By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 254)
Norfolk, Virginia at Chartway Arena
Aired live August 14, 2024 on TBS
[Hour One] Excalibur welcomed viewers to the show and was joined on commentary by Taz and Tony Schiavone. Ring announcer Justin Roberts stood in the ring and delivered introductions for the TBS Title match while the entrances took place…
1. Mercedes Mone (w/Kamille) vs. Hikaru Shida for the TBS Title. Shida wound up for an early strike, but Mone ducked between the ropes to avoid it. Mone used a cool sequence to apply a crossface. Shida escaped the hold and hooked Mone in a pin for a two count.
Both wrestlers traded pin attempts. Shida used a backslide to get a two count. Shida set up for a kick, but Mone went to the ropes again. Shida tried to suplex Mone from the apron, but Kamille grabbed Shida’s foot. The referee saw it, yet did not eject Kamille from ringside.
Shida ended up at ringside while Mone was on the apron. Kamille blocked Shida. Mone stood up and jump past Kamille to hit Shida with a knee strike. Back in the ring, Mone hit a meteora for a two count.
Late in the match, Shida blasted Kamille with a kendo stick shot at ringside. Mone grabbed the kendo stick. As the referee was focused on Mone, Kamile delivered a big boot to the head of Shida. Mone hit her Moneymaker finisher and got the three count…
Mercedes Mone defeated Hikaru Shida in 10:30 for the TBS Title.
After the match, Britt Baker’s entrance theme played. Kamille grabbed a fan dressed in a Sting mask and pulled the person over the barricade and roughed them up. Baker arrived from a different area and set up Mone for her Lockjaw finisher, but Kamille pulled Mone to the floor…
Powell’s POV: An enjoyable match aside from the odd spot where the referee didn’t punish Kamille from interfering and Mone’s clunky finisher. It’s not that she hit the move poorly, it’s just an awkward finisher. Note to self: Never wear a Sting mask in the front row of an AEW show.
Footage aired from after last week’s Dynamite of Hangman Page attacking Jeff Jarrett backstage, which was followed by security pulling Page and Jay Lethal apart…
Backstage, Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal delivered a promo while Karen Jarrett and Sonjay Dutt stood by. Hangman Page showed up and hit Jarrett and Lethal with a microphone. Page fought Lethal through a side curtain and then to ringside.
2. Hangman Page vs. Jay Lethal. Page rolled Lethal inside the ring and then the referee called for the bell to start the match. Lethal hit Page with five suicide dives. Page came back and hit the Deadeye on the apron. Page tossed Lethal into the timekeepers area heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
The broadcast team said Page dominated the offense during the commercial break. Page hit a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Lethal rallied and went for a Figure Four, but Page raked his eyes. Page put Lethal down with a discus lariat and then hit the Buckshot Lariat for the win…
Hangman Page defeated Jay Lethal in 9:30.
Powell’s POV: Don’t let the match length fool you. AEW is often guilty of having what should be spotlight matches go needlessly long and overly competitive. In this case, Lethal got some offense in, but Page got the majority of it.
Excalibur narrated highlights of MJF defeating Michael Oku at a Rev Pro event over the weekend. Will Ospreay ran out after the match to chase MJF from the ring…
A Will Ospreay and MJF video package aired. Ospreay said he is the only person who fits the criteria for best in the world. MJF chimed in and said he is the best in the world. MJF said he will do whatever it takes to win and added that Ospreay just doesn’t have that in him… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good video package. I don’t care what the sickos say, AEW needs more of these to set the table for big matches and to help infrequent viewers catch up on what they’ve missed. And since those fans are fond of telling non super fans to Google It, I suggest they go, um, google themselves while the video packages air. Do you want this company to succeed or do you selfishly want the company to cater to you?
