The May 25th episode AEW Dynamite aired live from the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay. It was the final episode of Dynamite before AEW Double or Nothing this Sunday night. Tonight’s show also marked the 3 year anniversary of AEW’s launch.
Dynamite Results
- Wardlow def. Shawn Spears in a Steel Cage match to earn a match against MJF at Double or Nothing
- Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston def. Private Party
- FTR def. Roppongi Vice via DQ
- Swerve Strickland def. Ricky Starks, Jungle Boy in a Triple Threat match
- Britt Baker def. Toni Storm to advance in the finals of the women’s Owen Hart Tournament
- Samoa Joe def. Kyle O’Reilly to advance to the finals of the men’s Owen Hart Tournnament
Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite
Wardlow Won The Cage Match & Will Face MJF at Double or Nothing
Wardlow battled Shawn Spears in a Steel Cage match. MJF was the special guest referee for the match and was wearing a striped tank top and short shorts. If Wardlow won the match, he would earn a match against MJF at Double or Nothing to escape his contract. MJF checked Wardlow before the match and claimed to have forgotten the keys to the handcuffs. Spears then attacked Wardlow and the match began. MJF stomped the hell out of Wardlow as well in the corner.
Wardlow tried to battle back but MJF raked the eyes and posed for the booing crowd. MJF and Spears sent Wardlow into the cage and high-fived. Spears charged but Wardlow countered into a Back Body Drop and followed it up with a big boot. MJF dared Wardlow to hit him but he couldn’t or the match at Double or Nothing would be off. Wardlow then broke the handcuffs himself and beat the hell out of Spears as MJF watched on in horror.
Spears started climbing the cage but Wardlow followed him. Wardlow clubbed Spears across the back and whipped him down to the canvas. Wardlow barely connected with a Swanton and went for the cover but MJF laughed in his face. MJF hit Wadlow with a low blow and Spears followed it up with the C4 but somehow Wardlow kicked out at two.
MJF and Spears were in shock and paced around the ring as Wardlow began to stir on the canvas. Spears brought a steel chair into the ring and accidentally bashed MJF over the head with it. Wardlow got up and grabbed Spears for the Powerbomb Symphony. Wardlow hit three big Powerbombs and fired up the crowd. Another ref came down to the ring and Wardlow hit a final Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Wardlow beat down the security guards as they comically entered the cage one at a time. Wardlow then Powerbombed one of the guards as MJF retreated up the entrance ramp. Wardlow will battle MJF at Double or Nothing this Sunday night on PPV.
CM Punk & Hangman Page Face-to-Face
Tony Schiavone moderated the face-to-face between CM Punk and AEW Champion Hangman Page tonight. Hangman Page will defend the AEW Championship against CM Punk this Sunday at Double or Nothing. Punk got a mixed reaction and claimed he was taking the title at Double or Nothing. Page shouted that there is nothing Punk can do to get the title away from him.
Punk told Hangman that he’s possibly the toughest son of a bitch on the roster and this is not personal. Hangman took the microphone away from Tony Schiavone and reminded Punk that he’s already said he is going to destroy and embarrass him at Double or Nothing. Hangman added that he does not hate Punk, he pities him and doesn’t respect what he’s done since his arrival in AEW. Page said he’s not just defending the AEW title against CM Punk, Hangman shouted that he will be defending All Elite Wrestling from Punk. The crowd loudly chanted “Cowboy Shit!” as Punk once again wondered why Hangman is taking this so personally.
CM Punk said if Hangman is so upset that he’s here, he is going to have to do something on Sunday. Punk added that the roads Hangman traveled to get here were paved by him, and that he gave Page the blueprint. Punk told Hangman that he will shake his hand on Sunday and tonight. Punk shoved Hangman and Page leveled him with a right hand. Punk dropped to the canvas and stared at Hangman to end the segment.
