Jericho appeared briefly on commentary Wednesday and promised The Inner Circle would be back in action next week following their trip to Las Vegas.
In other matches:
Death Triangle members PAC and Rey Fenix will face The Butcher and The Blade. This comes after Penta El Zero M made the save for Fenix who had ran out to help PAC fend off a three-on-one attack from Eddie Kingston, Butcher and Blade after PAC’s win over Blade Wednesday.
Will Hobbs will be in action against an opponent to be named. It will be a follow-up to his heel turn to close out Dynamite as he aligned himself with Team Taz.
Three matches have been advertised for the AEW special.
Brandi Rhodes will be in action against The Dark Order’s Anna Jay. The Dark Order took Rhodes’s husband out of action on the August 22 edition of Dynamite. Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Cody for the TNT Championship that night. Cody was assaulted by Dark Order after and did a stretcher job.
Shawn Spears will face Matt Sydal. Both were participants in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out on September 5. Sydal eliminated Spears from the match before being tossed himself by Eddie Kingston.
Scorpio Sky, the fifth-ranked singles competitor in AEW, is also scheduled for tonight’s show. Sky will face Ben Carter. Carter made his AEW debut on the September 8 episode of AEW Dark in a losing effort against Ricky Starks. According to AEW’s website, Carter is a former Black and Brave Wrestling Academy student.
Our live coverage begins following the conclusion of tonight’s NBA playoff coverage on TNT.
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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team.
Chris Jericho entered and joined the commentary desk. Jericho milked the Judas reaction.
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Scorpio Sky defeated Ben Carter
This was a quality opener.
Carter is fundamentally sound and looks to be a pretty good athlete. They worked a slow pace and kept things simple.
They traded basic holds, including hammerlocks. Both appeared to be going after the other’s left arm. Sky used a leg sweep. Carter hit a deep arm drag. Sky rolled outside to collect himself. They traded dropkicks and chops before a commercial break.
Sky was working a chinlock after the break. Carter rolled to the apron and blocked a suplex back in. Carter hit a moonsault press into a reverse DDT for a two count. He followed with a standing shooting star for another two count.
Carter missed a moonsault off the post but connected with a tope con giro. Carter hit a frog splash for another two count.
Sky avoided a phoenix splash and hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Sky tried a fisherman buster but Carter blocked. Sky got the fisherman buster on a second attempt for a near fall.
Carter used a schoolboy for a near fall. Sky hit a double stomp, a big boot and a TKO for the pin.
Sky and Carter shook hands after the bout.
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They aired a hype video for Moxley, Hobbs & Allin vs. Archer, Cage & Starks on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
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Anna Jay defeated Brandi Rhodes
This was much better than it had any right to be given their combined in-ring experience level. The announcers put this over as a grudge match and they definitely worked it that way.
Brandi came out firing forearms and elbow strikes. Brandi hit a DDT on the apron.
Brandi hit a Thesz press and worked on Jay’s abdomen with strikes. Jay did a nice job selling.
Jay used her Queen Slayer rear naked choke but Brandi flipped it over into a cradle for a two count.
Jay cut Brandi off and hit some strikes before using a chinlock. Brandi came back with a slingblade.
Stu Grayson and Evil Uno ran in and took the ref. Brandi hit A Shot of Brandi but there was no ref to count the pin.
Jay used the Queen Slayer and Brandi passed out in the hold for the finish.
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Alex Marvez interviewed Scorpio Sky. Sky said he’s going after the TNT title.
Matt Sydal entered. Sydal and Sky buddied up to each other and put each other over. Sky invited Sydal out for drinks later and said Marvez could come with.
Sky was the best promo of this bunch and that’s not saying a lot.
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A video package for the TNT title match between Orange Cassidy and Brodie Lee aired. JR put Cassidy over strongly.
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Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) defeated Matt Sydal
They opened with some chain wrestling. Spears hit some chops. Spears teased a plancha but Sydal took him out with a leg sweep on the apron.
Sydal hit a leg lariat for a two count. Sydal worked an armbar before a break.
Sydal hit a top rope rana after the commercial break. Sydal hit some kicks and used a wacky cradle for a two count. Sydal hit a slice for a two count. Sydal hit a tornillo for another near fall.
Sydal teased the shooting star press but Spears cut him off. Spears hit a spinebuster for a two count.
They traded strikes. Sydal hit a jumping knee strike. Spears hit an ushigoroshi into a double down.
Spears went for a DVD but Sydal blocked. Sydal hit a hot shot and a meteora for a near fall.
Spears sat on a chair on the floor. Sydal hit a running knee and celebrated in the ring while Blanchard loaded Spears’ glove.
They did a couple of teases with the loaded glove before Spears finally connected with a punch and a C4 for the pin.
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Spears went after Sydal after the match but Sky ran in for the save.
Cody and Tony Schiavone were the commentary duo for the opener.
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Penelope Ford (w/ Kip Sabian) defeated Anna Jay
Cody said that Kip and Penelope got engaged in a dog park where he used to take Pharaoh.
Ford and Jay traded headlock takeovers. Ford hit a couple of shoulder tackles. Jay hit a rough hip toss and a nice arm drag.
Sabian jumped on the apron and distracted Jay. Ford hit a double back handspring elbow in the corner to get the heat on Jay.
Ford hit some forearm strikes and a vertical suplex. Ford then missed another attempt at a handspring elbow. Jay countered with an attack in the corner and a snapmare. Jay made a cover off the snapmare for a two count.
Ford used a matrix back bend to escape an attack, then used a stunner.
The finish saw Ford use a fisherman suplex for the pin.
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A Double or Nothing hype video aired.
Schiavone called the main event solo.
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Cody (w/ Brandi Rhodes) defeated Joe Alonzo
They teased locking up. Cody went for an ankle pick, then a single-leg takedown, but Alonzo blocked.
They locked up. Cody worked on the left arm. Cody hit a shoulder tackle. He offered Alonzo a handshake. Alonzo used the handshake to take Cody down, then hit a kick.
Cody answered with a powerslam and a delayed vertical suplex. Cody did a set of push-ups in the center of the ring.
Alonzo slid outside and taunted Brandi. Cody went out after him and rammed his face into the apron.
Back inside, Alonzo hit a cutter. Cody no-sold and hit a pump kick. Cody went for Cross Rhodes. Alonzo blocked and rolled Cody up for a two count.
The finish saw Cody apply a standing figure four/cloverleaf that he’s calling the Gail Lock in honor of Gail Kim. Alonzo tapped out.
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Cody teased whipping Alonzo with his weight belt after the match. Instead, he shook Alonzo’s hand.
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Final thoughts —
Ford and Jay had a solid outing, though both are still green. Jay did not look as good as she did in her AEW debut.
Cody’s use of freestyle and folkstyle wrestling in his matches recently has been interesting. No one else in North America is working the style that he is right now. This episode is worth going out of your way to see if you’re into that.
