By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 195)
Hamilton, Ontario at FirstOntario Centre
Aired live June 28, 2023 on TBS
[Hour One] The Dynamite opening aired followed by pyro shooting off on the stage. Excalibur welcomed viewers to the show while labeling Forbidden Door as one of the greatest pro wrestling pay-per-views of all-time. He was joined on commentary by Taz and Tony Schiavone, and Justin Roberts was the ring announcer…
Jon Moxley made his entrance to “Wild Thing” through the crowd. He was accompanied by Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta. Tomohiro Ishii’s entrance followed. Taz noted that Ishii is a 26-year veteran…
1. Jon Moxley (w/Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta) vs. Tomohiro Ishii. Moxley and Ishii traded chops to start. There were dueling chants for both wrestlers. Moxley bit Ishii, who returned the favor. Moxley put Ishii down, grabbed his hands, and then delivered kicks to his face.
Moxley sent Ishii to ringside and ended up hitting him with a suicide dive. Moxley hopped the barricade and played to the crowd’s cheers. Moxley returned to the ring and flexed while Ishii was down at ringside in front of Castagnoli and Yuta.
Eddie Kingston made his entrance in non-wrestling attire. Kingston grabbed a chair from the timekeepers area, which caused Castagnoli and Yuta to back off. Moxley dropped down to ringside and bickered with Kingston heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Ishii no-sold Moxley’s rolling elbows and then dropped Moxley with one of his own late in the PIP break. Ishii placed Moxley on the top turnbuckle and superplexed him. Ishii and Moxley traded more rolling elbows. Ishii hit three in a row, but then Moxley spun around and knocked him down with a big elbow strike.
Moxley followed up with a Gotch style piledriver and covered Ishii for a near fall. Moxley had a small cut above his left eye and some blood on his nose. Moxley blasted a seated Ishii with elbow strikes. Ishii flipped him off. Moxley fired away with more and then applied a choke hold. The production team did a nice job of showing Kingston and Castagnoli glaring at one another from opposite sides of the ring.
Ishii got to his feet and was put down with a big lariat from Moxley, who covered him for just a one count. Ishii hit a running knee strike and covered Moxley for just a one count. Both men threw simultaneous lariats and stayed down on the match.
Both men stood up and butted heads. Moxley, who was bleeding heavily from the forehead, put Ishii down with a DDT for a near fall. Ishii stuffed a Death Rider and then put Moxley down with a DDT. Ishii followed up with a clothesline for a two count. Moxley put Ishii down with a cutter, but Ishii jumped right up and hit Moxley with a sliding lariat for a near fall.
Ishii went for a brainbuster, but Moxley stuffed it, threw a knee to the chest, and performed the Death Rider for another near fall. Ishii avoided a Stomp and hit Moxley, who came right back with a Stomp and then performed the Death Rider for the win.
Jon Moxley defeated Tomohiro Ishii in 15:10.
Moxley celebrated his win afterward. When he exited the ring, he intentionally bumped Kingston with his shoulder and went to the stage. Kingston congratulated Moxley for doing it by himself. “You don’t need ’em,” Kingston said. Moxley teased going back to ringside and opted to head backstage…
Powell’s POV: The strong back and forth brawl that was expected from these two. Moxley went over strong, while Ishii had to make a good impression on fans who don’t follow his work in NJPW. The dynamic between Moxley, Kingston, and Castagnoli continues to be enjoyable.
Renee Paquette stood in the parking garage area recalled MJF and Adam Cole being a team in the blind eliminator tag team tournament. Cole arrived in an SUV. A second vehicle arrived with its horn honking. MJF exited the passenger side and congratulated Cole for getting sick and missing Forbidden Door. MJF said he wished he had thought of that.
MJF said they got off on the wrong foot. He spoke about how the two them could be a dominant team. MJF invited Cole to hop in his car and bond with him over the weekend. Cole accepted the invitation. He said he had to say hello to a few people and would see MJF around.