Moxley & Kingston Picked Up A Win
Private Party faced Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley tonight on Dynamite. Jericho Appreciation Society joined commentary for the match. Eddie Kingston beat the hell out of Marq Quen to begin the action and tagged in Moxley. Marq hit an Enziguri and Isiah Kassidy tagged in. Kassidy hit a Splash on Moxley in the corner before Quen tagged back in. Moxley battled back and connected with a Piledriver as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Kassidy hit Moxley with an Enziguri and Quen followed it up with a Crossbody off the top. Quen knocked Kingston off the apron and delivered a Dropkick that knocked Jon to the outside. Quen flipped onto Kingston and Kassidy hit a dive onto Moxley. Back in the ring, Kassidy hit a Stunner and Quen followed it up with a Shooting Star Press for a two count.
Moxley turned Kassidy inside out with a Clothesline and Kingston hit Quen with the Backfist to the Future. Moxley hit the Paradigm Shift on Kingston and flipped the bird to JAS during the pinfall. After the match, JAS rushed down the ramp for the far too often post match brawl. JAS hit punches and kicks until Bryan Danielson, Santana, and Ortiz made the save. Jericho escaped the brawl and posed in the ring until Danielson attacked him. Chris stomped on Danielson’s knee and Bryan sold an injury. Jericho Appreciation Society will battle Santana, Ortiz, Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson in an Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing.
Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan Interfered In The ROH Tag Title Match
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defended the ROH Tag Team Championships against Roppongi Vice (Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero). Wheeler and Romero started off the action. Cash applied an armbar but Romero tripped him up. Rocky applied a headlock but Cash powered to his feet. Romero hit a shoulder tackle and knocked Wheeler to the mat.
Romero rolled Cash up and then quickly transitioned into an armbreaker in the middle of the ring. Wheeler escaped and regrouped with Dax outside the ring. Back in the ring, Harwood tagged in and locked up with Beretta. Harwood hit a shoulder tackle but Trent shrugged it off and hit Harwood with some chops to the chest in the corner.
Harwood reversed it and hit a chop before Trent caught him with a boot to his taped ribs. Trent launched Dax into the turnbuckle but Harwood exploded out of the corner and hit a Suplex. Wheeler tagged in and connected with a Leg Drop for a near fall. Cash went for a Suplex but Trent blocked it and Rocky tagged back in. Trent hit a Suplex and Rocky went for the cover but Cash kicked out as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Cash hit a Suplex on Romero and tagged in Dax. Trent tagged in and Dax greeted him with some jabs to the face. Harwood sent Romero out of the ring but got launched into the turnbuckle by Beretta. Trent followed it up with to Belly to Back Suplexes but Harwood blocked the third. Harwood hit two Belly to Back Suplexes and Trent grabbed onto the ropes. Trent went for a Clothesline and Harwood ducked before hitting the third Belly to Back Suplex. Dax went for the cover but Rocky broke it up at two.
Romero tagged in and Harwood hit an Atomic Drop. Trent and Rocky then hit a double knee strike to Dax’s face and Romero attacked Wheeler outside the ring. Romero hit a Dropkick on Harwood and Trent followed it up with a running knee to the face for a near fall. Cash tripped Romero up on the top rope as Harwood and Trent traded roll-ups. Roppongi Vice hit Strong Zero but Cash broke it up at two. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan (United Empire in NJPW) attacked to end the match in a DQ. They then beat down both teams and put them through tables after the match. Khan put Trent through a table with an Iron Claw spot that didn’t look good.
Swerve Strickland Won The Triple Threat
FTW Champion Ricky Starks faced Jungle Boy and Swerve Strickland in a Triple Threat match. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee, and Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs at Double or Nothing.
