Sammy Guevara will defend the TNT Championship against Darby Allin on tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Guevara and Allin have matched up twice before in AEW, once at Revolution 2020, once on Dynamite in April 2020.
Also set for tonight’s show, CM Punk will reveal the date and stipulation for his next match with MJF following Punk and Jon Moxley’s win over FTR on last week’s Dynamite.
Thunder Rosa will take on Mercedes Martinez in a no-DQ match. In storyline, Women’s Champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. has hired Martinez as a mercenary to take out Rosa.
Bryan Danielson will face Lee Moriarty in a match set up during a backstage interaction between the two on last week’s programming.
The Inner Circle implosion will continue with a tag team bout, as Chris Jericho and Jake Hager team against Santana and Ortiz.
Wardlow vs. Max Caster in a Face of the Revolution qualifying match is also set for tonight’s show.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Show Report —
CM Punk vs. MJF match announcement
This was so great. Punk’s on another level right now.
CM Punk was seated in the ring to open the show. He started with his “My name is CM Punk … and I’m better than you” refrain from earlier in his career. He discussed his impact on the wrestling business, specifically how he has informed young wrestlers in the AEW locker room.
He changed his attention to MJF, saying he wasn’t mad that he lost; “I’m proud of you.” But MJF isn’t Piper or Bret, he’s just a guy with a ring and help. Thanks to the assist from Jon Moxley last week, Punk now gets to pick the time and the place to take on MJF, and it will be AEW Revolution.
But what kind of match should it be? “Maybe it should be in a cage.” He thought back to the toughest matches of his career. If MJF wants to be Piper so bad, Punk’s thinking a dog collar match – and he subsequently pulled one out of the box in front of him. He demanded MJF come out.
MJF emerged, but before he could say anything, Punk produced the famous photo with him and a childhood Max. If that was the best day of MJF’s life, Revolution will be the worst. The canvas will be stained with his blood.
Instead of saying anything, MJF just paused, dropped the mic, and stormed off.
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Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, & Christian Cage were backstage. There will be a couple matches coming up to determine the top contenders to the championships, which will be defended in a three-way at Revolution. Jungle Boy “loves a good three-way,” and Christian said things would get interesting in the division.
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A video recapped the Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and young wrestlers storyline.
Bryan Danielson defeated Lee Moriarty
This was probably Moriarty’s best AEW singles match yet.
At the bell, Danielson offered a handshake, but pulled it away as Moriarty was about to accept. They wrestled around until Danielson slapped Moriarty across the jaw on what was supposed to be a rope break. Danielson locked on a Romero special before turning it into a modified dragon sleeper. Moriarty countered and went for the Border City Stretch, but Danielson reached the ropes and slapped Moriarty again.
An uppercut from Moriarty sent Danielson to the floor, but Danielson was able to avoid a dive and tie Moriarty in the ropes for Yes kicks. Danielson continued to dominate through a commercial break. Once back, they had a rather wacky headstand leglock strike battle that had to be seen to be believed, but then Danielson applied the LeBell Lock, forcing Moriarty to the ropes.
Moriarty started a comeback with a back suplex. They traded uppercuts until Moriarty rolled Danielson up with a backslide for two. Danielson landed another strong right hand, but Moriarty fired up with repeated strikes until he ran into a rolling elbow. A belly-to-belly suplex from Moriarty got two.
The pin attempt was immediately transitioned into Moriarty’s Border City Stretch, but Danielson powered out and hit a backdrop suplex and the Busaiko knee. Danielson kicked Moriarty’s head in and transitioned into a triangle hold for the referee stoppage.
– After the match, Danielson said he came out here to teach Moriarty a thing or two about violence. He wanted to team up with Moxley to teach young wrestlers, and he’s demanding an answer.
Moxley made his full entrance. A while ago, at an indie show, Moxley was a hungry young lion who took a chance taking on Bryan Danielson. That night, Moxley fought tooth and nail but he came up short – but taking on the best just made him want more. Now, Danielson doesn’t want to fight him, he just wants to join forces. They could create a dynasty of “pure, unmitigated wrestling violence” and they could take young guys along with them. Moxley couldn’t think of a reason to say “no.”
But maybe the only reason Danielson wants to stand side by side with Moxley is because he doesn’t want to stand *across* from Moxley. Moxley doesn’t stand side by side with anybody until he bleeds with them first.
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There was a Keith Lee video promo. He was the first one to qualify for the Face of the Revolution ladder match, and he’s come to AEW to make a statement. Phase 1 is done, the ladder match is phase 2, and when he’s done with that, the TNT Championship will be his.
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Face of the Revolution qualifier: Wardlow (w/ Shawn Spears) defeated Max Caster (w/ Anthony Bowens)
I feel like Bowens’ timing was way off on some of the interference spots in this one.
Bowens grabbed Wardlow’s boot right away leading into a commercial. During the break, Wardlow suplexed Caster all over the ring and the floor until Caster avoided a spear and sent Wardlow into the steel steps. Upon return, Wardlow was hit by a chain behind the referee’s back for two. Wardlow then hit three powerbombs, a rather mild Powerbomb Symphony, for the win.
– After the match, Bowens immediately attacked Wardlow, who powerbombed him in return. Spears then hit the Acclaimed with chair shots.
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Britt Baker, Mercedes Martinez, and company were backstage. Baker told Martinez to finish the job tonight. She said she has the best squad and the best sensei: Karate Kid actor Martin Kove (in full John Kreese attire), who walked up for a cameo.
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Hangman Page speaks
Schiavone asked Page about the violent match with Lance Archer. Before he could say anything, Adam Cole interrupted and came out. He told the crowd to applaud Page and put over the battles he’s been through. Cole told Schiavone to “get the hell out of my ring.”