MJF said he had a gift for Cole because they are going to become AEW Tag Team Champions. MJF showed off a “Better Than You Baby” t-shirt, which he said is now available for online purchase. Cole was unimpressed and walked away… [C]
Backstage, Paquette asked Moxley, who was standing with Castagnoli and Yuta, what the hell was happening between him and Kingston. Moxley was upset over Kingston implying he needed help to win. Kingston showed up and took issue with Moxley being aligned with Castagnoli. Moxley said it stemmed from something ten years ago in Chikara and told him to get over it. Moxley walked away and then Paquette sternly told Kingston to fix it because she’s done…
A video package recapped Will Ospreay beating Kenny Omega to win the IWGP U.S. Championship with help from Don Callis at Forbidden Door. Footage aired from after the match of Omega saying it wasn’t over and he’ll be back…
2. Orange Cassidy, El Hijo del Vikingo, and Keith Lee vs. Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker. Both entrances were televised along with footage of Cassidy inviting Lee to join his team, realizing he needed one more person, and then seeing Vikingo sitting nearby.
Cassidy did some early hands in pockets comedy spots with Parker and Menard. Vikingo tagged in and performed a couple of flashy moves on Garcia before Parker and Menard interfered to cut him off. The heels isolated Vikingo. Garcia teased doing his dance and then waved it off heading into a PIP spot. [C]
Menard powerbombed Vikingo, who was still isolated coming out of the break. Parker tagged in and picked up a two count. Menard and Parker threw elbows at Lee, who didn’t flinch. The crowd chanted “you f—ed up” and then Lee tagged into the match for the first time.
Garcia did his silly dance on the back of Lee, who quickly regrouped and hit Garcia. Vikingo tagged in and ran the ropes and performed a suicide dive onto Lee, apparently after one of the heels ran away. Lee picked up Vikingo and swung him into the heels. Vikingo went up top and performed a dive onto Parker and Menard.
Garcia stuffed the Orange Punch and Beach Breaker. Garcia ended up applying his Dragon Tamer, but it was quickly broken up. Cassidy dropped Parker with the Orange Punch and then tagged in Lee, who no-sold Menard’s chops. Menard followed up with two clotheslines, but Lee stayed on his feet. Lee hohisted up Menard, who elbowed him repeatedly. Lee eventually flipped Menard into Jackhammer style move and scored the pin.
Orange Cassidy, El Hijo del Vikingo, and Keith Lee beat Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard, and Angelo Parker in 13:25.
After the match, Cassidy put shades on Vikingo an then Lee posed behind them…
Powell’s POV: A strange match. I had no idea what was happening when Vikingo did his flip dive onto Lee and there wasn’t a heel anywhere nearby. If nothing else, the three babyfaces were over with the live crowd.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Hangman Page and “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson speaking backstage about having an open challenge. John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Evil Uno showed up. Matt tried to blow them off, but Silver said they wanted to fight them. Page was thrown off due to his friendship with the Dark Order. Uno said Page hasn’t hung out with them and abandoned them for the Bucks. Page asked if he was their babysitter. Reynolds said they were friends who were with him at his lowest point, but now they are his opponents…
Powell’s POV: Are viewers supposed to like the guy who chose the cool kids over the nerds or the nerds who make Page feel guilty for hanging out with the cool kids?
A video package recapped Bryan Danielson beating Kazuchika Okada in the Forbidden Door main event… [C]
Paquette interviewed Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara on the backstage interview set. Jericho did almost all of the talking. He spoke about being in the ring with Sting for the first time at Forbidden Door. Jericho said it should have happened years ago on TBS, but Sting wanted more time. Jericho said Sting would get his nightmare by getting The Painmaker. Jericho said Sting knows about being dark and how desperate things can get when your back is up against the wall. Jericho said they would put the white paint in the dirt until it comes out a bloody mess. “Right, Sammy,” Jericho said. Guevara said yes…
Entrances for the six-man tag match took place. Negative One came out with the Dark Order trio…
3. Hangman Page and “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Evil Uno. Nick got the better of Silver in an early exchange. The feed was cutting out (likely a DirecTV thing).