Ricky Starks rolled out of the ring and crossed his arms. Swerve offered a handshake to Jungle Boy in the ring and Ricky attacked from behind. Swerve got Jungle Boy in the Electric Chair but he escaped and hit Starks with a Hurricanrana. Jungle Boy ran to the ropes but Starks tripped him up. Ricky followed it up with a big boot and sent Swerve into the barricade. Starks then stomped on him as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Strickland hit Starks with an Enziguri. Swerve lifted Jungle Boy up for a Suplex but Ricky leveled him with a Spear. Starks hit the Roshambo on Strickland but Jungle Boy caught Ricky in the Snare Trap in the middle of the ring. Starks crawled across the ring and got to the bottom rope to break the hold. Jungle Boy dragged Ricky back to the middle of the ring but Strickland broke the hold up with a Dropkick. Strickland hit Starks with the Swerve Stomp for the pinfall victory.
After the match, you guessed it, there was a brawl for the third time in a row. Powerhouse rushed the ring and hit Strickland with a Clothesline. Luchasaurus and Keith Lee followed. Keith Lee cleared the ring until Ricky Starks was alone. Keith Lee hit a slingshot Splash onto Hobbs and Luchasaurus. Lee hit the floor hard but was alright and posed with Strickland to end the segment.
Thunder Rosa Warned Serena Deeb
Dan Lambert and Men of the Year cut a backstage promo. They will be presenting Scorpio Sky with a new TNT Championship after Sammy Guevara destroyed the title with Frankie Kazarian last week.
Tony Schiavone interviewed AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa on the entrance ramp. She vowed to teach Serena Deeb a lesson in the title match at Double or Nothing.
Britt Baker Advanced To The Finals Of The Owen Hart Tournament
Britt Baker battled Toni Storm in the semifinals of the women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Toni dominated the action early and got Britt in an armbar. Baker escaped but Toni then locked her in a headscissors in the middle of the ring. The action spilled to the outside and Baker bounced Storm’s face off the apron. Toni battled back with a boot to the face but Britt raked her eyes. Baker then smashed Toni into the steel steps as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Britt was still in control as Jamie Hayter made her way ringside. Baker connected with a Neckbreaker for a near fall. Britt went for a Clothesline but Toni ducked and slammed Baker to the mat. Toni went for a roll-up and Britt reversed it and grabbed the rope for leverage. This appeared to be a botched finish as Hayter was way late getting over there and it looked awkward. The referee still managed to not see anything and Baker won via pinfall. Britt is now in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
Samoa Joe Will Face Adam Cole In The Finals Of The Owen Hart Tournament At Double Or Nothing
Samoa Joe faced Kyle O’Reilly in the semifinals of the men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Joe locked up with O’Reilly to begin the action. Joe took control and leveled O’Reilly with an uppercut for a near fall. Samoa Joe followed it up with a Suplex for another two count. O’Reilly hit a knee strike and slammed Joe to the mat. Kyle stomped on Joe a couple times before hitting some elbow strikes to the midsection.
O’Reilly delivered a knee to the ribs and then a boot to Joe’s face as he tried to get up. Kyle hit Joe with some more knee strikes but Joe shrugged them off and leveled O’Reilly with a shoulder tackle. Kyle connected with a Dragon Screw and then climbed to the top rope. O’Reilly hit a Knee Drop for a two count and then went for an armbar but Joe got to the ropes as Dynamite went to a final commercial break.
Back from the commercial, Joe and O’Reilly traded kicks in the middle of the ring. Joe got the better of the exchange and hit an Atomic Drop followed by a big boot. Samoa Joe hit a Senton and went for the cover but Kyle kicked out at two. Joe went for the Muscle Buster but O’Reilly escaped. Kyle got Joe in a submission hold in the middle of the ring but Joe reached the ropes and the match continued.
Joe connected with an Enziguri but O’Reilly bounced off the ropes and punted Joe in the face. Samoa Joe and O’Reilly got up in opposite corners of the ring. Joe went for a Uranage but O’Reilly countered with an armdrag. Joe trapped O’Reilly in a chokehold in the middle of the ring and O’Reilly passed out. Samoa Joe will battle Adam Cole in the finals of the men’s Owen Hart Tournament at Double or Nothing. Adam Cole came to the entrance ramp and had a stare down with Joe to end Dynamite.