Cole’s been a world champion everywhere he’s gone, and it’s a shame that Page’s reign is going to have to come to an end soon. Page asked Cole how it felt to see his friends build a wrestling empire without him. The AEW World Championship is the only world championship Cole will never hold.
In the time Cole was gone, Page blossomed into a great champion, but the reality is he’s always just been known as “the other Adam.” Page was about to square up, but Cole said he has respect and adoration for him. Some day, they will fight for the AEW World Championship, and when that day comes, “may the best man win.”
Cole’s music played and he walked off, but Page was then attacked from behind by reDRagon. Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish all beat down Page until security and then the Dark Order came out to break it up.
The segment ended in an odd way as Ten attacked all the security guards and tossed one over the top rope onto the pile on the outside.
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A video promo hyped Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin.
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Before the match, Eddie Kingston came out to be Santana and Ortiz’s corner man.
Santana & Ortiz defeated Chris Jericho & Jake Hager
Santana went right at Jericho from the start. laying in repeated strikes. A standing moonsault from Ortiz got two. Jericho popped Ortiz up into a facebuster and tagged in Hager, who beat down Ortiz before hitting the Hager bomb for two ahead of a break.
Once back, a clothesline from Ortiz allowed him to reach Santana for the hot tag. He ran wild on Hager but ran into a Codebreaker from Jericho followed by a spinebuster from Hager for two. Jericho hit a running bulldog, but Ortiz cut off the Lionsault. They then hit the Street Sweeper on Jericho for a near fall.
Jericho countered a corner cannonball into the Liontamer. Kingston urged Santana towards the ropes, and he eventually reached them. Jericho took out Kingston with a springboard dropkick, but Santana avoided the Judas Effect and hit a discus lariat on Jericho for the win.
– After the match, Jericho went right after Kingston but they were separated by the referee corps.
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The Elite were backstage. Cole said Jay White would beat Trent Beretta and that the two tag teams would win the battle royals. The Young Bucks and reDRagon argued about who would win (and then about fatherhood), but Cole calmed everyone down.
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No Disqualification: Thunder Rosa defeated Mercedes Martinez
Rosa used a chair to slap the steel pipe out of Martinez’s hand. Out on the floor, Martinez sent Rosa into the steps and produced some chairs, Rosa came back by sending Martinez through a barricade into the ringside area. They brawled out into the crowd, where Rosa jumped off a railing and took Martinez out with a crossbody ahead of a break.
During commercial, Rosa produced a trashcan and a table, which she set up on the floor. Once back, Martinez hit a fisherman’s buster kind of through the table, which didn’t really break. Martinez wanted an avalanche powerbomb, but Rosa turned it into a Frankensteiner before hitting a dropkick through the trashcan on Martinez for two.
Rosa climbed the ropes but was cut off with a shot from the trashcan lid. Martinez hit a spider German suplex off the top followed by a top-rope elbow drop for a near fall. Rosa came back with a crucifix bomb and then hit the Fire Thunder driver on a pile of chairs for the win.
– After the match, Rosa showed Martinez respect, but then Britt Baker and company emerged. Baker consulted the Cobra Kai guy at ringside, who told her “Finish her.” They attacked Rosa, setting Martinez up to attack with the pipe, but Martinez hesitated, so Jamie Hayter attacked her. Baker posed with the belt to end the segment.
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Malakai Black cut a cryptic video promo. Brody King asked who they were waiting for, and Black responded “history.” That’s a pretty heavy Buddy Matthews tease.
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AEW Rampage (2/18) lineup:
- Adam Cole vs. Ten
- Jay White vs. Trent Beretta
- Serena Deeb’s five-minute challenge
- Face of the Revolution qualifier: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Dante Martin
AEW Dynamite (2/23) lineup:
- House of Black (Malakai Black & Brody King) vs. Death Triangle (Penta El Zero Miedo & PAC)
- Eddie Kingston / Chris Jericho face to face
- Tag Team battle royale for the top contendership
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Jay White said he’d show all of AEW to “Breathe with the Switchblade,” because it’s still his era.
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TNT Championship: Sammy Guevara (c) defeated Darby Allin
This was a great match until the annoying finish.
They showed respect at the start. There was a massive dueling “Let’s go Darby/Let’s go Sammy” chant. Early on, they jockeyed for position on the top rope, where Guevara just dropped Allin over the turnbuckle, sending him crashing to the floor. Guevara followed it up with a rope-hang senton bomb ahead of the commercial.
Once back, Allin hit consecutive Coffin splashes and chopped out Guevara’s knee. He made Guevara’s knee the target of his attack, tying Guevara up in the tree of woe and using the ropes as leverage. Guevara powered up and hit a top-rope Spanish Fly for two. Allin countered a springboard dropkick into a Figure Four leglock, and the two fought to exact the pressure.
They sat up with their legs tied and exchanged slaps. They then countered each other’s big moves until Allin locked on the Last Supper cradle for a near fall. He then hit the float-over stunner, sending Guevara to the floor. Guevara countered Allin’s dive with a cutter on the floor.
Back in the ring, Guevara went for a top-rope senton bomb on the apron, but Allin moved out of the way and Guevara crashed hard. Allin set Guevara up for a Coffin Drop to the back, but Andrade’s assistant José came out and got on the apron. Sting chased him off, but Andrade El Idolo used the distraction to whack Allin with his iPad.
Guevara hit the GTH for the win.
– After the match, Matt Hardy ran out and beat down Allin, but Guevara chased him off. Andrade whacked him with the iPad and walked off with the TNT Championships to end the show.
