AEW‘s latest edition of Dynamite went down on (2/22/23) from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona! All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan alongside Adam Cole made a ‘major’ announcement and Orange Cassidy retained the AEW All-Atlantic Championship over Wheeler Yuta!
Live Coverage
The show opens and it’s immediately time for our opening contest of the evening!
Orange Cassidy (C) vs. Wheeler Yuta — AEW All-Atlantic Championship
Yuta isn’t interested in Cassidy’s handshake before the match begins and here we go. A series of roll ups starts this one off but nobody can garner a three-count. Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli makes his way down to the ring to keep a closer eye on this one. Claudio slaps Yuta in the face to wake up his fellow Blackpool Combat Club stablemate and Yuta rushes back into the ring and plants Cassidy with a slam and bites the champion’s forehead. Yuta dumps Cassidy out of the ring and launches him into the barricade then the timekeeper’s area, and a ring post before sending him back into the ring. Yuta starts slapping Cassidy in the face after Cassidy starts no selling the challenger’s offense
Cassidy lands his patented low kicks then wallops Yuta with a drop-kick before sending him into the corner, where he starts pummeling Yuta face-first into the top turnbuckle. Yuta cracks Cassidy with a back-elbow then sends Cassidy tumbling to the outside. Yuta tosses Cassidy back into the ring and goes for the cover but the champion kicks out. Yuta sends Cassidy right back to the outside and dives through the ropes but Cassidy evades. Yuta doesn’t let his dive miss deter him and plants Cassidy back in the ring with a DDT followed by a brain-buster and goes for the cover but Cassidy lifts the shoulders. Yuta spits his gum out in Cassidy’s face and the champion is NOT happy and starts trading elbows with the challenger.
Cassidy sends Yuta to the apron and nails the challenger with a tornado DDT to the floor. Yuta comes roaring back and lands a pile-driver on the champion before going for the cover but Cassidy kicks out. Cassidy pops back up and drills Yuta with the Orange Punch and goes for the cover but Yuta lifts the shoulders at two-and-a-half! Cassidy plants Yuta with Beach Break and goes for another cover but Yuta kicks out yet again! Cassidy lands one more Orange Punch and Yuta is finally out and Cassidy gets the 1-2-3!
Winner – Orange Cassidy (C)
We then see Evil Uno backstage and the Dark Order member starts ranting about his opponent for tonight, former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page comes in and Uno tells him that it’s time for the Dark Order to start standing up for themselves.
Ricky Starks makes his way down to the ring. Starks runs down just about the entire Jericho Appreciation Society and says that it’s pretty clear the Chris Jericho doesn’t want to have another match with him considering what happened the last time they faced each other (Starks won). Starks says he has an open contract for a match at next month’s ‘Revolution’ pay-per-view and out comes Chris Jericho! The leader of JAS says he knows that Starks is just trying to bait him into having another match and their feud won’t be over until he (Jericho) says it is. Peter Avalon interrupts and Jericho wallops him with a Judas Effect before coming down to the ring to meet Starks. Jericho ponders if he should face Starks at ‘Revolution’ and Starks says he doesn’t think Jericho can beat him, especially without the help of JAS. Jericho says he’ll ban JAS from ringside and signs the deal! We have a rematch for ‘Revolution’!
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) (with Billy Gunn) vs. Lee Moriarty & Big Bill (with Stokely Hathaway)
Caster and Moriarty start this one off. Caster grounds Moriarty with an arm-drag but eats a big boot to the face from Moriarty for his troubles. Caster makes the tag to Bowens and The Acclaimed plant Moriarty with a double-slam and Bowens goes for the cover but Moriarty kicks out as we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Bill is working over Bowens back inside of the ring. The AEW World Tag Team Champions, Austin and Colten Gunn make their way down to the ring and they attack their father, Billy Gunn before being ran off by The Acclaimed. Moriarty and Bowens are now the legal competitors and Moriarty cracks Bowens with a massive lariat and goes for the cover but Bowens kicks out. Moriarty goes for a super-kick but Bowens rolls him back but Moriarty kicks out. Bowens plants Moriarty with a slam, makes the tag to Caster, who goes up to the top rope and drills Moriarty with the Mic Drop for the 1-2-3!
Winners – The Acclaimed
After the match, Tony Schiavone comes to the stage and introduces Christian Cage. ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry comes in right behind Cage and attacks his former idol. Perry mocks kicks dirt on Cage’s motionless body and exits. But Perry isn’t done, he returns with a pair of steel chairs and puts one under Cage’s head. Perry lifts the other chair but he can’t find it in himself to smash Cage with a con-chair-to and he stalls long enough for Cage to take advantage and low blow Perry. Cage cracks Perry with the chair and smashes Perry face-first into the chair six times to a chorus of boos from the Phoenix, Arizona crowd in attendance. Aubrey Edwards among other AEW officials come down and make Cage leave as they check on Perry.
