The AEW interim World Championship eliminator kicks off on tonight’s Dynamite.
A Casino Battle Royale will open the show, with the winner advancing to face number one contender Jon Moxley later in the show. The winner of that bout will advance to Forbidden Door on June 26, where they will face the winner of this Sunday’s Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto match to be held at NJPW Dominion. Participants for the Casino Battle Royale have not been announced.
Thunder Rosa will defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against Marina Shafir in a match announced just minutes ago.
Also set for Dynamite, Hangman Page will return to action for the first time since losing the AEW World title to CM Punk at Double or Nothing, facing NJPW’s David Finlay.
In another bout announced earlier today, PAC will be in action against Buddy Matthews of House of Black.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Show Report —
Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston got full entrances to start the show.
Kyle O’Reilly last eliminated Wheeler YUTA to win the AEW World Championship Eliminator Series Casino Battle Royale
The winner faces Jon Moxley for a shot at the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door. Standard Casino Battle Royal rules: four groups of five, over the top rope eliminations, and a Joker.
The first five were Kingston, Allin, Daniel Garcia, Lance Archer, and Tony Nese. Kingston went right after Garcia at the bell. Allin baited Archer to the floor and took him out with his signature missile suicide dive. He traded strikes with Kingston.
The next five were Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Rey Fénix, Swerve Strickland, and Keith Lee. Swerve and Lee worked together upon their entry to the match. Smart Mark Sterling got involved to try and eliminate Swerve, but then Lee eliminated Nese. Lee eliminated Archer with a nice spot.
Next was John Silver, Konosuke Takeshita, Max Caster, Colten Gunn, and Austin Gunn. Caster and the Gunn Club took forever to do their intro as nothing happened in the ring. The match then went to commercial.
The final group of five was Powerhouse Hobbs, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Dante Martin, and a returning Wheeler YUTA after his NJPW Best of the Super Juniors tournament. The Gunn Club and Caster “scissored” in the ring, so Fénix eliminated Caster and Lee eliminated both of the Gunn Club. Swerve then “swerved” his partner and eliminated Lee. Lee was furious on the outside after the elimination.
The Joker was Andrade El Idolo. Hobbs eliminated Silver. Kingston eliminated Garcia, Hager eliminated Kingston, and then Hager himself was eliminated by YUTA. Hobbs and Starks eliminated Takeshita and then Dante. Fénix eliminated Starks.
Allin and Swerve worked together against Andrade but were cut off by reDRagon. Allin recovered and eliminated Fish, but Swerve double crossed Allin and eliminated him. Andrade then eliminated Swerve. Andrade and Fénix had a great back-and-forth exchange. Hobbs tried to eliminate Fénix, but then YUTA used the opportunity to eliminate Hobbs.
The final four were Fénix, Andrade, O’Reilly, and YUTA. YUTA and O’Reilly went back and forth. Fénix got a flurry of offense together against Andrade, but Andrade low blowed him out of midair for the elimination. O’Reilly eliminated Andrade. O’Reilly and YUTA battled on the apron as the final two, and O’Reilly hit a dragon screw through the ropes and eliminated YUTA to win.
– After the match, the cameras cut backstage to Jon Moxley, saying the road ended here for O’Reilly. Him going to Forbidden Door will be an end result three years in the making. This entire sport belongs to him.
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The announcers provided an update on CM Punk’s surgery, saying it was a success.
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AEW introduced the new AEW All-Atlantic Championship, with a brand new belt featuring international flags. It looks to be an “intercontinental” championship. There will be an eight-man tournament to crown the champion, with the four winners in singles matches meeting in a four-way at Forbidden Door. The first-round matches are:
- Buddy Matthews (Australia) vs. PAC (UK)
- Ethan Page (Canada) vs. Miro (Bulgaria)
- Penta Oscuro (Mexico) vs. Malakai Black (Netherlands)
- An NJPW-exclusive match
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AEW All-Atlantic Championship qualifier: PAC defeated Buddy Matthews
PAC represents the United Kingdom while Matthews represents Australia.
The two men were evenly matched with power and speed early on. PAC sent Matthews to the outside with a running hurricanrana, then feinted on the Fosbury Flop. During the commercial, PAC sent Matthews over the timekeeper’s table, but Matthews came back to drop PAC on the apron with a back suplex..
Once back, PAC spiked Matthews with a DDT. Matthews came back with a rising knee but was met with a German suplex followed by a lariat for the double down. With both back up, PAC staggered Matthews on the top turnbuckle with a gamengiri, but Matthews came back and planted PAC with a Liger Bomb for two.
Matthews went for a thrust kick in the ropes, but PAC blocked it and hit a sick poisonrana in return. PAC climbed the ropes and landed the Black Arrow for the win.
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Eddie Kingston was backstage, and he called out Jake Hager for costing him a shot at the AEW World Championship before running down the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society. He wants Hager on Rampage.
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Trent Beretta was in the ring. He said he was bummed out because today is supposed to be National Best Friends Day, and his friends aren’t here. He also thinks Roppongi Vice deserves another shot for the ROH tag titles after the United Empire interfered in their last title match, so he called out FTR.
FTR obliged, and Cash said he agreed with Trent’s assessment of the situation — plus, they’re fighting champions. Dax said it’s Ospreay and co. that Trent should be mad at.
Will Ospreay emerged. He made his entrance, but then Aaron Henare and Aussie Open of the United Empire ran out and attacked FTR and Trent from behind. Aussie Open hit their double team finish on Trent, then Ospreay smashed him with the Hidden Blade. United Empire posed to end the segment.