[Hour Two] Page and Silver ended up in the ring together (more feed issues on my end, but I switched to streaming). Uno apparently hit Page. The Bucks performed stereo top rope dives onto the heels at ringside. Matt barked at Page when he tagged him in, which led to boos. Page declined to do anything to Silver, who was down on the mat. Page tagged out heading into a PIP break. [C]
Uno put Nick down with a piledriver and had him pinned, but Page broke it up. Page and Uno bickered. Page went back to his corner and tagged himself in, then traded blows with Uno. Page set up for a fallaway slam and then watched as Silver jumped from the ropes and missile dropkicked Uno on top of him.
The Dark Order trio took out the Jacks on the floor and then Silver and Reynolds performed a nice sequence of moves on Page that resulted in a good near fall. A “this is awesome” chant broke out. Uno and Silver held up Page for the Pendulum Bomb, but the Bucks broke it up.
Nick performed a springboard facebuster on Uno. Page turned Silver inside out with a lariat. The Bucks took out Uno and Reynolds with dives to the floor. Page went for a Buckshot Lariat on Silver, who stuffed it and picked up a near fall. Page hit the Deadeye on Silver. The Bucks hit Silver with the BTE Trigger. Page performed the Buckshot Lariat on Silver and pinned him…
Hangman Page and “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson defeated John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Evil Uno in 14:10.
After the match, Page checked on Silver. Uno and Reynolds joined them. “Blackpool Combat Club” members Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta attacked Page and the Bucks. Moxley used a screwdriver on Page. The Dark Order trio simply left the ring.
Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita entered the ring. Eddie Kingston ran out and was quickly outnumbered. Page bled from the forehead and looked to the stage area while seeking help from The Dark Order. Moxley took the mic and said it was time to finish it. Moxley said they pushed each other to their limit and now they would push themselves beyond their limits. Moxley said Blood & Guts would happen on July 19 in Boston. The production team put up a listing for the Boston event…
Powell’s POV: The nerds? The cool kids? Or the even cooler heels who come out to fun entrance music and beat the shit out of the nerds and the cool kids? By the way, the streaming option is a great fallback, but it also prevents me from rewinding to catch things I miss, so bear with me.
A video package recapped CM Punk defeating Satoshi Kojima in an Owen Hart Cup tournament match. The video included comments from tournament entrants Samoa Joe, Roderick Strong, Powerhouse Hobbs, Dustin Rhodes, Juice Robinson, and Ricky Starks… [C]
Adan Cole stood out back and looked into the camera asked where MJF was. Roderick Strong showed up and told Cole that he can’t trust MJF. Cole said he knows and was just playing along. MJF showed up and said hi to Cole and “generic white guy.” MJF said he was just kidding. MJF said it’s bad enough that they will have to wrestle every week. He said they should leave and have fun. Cole and Strong hugged, and then Cole hopped inside MJF’s vehicle, which pulled away…
Powell’s POV: Enjoy your weekend with Stiffler, Adam. I hear good things about his mother.
Excalibur narrated highlights of Jack Perry turning on Hook at the pay-per-view…
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry made his entrance wearing shades and non-wrestling attire to his usual theme song and mockingly swayed his arms. Perry called for production to “turn that garbage off.” Perry said the fans ruined the song for him and they would never hear it again. Perry said he had a car waiting to take him to the airport, while the Canadian fans were stuck with the wildfires.
Perry entered the ring. He said he’s young, cashing fat checks, and is still “banging the hottest the hottest bitch in this entire place.” Perry claimed he was robbed out of two world championships. He complained about having to watch an “entitled second-generation little prick dangle his championship in my face.”
Perry said the belt isn’t even officially recognized by the company. Perry said he doesn’t officially recognize Hook. A “you f—ed up” chant broke out. Perry said he didn’t need Hook and their tag team was only special because of him. Perry barked the fans to shut up.
