By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 269)
Chicago, Illinois at Wintrust Arena
Aired live November 27, 2024 on TBS
[Hour One] Dynamite opened with a recap of AEW Full Gear set to Guns N’ Roses “November Rain”…
Powell’s POV: AEW doesn’t always do a good job of making their pay-per-views feel important on their fallout shows, so this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully they will continue to do this once their deal for “November Rain” concludes.
A video package aired on the Continental Classic… Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness checked in on commentary while the Continental Classic board graphics were shown…
“The Hurt Syndicate” Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP were introduced by ring announcer Justin Roberts. MVP played to the Chicago crowd and then compared his men to Walter Payton and Michael Jordan.
An MVP chant broke out. MVP said it’s not about him, it’s about the Hurt Syndicate. He spoke about how his business card is like a golden ticket. MVP criticized Swerve for being arrogant.
When a “Swerve’s House” chant broke out, MVP pointed out that Lashley “beat the snot” out of Swerve. MVP had footage from the match play. MVP said their mission statement is that they are in AEW to take championship titles and leverage them for more money and power.
MVP said they are the merchants of misery and they are in the profession of pain. MVP said Benjamin would kick off the Continental Classic. MVP said they hurt people to close his promo. MVP and Lashley hugged Benjamin and left the ring while the broadcast team reminded viewers that no one is allowed at ringside during Continental Classic matches.
Mark Briscoe made his entrance and went face-to-face with Lashley before walking around him and entering the ring. The tournament rules graphic was displayed with 20-minute time limits, three points for a win, one point for a draw, and everyone is banned from ringside…
1. Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin in a Continental Classic blue league match. Benjamin offered a handshake, which Briscoe accepted. Benjamin didn’t let go of Briscoe’s hand and instead whipped him into the ropes.
Excalibur said the gold league winner will face the blue league runner up, while the blue league winner will face the gold league runner up. He said both matches and the finals will take place at the Worlds End pay-per-view on December 28.
Both men ended up at ringside where Benjamin dominated Briscoe. Excalibur hyped the Saturday afternoon airings of Collision and Rampage. Briscoe battled back and hit a suicide dive on Benjamin. Back in the ring, Benjamin caught Briscoe on the top rope and then suplexed him into the ring heading into the first picture-in-picture commercial break. [C]
Benjamin worked over Briscoe with forearms, but Briscoe started no-selling and eventually fired back with his own forearm strikes and then Redneck Kung Fu. Briscoe put Benjamin down and then hit him with Froggy Bow. Briscoe sold rib pain while Benjamin rolled out of the ring to avoid being pinned.
Briscoe went to the apron and hit the Cactus Jack elbow drop. Briscoe rolled Benjamin back inside the ring and then went up top and did the throat slash gesture. Briscoe went for Froggy Bow, but Benjamin put his knees up. Benjamin performed a couple of wicked release German suplexes.
Briscoe stuffed another suplex attempt and hit a step-up enzuigiri. Briscoe went for the Jay Driller, but Briscoe backdropped him. Briscoe held on and rolled him into a pin for a two count. Benjamin caught Briscoe with a kick and then hit a running knee and a thrust kick for a near fall. Benjamin threw another thrust kick and then slammed Briscoe tot he mat and pinned him.
Shelton Benjamin defeated Mark Briscoe in 11:45 in a Continental Classic blue league match to earn three points.
Bobby Lashley and MVP returned to the ring afterward to celebrate with Benjamin. The updated leaderboard was shown…
Powell’s POV: An enjoyable opening match to the tournament. MVP’s promo was well delivered, yet also a tad repetitive at times.
A video aired to tout tickets for all of the Dynamite and Collision events that will feature Continental Classic matches along with the Worlds End pay-per-view… [C]
Tony Schiavone stood on the stage and introduced TBS Champion Mercedes Mone, who walked out with Kamille. Mone took the mic and told Chicago to say hell to their CEO. The fans booed.
Schiavone said some are calling Mone’s win over Kris Statlander the women’s match of the year and asked how it felt. Mone said it felt like money. Mone praised Statlander for proving she’s one of the very best in the ring.
