AEW Dynamite aired live from the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the first episode of Dynamite following AEW All Out. Jon Moxley battled Minoru Suzuki tonight. It was announced that Cody Rhodes will face Malakai Black on the September 22nd edition of Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Dynamite Results (9/8)
- Malakai Black def. Dustin Rhodes
- Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dante Martin
- Ruby Soho def. Jamie Hayter
- The Pinnacle def. Dark Order
- Jon Moxley def. Minoru Suzuki
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Malakai Black def. Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes battled Malakai Black in the first match of the night. Rhodes connected with a couple Clotheslines and an Atomic Drop to begin the action. Malakai hit a kick to the face but Rhodes shrugged it off. Dustin sent Malakai across the ring with a release German Suplex.
Rhodes threw Malakai to the outside and followed him out there. Malakai shoved Rhodes into the ring post and then slammed him through a table. Malakai removed the turnbuckle padding and brought Rhodes back into the ring.
Malakai kept Rhodes grounded for a bit and booted him in the face as he tried to get up. Dustin battled to his feet and leveled Malakai with a Clothesline. Dustin Rhodes went for a Powerslam but Malakai held onto the ropes. Rhodes still did the Powerslam motion for whatever reason and then got up into a running kick to the face from Malakai. Dustin connected with a Canadian Destroyer and went for the cover but Malakai kicked out at two. Malakai brought Cody’s boot into the ring but Rhodes attacked him. Black sent Dustin into the exposed turnbuckle and hit Fade to Black for the pinfall victory.
Team Taz Interrupted CM Punk
CM Punk made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Punk defeated Darby Allin this past weekend at All Out. Punk thanked Darby Allin, Sting, and all the fans. CM Punk thanked the crowd for the “you still got it!” chants and hyped the main event between Suzuki and Moxley. Punk also gave a shout out to Ruby Soho, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole. The crowd responded with a loud “Moxley!” chant and Punk pointed out Aunt Linda Pillman in the crowd and called her an angel.
Punk noted that his wife asked him what is next for him and that he didn’t know. CM Punk asked the crowd and then Taz interrupted. The crowd booed and Punk told Taz to never interrupt him again. Taz said he was sick of this bullshit love fest and told CM to never mention anyone from Team Taz. Punk dared Taz to send the whole team and CM added “beat me if you can, survive if I let you” to end the promo and mock Taz some more.
Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dante Martin
Powerhouse Hobbs squared off against Dante Martin tonight on Dynamite. Dante got in some offense early but Hobbs quickly put a stop to it. Hobbs beat Dante down and connected with a Suplex as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Hobbs went for a Knee Drop but Dante got out of the way at the last moment. Martin hit a massive Dropkick and followed it up with a Senton for a two count. Dante hit a running kick to Hobbs’ face and set up for a Suicide Dive but Hook hopped on the apron. Dante flipped over Hook and onto Hobbs outside the ring. Back in the ring, Martin tried to capitalize but Hobbs caught him with a big Spinebuster for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Dan Lambert cut a promo in the crowd with Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) beside him. Lambert said that AEW was hiring every skinny dork to hide the truth. Lambert claimed that the Men of the Year are the best in the company and challenged anyone in the locker room to try and take them out.
MJF & Wardlow Sent A Message To Varsity Blonds
MJF claimed that he beat Jericho clean at All Out but the match was restarted due to extreme bias against him. MJF said that there is a bias against him because everyone in the back wants to be him. He then complained about how much of a dumpster fire Cincinnati is and dared anyone from the crowd to jump the barricade. MJF added that it is called the midwest because everything from the chili to the people are mid.
MJF mocked Pillman’s family in the front row and eventually Brian Pillman Jr. interrupted wearing a Bengals jersey. Pillman said he doesn’t appreciate MJF mocking his hometown and his family. Pillman noted that MJF grew up with a silver spoon but Cincinnati breeds badasses like Jon Moxley and his father.