Perry said the belt may not be recognized, but he knows what it means to Hook and his family. An “asshole” chant broke out. Perry said they were talking to Taz. Perry said he hears the fans chants. “When I get my hands on you, I am going to beat the shit…”
Hook’s entrance music interrupted Perry. Hook came out and chased Perry out of the ring and then through the crowd until they both went to the back. The announcers spoke for a moment and then a backstage camera showed Perry diving into the back of an SUV, which drove off before Hook could get there…
Powell’s POV: Perry isn’t the best promo, but he seems more comfortable as a heel than as a babyface. Perry and Anna Jay went public with their relationship a while back. Jay would be a fun addition to his act and she could escape the mid-card mess that is most of Jericho Appreciation Society.
Sammy Guevara came out and did his cue card bit during a PIP break… [C] The Outcasts made their entrance while Ruby Soho’s opponent was already inside the ring…
4. Ruby Soho (w/Toni Storm, Saraya) vs. Alexia Nicole. Nicole was introduced as being from host city Hamilton. Soho dominated the match and won with Britt Baker’s Lockjaw finisher.
Ruby Soho defeated Alexia Nicole in 2:10.
Soho painted an L on Nicole afterward. Soho took the mic and said that her intended opponent for the evening was Britt Baker. Soho said she had the fans to thank for that. Soho explained that Baker was sick due to their filthy country. Soho said the match would take place next week because Baker seems to get whatever she wants. She added that Baker’s boyfriend didn’t even show up for his match at Forbidden Door.
Soho said Baker is a shell of her former self. Soho said the fans shit on Baker if she sneezes in the wrong direction. Soho said Baker beat her in the finals of the Owens Hart Cup tournament on her best day. She said she would take away her chance to become a two-time winner…
Footage aired from AEW Rampage of the segment where Anthony Bowens told Harley Cameron that he’s gay, which was followed by “he’s gay” chants…
Cameron, QT Marshall, and Johnny TV delivered a promo on the backstage interview set. TV spoke about facing Matt Hardy and Brother Zay, then said that QTV and Johnny TV always make hits…
Excalibur announced the following matches and events for Friday’s Rampage: Matt Hardy and Brother Zay vs. QT Marshall and Johnny TV, Taya Valkyrie vs. Hikaru Shida, Shawn Spears vs. The Blade, and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Komander for the ROH Championship…
Excalibur announced the following matches and events for Saturday’s AEW Collision: Kris Statlander vs. Lady Frost in an open challenge for the TBS Title, Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe, Dustin Rhodes vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, and Juice Robinson vs. Ricky Starks in Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal tournament matches, and MJF makes his in-ring debut on Collision…
Excalibur announced the following matches and events for next week’s Dynamite: Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin in an eliminator tournament match, Britt Baker vs. Rubo Soho in an Owen Hart Cup tournament quarterfinal match…
Excalibur hyped the main event… [C] Justin Roberts stood in the ring and said anything goes during the tornado tag team match. Entrances for the match took place…
5. Sting and Darby Allin vs. “Painmaker” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in a tornado tag match. The broadcast team noted that Jericho is 3-0 when he works as the Painmaker in AEW. Schiavone said Tony Khan assured him that they would stick with the match until there was a finish.
Jericho had his bat and told Sting to get his. Sting complied and got the better of a joust. Sting knocked Jericho’s bad out of his hand and then Allin splashed Jericho in the corner. Guevara leapt from the top rope and hit a cutter on Allin. The match spilled over to ringside where Jericho ran Sting into the barricade.
Jericho and Guevara doubled up on Allin and ran him toward the ring steps. Allin flipped over the steps and landed with his back on top of the barricade before landing feet first on the floor heading into a PIP break. [C]
Two tables were set up on the floor and a ladder was in the ring. Sting put Guevara on the tables. Allin climbed the ladder, but Sting came up the other side and convinced Allin to let him take the dive instead. Sting will regret that one, as he came up a little short and immediately reached for his mouth after it landed on Guevara’s knee. Damn.
Allin went into warp speed mode. He went up top with a skateboard and used it while double stomping the back of Jericho, which led to a near fall. Jericho sidestepped a charging Allin, who crashed into the ladder. Jericho batted Allin with the ladder multiple times and then placed it over the top turnbuckle. Allin reversed a whip and sent Jericho crashing into the ladder.
