AEW Dynamite aired on TNT tonight. Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Jake Hager in the main event of this week’s episode.
AEW Dynamite Results (4/15)
- Lance Archer def. Colt Cabana to advance in the TNT Championship Tournament
- Britt Baker def. Cassandra Golden
- Sammy Guevara def. Suge D
- Kip Sabian def. Chuck Taylor
- Shawn Spears def. Justin Law
- Jon Moxley def. Jake Hager to retain the AEW Championship
Here are takeaways from this week’s show:
Lance Archer Advanced In The TNT Championship Tournament
Colt Cabana faced Lance Archer in the Quarter Finals of the TNT Championship Tournament.
Match Recap: Archer leveled a wrestler in the crowd before making his way to the ring. Colt hit Archer with a chop and Lance responded with a massive shoulder tackle. Cabana knocked Archer out of the ring and then rolled to the outside when Lance got back in. Archer went for a Splash but Colt got out of the way. Lance connected with a slam and went for the cover but Cabana kicked out at two.
Cabana battled back with a few chops to Archer’s chest but Lance shrugged them off and hit a Clothesline as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Archer was still in control and had Cabana trapped in the corner of the ring. Archer hopped to the middle turnbuckle and went for a Splash but Colt got out of the way.
Cabana hit a Splash of his own and went for the cover but Archer kicked out at two. Lance leveled Cabana with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Chokeslam. Archer then hit the Blackout for the pinfall victory. Lance Archer advanced to the Semifinals of the TNT Championship Tournament.
Sammy Guevara Vowed To Defeat Darby Allin
Sammy Guevara faced Sugar D tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Sammy controlled the action early and applied a Headlock. Suge D escaped and connected with an Arm Drag. Jericho continued to call Suge D “Pineapple Pete” as Sammy hit a knee to the face.
Sammy hung up Suge D in the ropes and hit a kick to the back. Guevara followed it up with a Suplex for a two count. Suge D tried to battle back but Sammy caught him in the Torture Rack into a GTS for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Guevara grabbed a microphone and vowed to kick the shit out of Darby Allin in the first round of the TNT Championship Tournament. Guevara then beat Suge D down some more before Darby Allin rushed the ring. Sammy retreated to the outside as Darby stood tall in the ring.
Kip Sabian Picked Up A Win
Kip Sabian squared off against Chuck Taylor tonight on Dynamite. Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Chuck controlled the action early and beat Kip down in the corner of the ring. Sabian battled back with a knee to the face that sent Chuck to the outside. Kip followed him out there and paid for it with a Suplex on the apron. Chuck gave the thumbs up to the camera before rolling Kip back in the ring.
Kip connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Chuck kicked out at two. Sabian hit an Enziguri and followed that up with another boot to the face for a two count. Penelope hit Chuck with a couple cheap shots as the referee was distraction. Chuck planted Kip with a Powerbomb and followed it up with another one for a near fall.
Penelope Ford hopped up on the apron for a distraction but Chuck ignored her. Jimmy Havoc hopped over the barricade and planted Orange Cassidy with a Cradle DDT. Penelope hit Chuck with a Hurricanrana and Sabian capitalized with a roll-up for the victory.
Jon Moxley Retained
Jon Moxley defended his AEW Championship against Jake Hager in a No Holds Barred Empty Arena match tonight. Jim Ross was on commentary for the match.
Match Recap: Moxley drove Hager to the corner of the ring to start the match off. Jon applied an Arm Bar but Hager broke free with a right hand to the face. Hager drove Moxley to the corner and bounced Jon’s face off the top turnbuckle. Moxley battled back with some chops to the face and went back to the Arm Bar in the middle of the ring.
Hager escaped and hit a knee to the midsection. Jon launched Hager to the outside and hit him with a Crossbody. Moxley once again locked in an Arm Bar on the floor outside the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When AEW returned, Moxley threw Hager over the barricade and the action spilled into the empty seats.
Moxley locked in the Figure Four around the steel railing but Hager refused to quit. Hager took control and launched Moxley back over the barricade and to the ringside area. When Dynamite returned from commercial, Moxley and Hager were back in the ring. Hager hit a Splash in the corner but Moxley battled back and hit a Clothesline.
Jon rolled up Hager for a two count. Hager beat the hell out of Moxley in the corner and the champion rolled out of the ring. Hager grabbed a steel chair and set it up in between the ropes. Moxley ran towards Hager but Jake got out of the way and Jon slammed into a steel chair.
Jake bashed Moxley in the ankle with a steel chair and followed it up with the Ankle Lock. Moxley shouted at Hager to “break my f*cking ankle!” before escaping the hold. Moxley hit Hager in the head with the chair and followed it up with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley is still the AEW Champion.
Opinion: I really enjoyed this match and it was great to hear Jim Ross on commentary again. Moxley cursing several times during the match was hilarious and I’m for a title match in a Waffle House parking lot at this point.
For the foreseeable future, the lack of a crowd is going to significantly hamper every wrestling show and that is something I’m still having trouble with. Even simple things like a crowd reaction to a dominant move by Lance Archer or a pop when Darby Allin rushed the ring would have helped this show. Overall, Dynamite was still decent this week. The main event and “The Bubbly Bunch” were the highlights.