Mone boasted that she is the greatest TBS Champion of all-time. Mone said she showed the entire world that a real woman gets the job done right. Mone said Kamille can’t get anything done right and was about to fire her,
Kamille, who still had her arm in a sling, told Mone to shut up. Kamille said Mone can’t fire her because she quits. Mone headed to the back while Mone threw a tantrum and the fans chanted, “You deserve it”…
Powell’s POV: I can’t believe how quickly they rushed through Mone and Kamille alliance.
A video package recapped Big Boom AJ beating QT Marshall at Full Gear…
“The Learning Tree” Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith made their entrance. Jericho wore a cowboy hat with “9” on it and Keith had a small potted plant with him. Excalibur joked that Jim Ross’s attorney already wrote up a cease and desist over Jericho’s cowboy hat. Tomohiro Ishii made his entrance…
2. Chris Jericho (w/Big Bill, Bryan Keith) vs. Tomohiro Ishii for the ROH Championship. Big Bill sat in on commentary and said one day the sapling that Keith brought out might become a Learning Tree. Jericho and Ishii picked up where they left off two years ago by chopping the shit out of each other.
Both men ended up on the apron. Jericho poked Ishii’s eye and then DDT’d him on the apron. Jericho roughed up Ishii at ringside and then tossed him back in the ring. They went right back to chopping each other. They eventually threw repeated slaps at one another going into a PIP break. [C]
Jericho and Ishii continued to slap each other coming out of the break. Jericho’s mouth was bloody and one side of Ishii’s face was swollen. Jericho superplexed Ishii, who popped right up, which got some cheers.
They resumed the slap fest and then Jericho suplexed Ishii. Once Ishii stood up, he hit Jericho from behind and both men fell down. Moments later, Jericho hit a Lionsault for a two count.
Ishii avoided the Walls of Jericho and put Jericho down with a headbutt. Ishii speared a kneeling Jericho and covered him for a two count. Jericho ducked the sliding Lariat, but Ishii hit him with his own Codebreaker move. Ishii blasted Jericho with a lariat for a near fall.
Ishii dropped Jericho and then ran the ropes for a move, but Jericho popped up and hit him with a Judas Effect. Jericho hit Ishii with a second Judas Effect and then pinned him…
Chris Jericho defeated Tomohiro Ishii in 13:10 to retain the ROH Championship.
Powell’s POV: What a difference two years makes. The live crowd popped big for their previous chop fest in the same building two years ago on the Thanksgiving Eve show, whereas this crowd sat quietly for long stretches of this match. I actually felt pity for both guys because they beat the shit out of each other and most of the crowd just wasn’t into it.
Renee Paquette interviewed Swerve Strickland, who was accompanied by Prince Nana. Paquette asked Swerve how he would rebuild. Swerve said rebuilding is something he does very well. Swerve said he figures things out whether he wins or loses. he said he’s never been hit as hard as he was by Bobby Lashley.
Max Caster walked behind Swerve and laughed at him. Swerve called him out and asked what was so funny. Caster said Swerve was funny. Caster said Swerve lost at the Prudential Center last week, which was the same building where Caster beat him for the AEW Tag Team Titles.
Swerve pushed Caster against the wall. Swerve tossed Caster onto some production crates and threw punches at him. Swerve ran Caster into another production crate and then kicked him. Nana pleaded with Swerve to leave… [C]
Powell’s POV: Well, Caster is certainly unlikable. I continue to wonder if he’ll be a singles wrestler or if we might see Anthony Bowens join him in The Hurt Syndicate as a heel tag team. No, I don’t care what that would mean for Billy Gunn as an on-air character.
Tony Schiavone stood in the ring and introduced Hangman Page. Excalibur gave an update on Orange Cassidy and said he was injured and recovering from having the cleaning solution poured down his throat after the match.
Schiavone said Page attacked Wheeler Yuta and seemingly helped Christian Cage secure his title match. Page took the mic and shoved Schiavone. Page said if Christopher Daniels gets in his way, he will knock him back on his ass and he won’t get back up this time.