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Kyle O’Reilly was backstage with the Undisputed Elite, and William Regal was standing opposite. Regal said that O’Reilly was talented, but he’s going to be on commentary while O’Reilly gets his head cracked open. O’Reilly said he came to AEW to fight for the world title.
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Adam Cole joined commentary.
Hangman Page defeated David Finlay
They wrestled around to start until Page was able to knock Finlay down to the floor. He took out Finlay with a nice tope suicida, before taking a sip of beer at ringside. Finlay came back with a chop block before the break.
Upon return, Page started a comeback with a fallaway slam. He followed it up with a plancha to the floor. A suplex got two, then Page wanted the Deadeye, but Finlay countered into a backbreaker for two. Page caught a crossbody, but Finlay cradled Page for two more.
Page flipped out of a German and leveled Finlay with a clothesline before hitting the Buckshot Lariat for the win.
– After the match, Page said there’s a lot he wants to say about the AEW World Championship, but it’s not looking like he’ll get a title shot anytime soon. He then remembered that there’s more than one world championship in professional wrestling. So at Forbidden Door, he wants the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and he wants Kazuchika Okada.
Adam Cole came out of the commentary area and pointed out that the champion might be Jay White by the time Forbidden Door rolls around. Unlike Page, Cole’s a champion, having won the Owen Hart Cup. He thinks he deserves a shot at the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
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Earlier today, AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa issued an open challenge to anyone in AEW. Marina Shafir was somehow right there, and she walked up. She said she’d like to be Rosa’s problem, and she’s wondering if Rosa can solve her.
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Wardlow interview
Schiavone brought out Wardlow, who said “Welcome to Wardlow’s world.” Wardlow asked not to take part in the Casino Battle Royale earlier tonight, because CM Punk is AEW’s champion, so if he’s not beating him, he doesn’t want it yet. However, there is a title that Wardlow does want — one that has prestige, but that has been diminished recently. He wants the TNT Championship.
Scorpio Sky walked out, title in hand. Ethan Page and Dan Lambert ran out to talk him down, as he’s injured. Wardlow said he’d wait until Sky was healthy.
– Backstage was Smart Mark Sterling with AEW security. He’s giving Wardlow two options: He can face Wardlow in a court of law, or he can wrestle twenty security members on TV next week in an elimination match.
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A Young Bucks video promo aired. Matt talked about beating the tag champs and the Lucha Bros last week, saying the Young Bucks are back. They want the titles back.
The Hardys walked up, and Matt Hardy pointed out they had beaten the Bucks. Then Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, and Christian Cage came up, and Christian said those championships should be earned. When the titles on the line, it’ll be a lot different. Christian threw out a challenge for both teams in a ladder match. Jungle Boy was confused, but Christian blew him off.
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AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) defeated Marina Shafir
They performed back-and-forth chain wrestling right away. Shafir gained the advantage with a snap suplex ahead of a break. Once back, Rosa fired up with knees and a Northern Lights suplex for two. A Death Valley Driver from Rosa got two more. Shafir caught a kick and lifted Rosa up, but Rosa turned it into a cradle for two. She did it again for the win.
– After the match, Shafir attacked Rosa and locked her in the Ingredient submission. Toni Storm ran out to make the save. Rosa planted Shafir with a modified piledriver, but then Storm grabbed the belt, and she and Rosa exchanged looks.
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Jade Cargill, Stokely Hathaway, and the Baddies were backstage. Hathaway said that Kris Statlander was going one on one with Red Velvet on Rampage.
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AEW Rampage (6/10) lineup:
- Red Velvet vs. Kris Statlander
- Will Ospreay & Aussie Open vs. Trent Beretta & FTR
- Satnam Singh’s debut teaming with Jay Lethal
- Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia
- We will hear from Hook & Danhausen
AEW Dynamite: Road Rager (6/15) lineup:
- Hair vs. Hair: Chris Jericho vs. Ortiz
- AEW World Tag Team Championship ladder match: Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (c) vs. The Young Bucks vs. The Hardys
- 20-on-1 handicap match: Wardlow vs. the Plaintiffs
- All-Atlantic Championship qualifier: Ethan Page (Canada) vs. Miro (Bulgaria)
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William Regal joined commentary.
Interim AEW World Championship Eliminator: Jon Moxley defeated Kyle O’Reilly
This was a great main event, albeit one where the winner was never in any doubt.
The winner of this match will face the winner of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto from NJPW’s Dominion show at Forbidden Door.
Moxley controlled early with some joint manipulation. They traded strikes in the center of the ring. O’Reilly caught Moxley’s leg over the ropes and hit a dragon screw (just as in the battle royal) before landing a diving knee drop while Moxley was tied up ahead of the commercial break.
Once back, Moxley hit a super butterfly suplex to start a comeback. He fired up with more strikes and locked on a crossface chickenwing. Moxley was bleeding from the nose at this point. He landed a King Kong lariat for a near fall.
Moxley laid in the hammer and anvil elbows, but O’Reilly came back with crossface strikes and elbows of his own. Moxley turned the tables with more strikes. O’Reilly fired back, but Moxley hit a jumping cutter. He went for the Gotch-style piledriver, but O’Reilly reversed it into a triangle sleeper before locking on a heel hook. A strong right hand from Moxley broke the hold.
On second attempt, Moxley was able to hit the Gotch-style piledriver for two. They traded open-hand palm strikes and O’Reilly hit a Saito suplex, but Moxley came back with one of his own. They smashed each other with repeated lariats.
Moxley locked on a sleeper before transitioning to the Bulldog Choke. Moxley then hit the Regal Knee and the Paradigm Shift for the win.