Pac delivered a backstage promo. He noted that he earned an AEW American Title shot and accused Will Ospreay of stealing it from him. Pac said that was his ticket to his Wembley moment. Pac said it’s okay because he will face the winner of MJF vs. Ospreay for the AEW American Title at AEW All Out two weeks later…
Highlights aired of Darby Allin’s matches on Rampage and Collision…
A Darby Allin video aired. He spoke about how he killed himself on the independents for low pay. He recalled sleeping in his car and then finding out that AEW signed Jack Perry. Allin said he figured out that AEW was the place where The Elite would just hire their friends. Allin said nobody believed Perry’s “Tarzan bullshit” and praised him for being himself rather than going by Jungle Boy. Allin said he wished Perry would have been fired for “the dumb shit you pulled” last year and said he didn’t think anyone would have missed him. He said they would put an end to things at Wembley Stadium…
Darby Allin made his entrance when he was struck by a man wearing a hat and a medical mask. Jack Perry removed the hat and mask and then threw punches at Allin. Perry dragged Allin backstage and ran him into a half-open garage door. Perry pulled the garage door on top of Allin. Perry knelt down next to Allin and called him a self righteous bastard. Perry said Allin only sacrifices for himself and pretends to be a hero. Perry fought off two security guards and then tried to wheel a crate into Allin, but additional security stopped him. Perry looked into the camera and said he wants a coffin match… [C]
A Mariah May video aired. She asked if it’s better to be remembered or forgotten. She said she copied Toni Storm’s successes and never her failures. She said Storm’s greatest mistake is being alive at the same time as her. May took Storm’s gear and a photo and set them on fire. She said one day she will look out the window and wonder what happened to Storm. May said they will both die, but she gets to write Storm’s eulogy…
Renee Paquette interviewed Mina Shirakawa in the backstage area. Shirakawa said she has not spoken with Toni Storm or Mariah May. She said she can’t believe these are the same people she knew and hopes that no one gets hurt…
Excalibur said Tony Khan booked Darby Allin vs. Jack Perry in a Coffin Match for the TNT Title at AEW All In…
3. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Roderick Strong in a three-way for the No. 1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In. All three entrances were televised. O’Reilly cleared Strong from the ring. Cassidy hit Strong with a suicide dive. O’Reilly set up for a move from the apron, but he stopped when Cassidy spotted him. O’Reilly held open the ropes and let Cassidy return to the ring going into a PIP break. [C]
Strong applied a clunky looking double Stronghold and both opponents and then released it. Strong set up Cassidy for a superplex, but Cassidy knocked him down. O’Reilly crotched Cassidy on the top turnbuckle.
[Hour Two] O’Reilly caught Strong in a guillotine, lost it briefly, and reapplied the hold. Cassidy jumped from the top rope and took out O’Reilly with an elbow drop to break the hold.
Matt Taven and Mike Bennett ran out to help Strong, but Mark Briscoe and Tomohiro Ishii cut them off before they could enter the ring. Briscoe entered the ring, ran the ropes, and launched himself off a chair onto the heels. All four men fought to the back.
Cassidy hit Strong with a suicide dive, which is apparently the move of the night. Strong slammed O’Reilly onto the apron going into another PIP break. [C] O’Reilly caught Cassidy in a crossarm breaker, but then Strong caught him in a heel hook, which Cassidy broke.
O’Reilly called for a High/Low on Strong, who avoided it, and then Strong and O’Reilly hit the move on Cassidy. Strong and O’Reilly both went for the pin, but the referee would not count it because only one man could win the match. O’Reilly went for a submission move on Strong, Cassidy hooked O’Reilly into a pin and got the three count.
Orange Cassidy defeated Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly in 15:55 to earn the No. 1 entry spot in the Casino Gauntlet match at All In.
After the match, O’Reilly and Cassidy shook hands…
Powell’s POV: Good work from all three men. Although I appreciate the idea of giving the match a purpose, I’m can’t say I actually cared about which wrestler would land the first spot in the gauntlet match.
Renee Paquette interviewed AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada and Claudio Castagnoli in the backstage area regarding their match on next week’s Dynamite. Both wrestlers were dressed in suits. Castagnoli spoke about making good on this title shot. Okada mocked him and then closed by saying, “Good luck, bitch.” After Okada walked away, Castagnoli said he wants The Rainmaker next week, not this version of Okada. Castagnoli said Okada will have 99 problems “and this bitch is number one”… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good segment carried by Castagnoli, though Okada’s English is solid. The only thing I didn’t like was Okada walking away as opposed to having Castagnoli call for The Rainmaker and deliver those strong closing lines directly to Okada’s face as opposed to looking into the camera. They should have a hell of a match if the pre-AEW version of Okada shows up.
Excalibur narrated highlights of Christian Cage serving as special referee on AEW Collision and making sure that the match between House of Black and Bullet Club Gold ended in a draw…
Backstage, Christian Cage was interviewed by Paquette while Nick Wayne, Mother Wayne, and Killswitch stood by. Cage claimed he called the Collision match right down the middle. He said it wasn’t his fault that the two teams couldn’t answer the bell and were counted out. Cage claimed he will hold every AEW title at the same time.
Cage shifted his focus to Nick Wayne facing “that fatherless weirdo” Kip Sabian on Rampage. Cage said he wouldn’t be there for the match he didn’t want to associate himself with bottom feeding losers in Norfolk. Cage took issue with something Paquette said and dismissed her, adding that she’s probably a worse mom than she is an interviewer…
Tony Schiavone stood in the ring and said that on behalf of the fans in Virginia, they didn’t want Christian Cage. Schiavone introduced Hook, who came out with a wrap that covered his eye. Hook told Schiavone that he couldn’t see out of that eye, which drew some laughs from the crowd. Hook said he could still see out of the other guy and called out Chris Jericho for an FTW Title match.