Allin went for a springboard move, but Jericho hit him with the skateboard. Jericho hit Allin with a Judas Effect. Allin tumbled to ringside. The fans cheered as Sting somehow returned to the ring. Sting set up Jericho, who was bleeding heavily, for the Scorpion Death Drop, but Jericho countered into the Walls of Jericho.
Sting crawled toward the ropes while Excalibur reminded viewers there were no rope breaks. Sting grabbed his bat and slammed it over the back of Jericho’s head to break the hold.
[Overrun] Schiavone told viewers they were in overtime (overrun). Sting performed a Stinger Splash on Jericho in the corner. Sting set up for another, but Jericho hit him with a Codebreaker and covered him for a near fall. Sting ducked a Judas Effect and put Jericho down with a Scorpion Death Drop for a near fall.
Sting threw punches at Jericho, who then caught him with a kick. Jericho went for a dropkick that Sting avoided. Sting put Jericho in the Scorpion Deathlock. Jericho tapped out…
Sting and Darby Allin beat “Painmaker” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in roughly 13:15 in a tornado tag match.
Powell’s POV: I hate to be that guy, but I continue to question why Tony Khan is allowing Sting to perform some of the spots that he is at age 64. Hopefully he dodged yet another bullet. Guevara never returned after that needless spot, which really took me out of the moment. I assumed that they were building toward a legend vs. legend showdown between Sting and Jericho. If they are, they are are choosing a strange path, so maybe that’s not the plan.
Overall, the show peaked with the Moxley vs. Ishii match. I will have more to say about Dynamite in my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Fantasy booker thought:
Blood and Guts should be on Collision. They can give Punk a night off, if the Elite appearing on Collision is an issue.
I wonder when Sting ends up crippled if that’ll be fun and crowd pleasing? I don’t know who is stupider the 64 year old with a history of neck issues or Khan for letting him do it
What is enjoyable about Moxley never selling anything? At least his former stablemates know how to. Plus he has aged rapidly since 2019.
But Moxley has his creative freedom. He can bleed and curse and give the middle finger and wear a t shirt that says 0 fucks. He seriously is one of the worst wrestlers going today. It’s no wonder Brock didn’t want to go with any of his ideas at their wrestlemania match years back. And on top of that he has let himself go and looks like shit. As Jim Cornette says he looks like a balding plumber
After the main event Sting addresses the crowd and thanks Khan for letting him do that botched table spot. The stupidity of all involved is astounding
I loved Jack Perry’s promo tonight as he definitely seemed comfortable as a heel and took control of the crowd and let them know he’s a heel now. He’s going to be fun to watch as a heel as it was the best thing for his character and legacy going forward.
I really always enjoy Ruby Soho on the mic too, it’s a shame that they don’t allow her to get on the mic more than she does. I love her shot at Baker & Cole if they ever had children together. Really good promo from her and excellent work as she still is apart one of the best women’s in-ring promos in AEW history when her and Baker went at it on Rampage a couple of years back after Ruby debuted in AEW.
It was great to see Alexia Nicole as I had high hopes in her sticking on the Knockouts roster in Impact a few years back when she was younger. She’s so talented she deserves to work in one of the big 3 companies.
Maybe it’s because I just watched Forbidden Door, but I am very tired of these endless “I’ll hit you, then you hit me” exchanges. Used sparingly they can be impactful, but not when they happen over and over again.
Even when used sparingly, the two people taking turns just throwing shitty chops or punches 15-20 or more times is stupid. Doing it in every match just makes AEW look like the garbage indy it is.
People better stop making fun of Moxley. He might drink your bones and eat your blood.
Alexia Nicole is listed at 4’11”. The last thing modern wrestling needs is another comically small wrestler.
They might as well rename Blood & Guts as Shits & Giggles because that’s all this stupid shit on the Wednesday show is designed for. Just a bunch of moronic hacks trying to out dumbfuck each other.
“Overall, the show peaked with the Moxley vs. Ishii match.”
The hugging clothesline spot was in the peak portion of the show? That peak sounds like it’s on an underwater mountain.