Pillman made his way to the ring Wardlow got in his face. MJF mocked Wardlow for not being any help at All Out and told him to stand in the corner and look pretty. MJF said he was going to do something Pillman’s mother should have done 28 years ago and abort him. Pillman tackled MJF and unloaded some strikes as Wardlow watched in the corner. Eventually, Wardlow helped out and sent Pillman across the ring with a release German Suplex. Griff Garrison rushed the ring but MJF put the Dynamite Diamond Ring on and punched Griff in the face.
Ruby Soho def. Jamie Hayter
Ruby Soho squared off against Jamie Hayter tonight on Dynamite. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker and Rebel were ringside for the match. Earlier on the show, Baker and Ruby Soho had a conversation backstage. Soho vowed to win the title and Baker joked that she was going to send Ruby back to where she has spent the past four years of her career, catering. Hayter connected with a shoulder tackle but Ruby responded with a knee to the face. Jamie then booted Ruby to the outside as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
Hayter got Soho up in the Electric Chair but Ruby countered into a slam for a near fall. Soho caught Hayter with the Riot Kick (overhead kick) for the pinfall victory. After the match, Baker, Rebelt and Hayter attacked Ruby Soho. Riho and Kris Statlander rushed the ring for the save. Britt retreated and raised the AEW Women’s Championship to end the segment.
The Pinnacle Picked Up A Win
FTR & Shawn Spears faced Dark Order’s Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver in a Trios Match. Dark Order controlled the action early but things quickly broke down. John Silver got trapped in the ring alone and Spears hit him with a Death Valley Driver for the pinfall victory. After the match, Dark Order started shoving each other as Tay Conti & Anna Jay watched on the entrance ramp.
Bryan Danielson Confronted Kenny Omega, Adam Cole’s First AEW Match Announced
Tony Schiavone was supposed to interview The Elite but Don Callis took the microphone from him. Callis noted that Omega was voted #1 in the PWI Top 500 and thanked the fans for their votes & money. Don shouted that the AEW Tag Team Championships were stolen from the Young Bucks and gave the microphone to Nick Jackson.
Nick announced that they have their best friend back and Adam Cole made his way to the ring. Cole got in Tony’s face and told him that he will slap his stupid glasses off if he ever looks at Britt Baker again. Cole called Schiavone a nerd and continued to mock him as he got out of the ring.
Cole said AEW is the greatest professional wrestling company in the world because of the guys in the ring right now. Adam added that he is a once in a generation professional wrestler and now he is with the very best. Cole referred to the Young Bucks as the greatest tag team of all time and Kenny Omega as another once in a lifetime talent. Cole announced that he will make his in-ring debut next week on Dynamite. It was later revealed that his opponent will be Frankie Kazarian.
AEW Champion Kenny Omega grabbed the microphone and said he hated interruptions. Bryan Danielson immediately interrupted and made his way to the ring as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Omega asked the rest of The Elite to get out of the ring and invited Danielson into the ring. Bryan ripped the microphone away from Omega and asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Kenny. The crowd erupted in a “yes!” chant but Omega said that isn’t how it works here.
Danielson told Omega that he was afraid to take this match because Kenny knows that he is not on his level. Omega tried to attack Danielson but he took him down and applied a Yes Lock. The Elite hopped back into the ring and beat down Danielson until Jurassic Express and Frankie Kazarian made the save. Danielson hit Cutler with the running knee to end the segment.
Jon Moxley def. Minoru Suzuki
Moxley battled Minoru Suzuki in the main event. Suzuki and Moxley traded chops and strikes in the middle of the ring. Moxley hit a forearm to the face that knocked Minoru to the ropes. Jon beat Suzuki down some more in the corner of the ring as Dynamite went to a final commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Suzuki went for a kick but Moxley caught his leg. Moxley bit Minoru’s head and then Suzuki returned the favor. They then traded headbutts in the middle of the ring but neither would go down. Moxley and Suzuki then headbutted each other at the same time and fell to the canvas. Jon went for a Clothesline but Suzuki countered into a Sleeper. Minoru went for the Gotch Piledriver but Jon countered with a Back Body Drop. Moxley hit Minoru with a Clothesline but he wouldn’t go down. Suzuki had blood pouring down his face and caught Moxley with a kick. Jon shrugged it off and hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Moxley celebrated with his hometown crowd to close the show.