Chris Jericho walked onto the stage with Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Jericho said Hook is a stupid son of a bitch for wanting to challenge him even after he was hit with a fireball. Jericho acted like he was going to take the match and then said Hook wasn’t getting his fight.
Jericho said it wasn’t worth his time to fight Hook in Norfolk, but it would be worth his time to fight him at Wembley Stadium. Jericho said it would be Hook’s last shot at the FTW Title. Jericho said Hook must also walk away from the Learning Tree if he loses.
Jericho also said Hook had to face Big Bill on next week’s Dynamite in Cardiff. Big Bill said he would beat Hook down and shove him straight up Taz’s ass. “Straight up his ass!” barked Keith. Jericho waved at Hook and said he would see him at Wembley.
Hook accepted the terms and said he was looking forward to dumping Big Bill on his big ass head and then tearing Jericho limb from limb. Hook said that after Wembley, Jericho will never, ever be the same again…
Powell’s POV: Are they going with a cheap finish next week? If not, they really really should have added some juice to the Hook vs. Bill match by making the stipulation be that Hook must win to get his shot at Jericho.
“The Young Bucks'” Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson made their entrance for the AEW Tag Team Title match. “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Antony Bowens ran out and attacked the Bucks from behind and then dumped them on the stage. The Bucks rolled to the side of the stage and then Caster dove onto both of them. The Bucks took control of the brawl and the referee started the match once one man from each team was inside the ring…
4. “The Young Bucks” Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson vs. “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Yes, of course the referee was Rick Knox. Billy Gunn walked out and played to the crowd during the opening minute of the match. The Bucks were getting the better of Caster heading into a PIP break. [C]
The Acclaimed set up for Scissor Me Timbers on Matthew, who broke free and rolled to the floor. Moments later, Gunn chased after Nicholas and picked up a chair. The referee ejected Gunn even though he was watching what was going on and Gunn never got physical.
Nicholas took a “Dung Bucks” sign from a fan and tore it in half, then crumpled it up and threw it back at the fan, who swatted it down. Caster picked it up and threw the sign Nicholas before working him over with punches. The Bucks isolated Bowens going into another PIP break. [C]
The Bucks pumped up their shoes and then superkicked Caster off the apron. Bowens put them down with a clothesline. Schiavone said they’ve taken their final commercial break for the evening (about 17 minutes before the top of the hour).
Cater took a hot tag and worked over the Bucks. Caster hit Nicholas with a crossbody block from the ropes, but Matthew broke up the pin attempt. Caster grabbed Matthew around the waist and they backed into the referee. REF BUMP!!!
Matthew kicked Caster in the balls. Matthew went to ringside and grabbed one of the tag team title belts and then set up to hit Caster with it. Dax Harwood came out and yanked the title belt away from Matthew while his partner Cash Wheeler checked on the referee. Matthew was going to act like he was hit with the belt, so Harwood just tackled him and the referee called for the DQ.
“The Young Bucks” Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson beat “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens by DQ in 18:05 to retain the AEW Tag Team Titles.
The FTR duo of Harwood and Wheeler argued with The Acclaimed afterward. Security came out and kept the teams apart while the Bucks made their exit…
Backstage, Renee Paquette spoke with Christopher Daniels, who booked FTR vs. The Acclaimed for a shot at the AEW Tag Team Titles on Collision…
Powell’s POV: A decent match prior to the weak finish. The fact that FTR vs. The Acclaimed is taking place on Saturday’s Collision gives me at least some hope that there will actually be a winner. It’s going to be really weak if there’s another cheap finish to a Collision main event that leads to a three-way at All In given that it just happened on Saturday in the trios match.
A video package on Bryan Danielson’s career aired to the tune of Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)”…
Powell’s POV: Another video package?!? If they’re not careful, they might actually make casual viewers care about the main event of All In. By the way, it appears Tony Khan also coughed up the cash to use Bush’s “Machinehead.” They’ve played the song a few times when they shown match graphics for All In.
Bryan Danielson was shown standing on the main floor dressed in non-wrestling attire. The crowd cheered and then Danielson gave them a wave…
Wheeler Yuta made his entrance to a flat reaction. Swerve Strickland made his entrance with a dancing Prince Nana…
5. AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana) vs. Wheeler Yuta in a non-title match. Swerve got the better of Yuta and pressed him against the barricade in front of Danielson. Swerve jawed at Danielson and said he would retire him, then threw Yuta back inside the ring.