Page said he made a deal and kept up his end. Page said that if Christian had held up his end, then Page would be home tomorrow eating stuffing with the AEW World Championship around his waist.
Page said his intention has always been to be the AEW World Champion. He said it shouldn’t have been Swerve Strickland, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and it damn sure won’t be Christian. Excalibur said it seemed like the deal was that Page was supposed to help Christian in exchange for a title shot.
Jay White made his entrance and stood at ringside while asking Page what happened during their match at Full Gear. White asked what happened during their match at WrestleDream. White said Page lost both matches. White said if anyone is going after the AEW World Championship, it will be him. White climbed on the apron and spoke about having another match with Page.
Pac showed up and pulled White off the apron before running him into the barricade. Pac jawed at Page, who was then hit from behind by Wheeler Yuta. Marina Shafir arrived at ringside. White entered the ring and cleared Pac and Yuta from the ring.
[Hour Two] Page put White down with a lariat. Marina entered the ring and slammed the title belt briefcase over the head of Page. White ducked Shafir’s attempt to hit him with the briefcase and then set her up for a Bladerunner.
Jon Moxley entered the ring and choked White while Shafir kicked him. Moxley released the choke. Shafir took White down and then put him in a choke of her own while Moxley, Pac, and Yuta paced around the ring.
Shafir released the hold and White sold it like he was out. Moxley, Pac, and Yuta put the boots to White. Pac slammed the briefcase on White’s head and then the Death Riders left the ring. Yuta threw a kick at Page before leaving…
Claudio Castagnoli made his entrance. A brief video aired for AEW Worlds End featuring The Death Riders driving their truck in the middle of nowhere. Once they stopped, Jon Moxley lit a flare. Ricochet made his entrance after the video…
3. Ricochet vs. Claudio Castagnoli in a Continental Classic gold league match. Ricochet went for a moonsault off the apron a couple minutes into the match, but Castagnoli caught him and dumped him on the ringside barricade. Back in the ring, Castagnoli cut off Ricochet’s offensive run with a big uppercut. Castagnoli covered Ricochet for a two count before a PIP break. [C]
Ricochet sent Castagnoli to ringside with a huracanrana and then hit him with a corkscrew dive. Ricochet sent Castagnoli back inside the ring and then hit him with a springboard clothesline. Ricochet hit a Liontamer, which – per Excalibur’s cal – is apparently just a springboard moonsault if Jericho’s not involved in the match.
Castagnoli battled back and put Ricochet in the Sharpshooter. Castagnoli countered into a crossface. Ricochet escaped and caught Castagnoli in a pin for a two count. Castagnoli put Ricochet down with an uppercut and got a near fall.
Castagnoli went for the Ricola Bomb, but Ricochet hooked him into a pin for a near fall. Castagnoli dumped Ricochet to ringside and ran him into the barricade. Castagnoli removed the top pad and then crotched Ricochet on the barricade. Ricochet beat the referee’s count, but Castagnoli hit him with a lariat and pinned him.
Claudio Castagnoli defeated Ricochet in 13:00 in a Continental Classic gold league match to earn three points.
Powell’s POV: I like that they doubled down on Ricochet losing after he was pinned by Konosuke Takeshita at Full Gear. I hope the idea is to tear him down so he can be built back up, but seeing is believing.
The updated leaderboard was shown… Highlights aired of Kyle Fletcher beating Will Ospreay at Full Gear…
Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis and said they seem to be on a mission to destroy Will Ospreay. Callis yelled that’s what people do to get ahead. Callis spoke about how “we” decimated Ospreay. Callis said they were just getting started. Fletcher he made it 100 percent certain that he is better than Ospreay in every way. Fletcher said the Continental Classic belongs to him…
Powell’s POV: I was hoping for an over the top gloating promo from Fletcher wearing the crowd he wore at Full Gear.