We then see a recap of Wardlow’s comments when he was interviewed by Jim Ross, last week.
Saraya (with Toni Storm) vs. Skye Blue
Saraya sends Skye to the corner and unloads a bevy of kicks to start. Saraya dumps Skye out of the ring and Toni Storm plants her with a suplex on the outside as Saraya distracted referee, Aubrey Edwards. Saraya fires Skye into the barricade before sending her back into the ring. Saraya applies a head-lock but Skye launches herself off the ropes and has a head scissors submissions locked in on Saraya but Saraya plants Skye with a slam and goes for the cover but Skye kicks out. Saraya sends Skye into the corner and puts her on the top turnbuckle. Saraya looks for a super-plex, Skye knocks her back to the mat and lays Saraya out with a diving cross-body. Skye cracks Saraya with a step-up knee and a side kick to the head before going for the cover but Storm gets on the apron and distracts the referee. Skye knocks Storm off the apron but walks right into a super-kick from Saraya, who then locks in her signature double-arm submission and Skye has no choice but to tap out!
Winner – Saraya
After the match, Saraya and Toni Storm are about to spray Skye Blue with their green spray paint but the AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, alongside Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. rush the ring and make the save. Saraya and Storm spray paint a fan’s sign and scurry off…but Ruby Soho comes down to the stage. Soho locks eyes with Hayter and does the belt pose, signifying she’s coming for Hayter’s title as we head to a commercial break.
Back from the break and Bryan Danielson makes his way down to the ring. Bryan says the crowd sounds like they want him to win the AEW World Championship over MJF at ‘Revolution’, which garners a massive ‘YES!’ chant. Bryan says he’s going to do everything in his power to defeat MJF in two weeks but he first wants to address something that the champion said last week. Bryan says MJF said that he hates him but he’s the one who tried to put a bounty on his head and didn’t even want him to make it to ‘Revolution’ and hospitalized his idol William Regal but he’s the one who hates him? MJF’s music hits and out comes the AEW World Champion. MJF tells production to cut his music and says Bryan may have the fans fooled but he knows who Bryan truly is. MJF says he was thrown to the side by everyone he’s ever trusted…but then he met a girl, someone who changed the way he feels about the world. MJF said he got down on one knee and told that girl that he wanted to start a family with her and she left him.
The crowd pours in ‘you deserve it!’ chants and Bryan is laughing in the ring. MJF says now the only thing he can trust is the AEW World Championship, which is the only reason he hasn’t ‘grabbed a hand full of pills and called it a day’. MJF says everyone loves Bryan and admires him and MJF even starts a ‘YES!’ chant. MJF says Bryan has something he’ll never have…a family, beautiful wife, and two happy, healthy children, something Bryan takes for granted. MJF says he hates Bryan, but it’s not because of fans thinking Bryan is better than him, but because Bryan has had more concussions than anyone in professional wrestling history but he stills has stuck around the sport. MJF says every time Bryan steps into the ring, Bryan is showing that professional wrestling is more important than his wife and his children. MJF says Bryan is taking everything that he’d kill for, for granted. MJF says Bryan is no better than Bryan’s ‘drug addicted’ mentor, William Regal. MJF says Bryan will get the spotlight at ‘Revolution’ because that’s where he’s going to ‘punish’ Bryan for everything he’s taken for granted.
MJF looks directly into the camera and says he wants to speak to Bryan’s children. Bryan interrupts and says if MJF talks about his children, he’s going to ‘kick the sh*t’ out of him. MJF says hi to Bryan’s children and says at ‘Revolution’ he’s going to rip ‘dada’s’ arm right out of his socket and make sure that he can never play with them again. MJF says he’s going to make sure that ‘dada’ can’t ever pick them up again and says that he’s going to give ‘dada’ a present on March 5th…and that’s early onset CTE. Bryan attacks MJF and the brawl is on! Security rush the ring, much to the dismay of the crowd in attendance and security separates the two competitors. Bryan escapes and goes right back on the attack but they’re quickly separated once again. However, this time, MJF breaks loose and attacks the challenger but now AEW officials come down and assist the break-up. MJF exits the ring and Bryan escapes the ring and cracks MJF with a massive flying forearm which gets ‘holy sh*t!’ chants from the crowd and we head to a commercial break as security breaks up the brawl.