There were loud “Swerve’s House” chants. Meanwhile, Danielson cheered louder than any fan did for Yuta, though he did get the fans to clap at one point. Swerve put Yuta in a leg lock. Daniels got the fans to clap again.
[Overrun] Yuta escaped and then held Swerve’s hands while he stomped him repeatedly, Swerve threw kicks from his back and then flipped Yuta into a pin for a two count. Swerve powered up Yuta, who countered into a huracanrana that sent Swerve to the floor. Yes, this was followed by yet another suicide dive.
Back in the ring, Yuta went for a top rope move, but Swerve sidestepped it and put him in a move that Excalibur said was very similar to the LeBell Lock. Yuta escaped and applied an ankle lock. Swerve escaped and caught Yuta with an elbow
Yuta took Swerve down and hit him with elbows to the shoulder, er, head. Yuta hooked Swerve into a pin for a near fall. Yuta executed a German suplex and bridged into a pin for a two count.
Swerve caught Yuta with a headbutt. Danielson called for Yuta to get up. Swerve hit the House Call and then motioned for Yuta to get up and bring it. The crowd chanted “one more time.” Swerve obliged with a second House Call. Swerve picked up Yuta and hit him with a third House Call.
Swerve grabbed Yuta by the arms and stomped him, then mounted him and threw punches at him until the referee called for the bell.
AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland defeated Wheeler Yuta in 9:25 a non-title match.
After the match, Danielson rushed the ring, but Swerve made a quick exit. Swerve’s music played, but he said no. Swerve said he had a message for Danielson. Swerve said what he did to Yuta was an example of what he intends to do to Danielson in front of 50,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
Swerve mentioned Danielson lives for his family, then said he would mutilate Danielson in front of Danielson’s daughter at Wembley. Swerve said he would force Danielson to retire when he cripples him. Taz said Swerve broke the code by threatening to cripple Danielson. Swerve’s music played and he turned to leave, but then rushed to the ring and hit Danielson with a House Call kick while Danielson was tending to Yuta. Swerve did slow, mocking “Yes” arm pumps while Nana danced next to him to close the show…
Powell’s POV: An AEW special in that it was needlessly long and competitive despite the fact that everyone knew who was going to win. Can’t the AEW Champion just plow through Danielson’s little buddy rather than give him close near falls? Fortunately, Swerve was dominant late and it came off like he was toying with Yuta in the end. The post match angle was strong. This was Swerve’s night. Danielson really needs his own big night and a believable go-home promo next week.
Overall, a pretty good episode. AEW has done a really nice job of announcing the key All In matches early and then focusing on them consistently throughout the build. I will have a lot more to say about this episode in my weekly same night audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of Dynamite by grading the show below.
The stipulation for Jericho Hook should be that Hook has to STAY with Learning Tree if he loses. That would motivate anyone.
A’pretty good’ episode. Give over. A great match to start. A great ending. In between you had a great mariah may promo, a pissed of pac, a superb Danielson package none of which you even commented on. A strong match to determine no1 in the gauntlet , a good segment with Darby/Perry to setup their match in London. I dont care for the hook/jericho segement. Part of me wants Hook to lose so he’s away from Jericho. Hook deserves better. But overall an excellent show. Not great, but very good. AEW is warming up nicely and it would seem there are some big announments coming for 2025 and beyond. Despite the fed wrestling media, fed mark podcasters and the cult ‘fed universe’ who follow that clown show wanting Aew to fail, they keep pushing onto bigger and better things. Ppv quality, match quality … the fed cant touch them. They need to tweak their ppv length and load their weekly shows up more. They also need to move All Out a few weeks further back, to the end of september.
“Good work from all three men. Although I appreciate the idea of giving the match a purpose, I’m can’t say I actually cared about which wrestler would land the first spot in the gauntlet match.”
Hey it gave Cassidy a much-needed win!! That guy is just not spotlighted enough at the expense of everyone else.
Ignoring that, as usual, any review or column about AEW ALWAYS has to include something negative about every match or added onto any compliment, good show.
No one thought Yuta has a chance, and Swerve is NOT the answer to who should have the belt (although most of us are honest enough to admit why he was given that belt), so now the Danielson retirement stipulation is hopefully going to wind up with him winning the belt.
I will say, they need to stop having Danielson say,”I’m ready to walk away” too much, as this gives away he will win, but at least they are doing a couple of storylines.
Ignoring that, as usual, you have no idea how an unbiased review works, you’re a racist piece of shit. You are truly a terrible person, Angry Mike.