Adam Cole made his entrance with Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. Cole said he’s tired of playing the game with MJF. Cole said if MJF was half the man he claims to be then he would fight him, but he’s a little bitch. Cole said he would beat MJF within an inch of his life once he gets his hands on him.
Kyle O’Reilly made his entrance and entered the ring. O’Reilly said Cole fought MJF and it didn’t work out and that’s why they were in this situation. O’Reilly asked Cole to let him fight MJF. Cole said he doesn’t want his friends to fight his battles. O’Reilly said he’s doing it for Roderick Strong.
MJF appeared on the big screen and was playing a piano. MJF said he thought long and hard for the last 20 seconds about both men waiting to fight him and the answer is no. MJF said he was focussed on the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale taking place next week.
Cole said he was entering the battle royal. O’Reilly took the mic and said he was also entering the battle royal. Cole and O’Reilly bickered for a moment and then O’Reilly left the ring…
Powell’s POV: The drama involving the former members of The Kingdom started in ROH, carried over to and got old in NXT, and now it’s just painful to watch. Why is this still happening?
Excalibur announced Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta for Saturday’s AEW Collision. Shockingly, Tony Schiavone did not cut in to give Tony Khan credit for making the match… Entrances for the women’s match took place…
4. Jamie Hayter vs. Queen Aminata in a tournament match for a spot in the International Women’s Cup at Wrestle Dynasty. The winner of this match will face the winner of Saturday’s Serena Deeb vs. Willow Nightingale for a spot in the four-way match at WrestleDynasty. Hayter and Aminata traded chops (because this show needed more chops after Jericho vs. Ishii). Hayter suplexed Aminata into a corner of the ring heading into another PIP break. [C]
Aminata had Hayter down in front of the bottom rope when she drilled her with a running shin strike. Hayter went for her finisher, but Aminata ducked it and then dumped Hayter face first on the mat. Aminata went up top and rolled through when Hayter rolled out of the way.
Hayter performed a backbreaker and set up for her finisher again, but Aminata caught her in an inside cradle for a two count. Hayter put Aminata down and hooked her into a two pin attempts that both resulted in two counts. Hayter eventually hit her Hayterade finisher and scored the pin.
Jamie Hayter beat Queen Aminata in 9:15 to advance to the finals of the tournament for a spot in the International Women’s Cup at Wrestle Dynasty.
After the match, the lights went out and a spotlight appeared on the stage. The broadcast team spoke about Julia Hart and then Hayter’s music resumed to end the segment…
Renee Paquette’s sit-down interview with Mina Shirakawa that taped earlier in the day was shown. Shirakawa said she knew that if Mariah May could do what she did to Toni Storm, she could do the same to her. Shirakawa said this is the real May. Shirakawa said May is selfish and has to kill anyone close to her. Shirakaway said she would introduce May to the real her.
May showed up and smashed a bottle over the back of Shirakawa’s head. May slammed the AEW Women’s Championship belt over the back of Shirakawa and then said, “I want Mina”…
Excalibur announced Mariah May vs. Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s Championship at the Winter Is Coming themed show in two weeks…
Highlights aired of Daniel Garcia beating Jack Perry to win the TNT Title at Full Gear. Excalibur hyped Garcia vs. Kazuchika Okada in a Continental Classic blue league match for Saturday’s AEW Collision. Excalibur hyped the Dynamite main event for after the break… [C] Entrances for the main event took place…
Brody King made his entrance for the main event. Highlights aired of his past matches with Darby Allin, who then made his entrance…
5. Darby Allin vs. Brody King in a Continental Classic gold league match. Allin had a bandage on his head along with his ribs and left thigh wrapped to sell(?) the car crash angle at the end of Full Gear. Allin limped around the ring and was dominated by King, who hit him with a couple of sentons for an early two count.
“I can’t believe how quickly they rushed through Mone and Kamille alliance.”
Why? Tony has done shit like this for nearly every single angle they’ve ever run in AEW and you’re still surprised that the fucking moron rushed through something in 6 weeks that should have gone 6 months or more?
2 new tournaments on the same two hour show. Uhhhhh