Lucha Bros vs. Top Flight vs. Aussie Open vs. Best Friends vs. RUSH & Preston Vance vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett vs. Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese vs. John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker — AEW Revolution Tag Team Battle Royale
Nese and Daivari are eliminated right off the bat. Both members of Aussie Open are tosses out, Darius Martin is sent over the top rope and to the floor, and Blade is tossed out by John Silver. Butcher launches Reynolds to the outside and Penta super-kicks Vance over the top rope. RUSH dumps Penta over the top rope and Penta and Vance brawl on the outside. Fenix sends RUSH over the top rope but RUSH holds on to the bottom rope but Fenix walks the top rope and drills RUSH with a kick to the face and RUSH is eliminated. Butcher launches Silver to the outside, so now both members of Dark Order are eliminated. Danhausen gets in the ring but Matt Menard and Angelo Parker send him right back out of the ring. Buthcer dumps Chuck Taylor out, and Danhausen puts a curse on both Menard and Parker and they both jump over the top rope and eliminate themselves. Dante Martin, Rey Fenix, Trent Beretta, Butcher, Jay Lethal, and Jeff Jarrett are the final six with the only full team being Lethal and Jarrett as Martin, Fenix, Trent, and Butcher are all the final members of their respective teams.
Jarrett and Trent both exit the ring, but are not eliminated and they start brawling around the ringside area. Jarrett sends Trent back into the ring and they align with Butcher to attack Trent and we head to a commercial break. Back from the break and Jarrett and Lethal eliminate Butcher, Fenix, and Martin and now it’s down to Jarrett and Lethal vs. Trent. Lethal tries to toss Lethal out but Satnam Singh runs around the ring and tries to stop Trent from eliminating both Lethal and Jarrett. Both Lethal and Jarrett are falling off the apron but Singh pushes them both back into the ring at the same time. Jarrett tosses Trent over the top rope and Jarrett celebrates but Trent kept himself off the floor and spins back into the ring. Lethal tosses Trent right back over the top rope and celebrates with Jarrett but Orange Cassidy comes out from under the ring and pushes Trent back into the ring before his feet touch the floor. Danhausen helps Trent eliminate Lethal, Jarrett is yelling at Danhausen, and Trent tosses Jarrett over the top rope but Singh catches him and tosses Jarrett back into the ring. Jarrett plants Trent with a slam and sends Trent over the top rope and to the outside!
Winners – Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett
Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett join The Acclaimed and the AEW World Tag Team Champions, Gunn Club in the four-way tag match for the titles at ‘Revolution’ with the fourth and final team being determined next Wednesday night on Dynamite.
We then see a video package hyping up the House of Black, who make it clear that they’re going after The Elite and the AEW Trios World Titles. It’s announced that AEW President Tony Khan will make his ‘major’ announcement after the break.
Back from the break and Renee Paquette is backstage with AEW President Tony Khan. Tony introduces Adam Cole, who Tony says is better suited to actually make the announcement. Adam says he’s excited to be able to tell more of his story and he’ll be able to do that because every Wednesday night right after Dynamite, there will be a weekly one-hour show ‘AEW All Access’, which begins on Wednesday, March 1st at 10:00 p.m. EDT/7:00 p.m. PDT. Adam says the night ‘AEW All Access’ premieres on March 1, he’ll make his in-ring return on Dynamite.
We then see Jy Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh backstage celebrating Lethal and Jarrett’s win. AEW World Tag Team Champions Gunn Club come in and say it would be smart for them and Lethal and Jarrett to look out for one another before and at ‘Revolution’.
Excalibur and Tony Schiavone on commentary run down the card for this Friday’s edition of AEW Rampage and it’s time for our main event of the evening.
Jon Moxley vs. Evil Uno
Uno rushes Moxley the second the bell rings but Moxley sends Uno to the corner and starts unloading shots on the Dark Order member. Moxley is laying into Uno pretty heavy here and dumps Uno out of the ring. Uno barely beat the ten-count and gets into the ring but Moxley drills him with a kick to the face. Uno is busted open pretty badly under his mask and you can see the blood pouring out from his exposed eyes on the mask. Uno powers up and plants Moxley with a pile-driver, then a second one, and goes for the cover but Moxley kicks out. Moxley locks in the bulldog choke and the blood is literally squeezing out of Uno’s mask and referee Paul Turner waves this one off!
Winner – Jon Moxley (via referee stoppage)
After the match, Moxley won’t let go of the submission and Dark Order rushes the ring to save Uno. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta come down to even the odds and out comes ‘Hangman’ Adam Page! Moxley and Page brawl, Page cracks Moxley with some barbed wire and the brawl continues around the ringside area. Moxley is busted open pretty badly and the former AEW World Champion scurries off as the show goes off-the-air!
