It was AEW Dynamite featuring Swerve Strickland vs. Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay vs. MJF to open the show
This episode took place at the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. The announcers were Excalibur, Taz and Tony Schiavone.
This is the 250th episode of AEW Dynamite. Congratulations to AEW for making it to 250 episodes of Dynamite.
Match #1:Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF)defeated Will Ospreay to win the AEW International Championship. The match went 58:58 with a 60-minute time limit. They had an incredible match that featured each guy getting a lot of nearfalls throughout the match. Ospreay sold a right knee and left shoulder injury for most of it. The finish saw MJF shove Ospreay into referee Bryce Remsburg, who was down against the ropes and that allowed MJF to punch Ospreay while wearing the Dynamite Diamond Ring. The referee never saw it. MJF covered Ospreay with one arm across the chest for the three count with two seconds to spare before the 60-minute time limit. After the match, the AEW medical team checked on both wrestlers in the ring. They put an oxygen mask on MJF as MJF held the International Title in the air.
The Acclaimed and Mark Briscoe were interviewed backstage by Arkady Aura. The Acclaimed suggested that they become partners with Briscoe in the Blood & Guts Match. Max Caster mentioned they beat The Young Bucks recently. Anthony Bowens said they want in because they are AEW. Mark said that as far as he’s concerned, they are in. Swerve Strickland walked in as the AEW World Champion. Swerve said that he knows what they are all about. Swerve said there are no better people to go to war with than the ones you’ve done battle with. Max and Bowens said they were in. The four guys agreed to it. The Blood & Guts Match is next week on Dynamite.
Chris Jericho did an in-ring promo with Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Jericho showed clips of Katsuyori Shibata, Hook and Samoa Joe getting injured because they didn’t listen to The Learning Tree. Jericho said that this has to stop because people are getting hurt. Jericho wondered who would be crazy enough not to listen to The Learning Tree.
Minoru Suzuki interrupted the Jericho promo with a piece of paper he got from his pocket. Suzuki got in Jericho’s face and said “next week” to Jericho. Keith read the contract that Keith and Bill were banned at ringside for Suzuki’s FTW Title match with Jericho next week. Suzuki headbutted Jericho to knock him down. Bill and Keith were too scared to hit Suzuki, who waved at them like Jericho does.
The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada were backstage for a promo. Nicholas Jackson complained about what The Acclaimed said about them. Matthew put over their buddies TNT Champion Jack Perry and “Hangman” Adam Page as well. Mercedes Mone walked up to them with her two titles while thanking them for banning Britt Baker from being around her match. Okada whispered something to Matt, who said that Okada wanted to see her do her dance. Mercedes did her CEO dance and left. Okada sold it like he was flustered from it, which was pretty funny.
Match #2: Mercedes Mone defeated Nyla Rose by submission to retain the TBS Title. Mone applied the Statement Maker (like a Crossface) submission on Rose and Rose tapped out.
After the match, Mercedes Mone celebrated the win. A “fan” with a mask on had a sign saying “DMD > CEO” so Mone ripped the sign. The fan shoved Mone down. The fan took the mask off to reveal it was Britt Baker. The fans popped when they realized it was Baker. Security held Baker back since the story is that The Young Bucks were protecting their friend Mone.
It sounded like the entrance of “Timeless” Toni Storm was coming, but instead, it was Mariah May dressed like Storm. May pulled off the look well. Schiavone called May a bitch before she said anything. May was leaning up against the ropes saying that everybody saw it coming except Toni Storm. May said that Storm was so desperate for the spotlight that she didn’t realize she was giving it all away. May said that she saw Wembley and thought why take the old horse out back when she can kill it in front of as many people as possible? May said that she had never loved Toni more than when she was on her knees bleeding, crying, and screaming May’s name. May said that was Toni’s greatest performance. May said her greatest performance will be at All In. May said that All Elite Wrestling is now All About Mariah. That was it.
It was advertised that on Collision this Saturday, it’s Bang Bang Gang’s Juice Robinson & The Gunns vs. The Patriarchy’s Christian Cage, Killswitch & Nick Wayne for the vacant AEW Trios Tag Team Titles.
Match #3: Swerve Strickland defeated Kazuchika Okada by disqualification when The Young Bucks attacked Swerve after about 10 minutes.
The Young Bucks attacked Swerve until The Acclaimed ran out for the save. Jack Perry and Mark Briscoe also made their way down to the ring. Briscoe dove onto the Bucks on the floor. Perry gave Briscoe a DDT. Swerve delivered a House Call kick to Perry. “Hangman” Adam Page made his entrance. Page wanted to go after Swerve, but Okada pulled Swerve out of the ring. Swerve and Okada went fighting into the crowd. The Elite guys were on the ramp being held back by security. Darby Allin’s music hit as Allin finally showed up after 2 hours and 6 minutes. Allin repelled down from the ceiling like his hero Sting. Allin joined Team AEW fighting against The Elite. The security guys tried to stop the fighting, so some of the security guys were beaten up as well. Allin was eye-gouging Perry as they fought on the floor.
The graphic was shown for Blood & Guts showing Team AEW against The Elite next week on Dynamite. The show ended there at about 10:07 p.m. ET so there was a seven-minute overrun.
AEW Dynamite Next Week
Here’s what AEW is advertising for next week’s edition of Dynamite.
* Blood & Guts Match: The Elite – “Hangman” Adam Page, Nicholas Jackson, Matthew Jackson, Kazuchika Okada & Jack Perry vs. Team AEW – Swerve Strickland, Mark Briscoe, Max Caster, Anthony Bowens & Darby Allin
* FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Minoru Suzuki
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading.