By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 343)
Fairfax, Virginia, at EagleBank Arena
Simulcast live April 29, 2026, on TBS and HBO Max
[Hour One] Excalibur opened the show and was joined on commentary by Taz and Tony Schiavone. Excalibur ran through the show’s lineup. He said the TNT Title match would open the show, and then set up a highlight video on the build to the match…
MJF made his entrance. Kevin Knight was joined on the stage by Mike Bailey, who headed to the back while Knight went to the ring…
1. Kevin Knight vs. MJF for the TNT Championship. Ring announcer Justin Roberts delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. A giant MJF tapestry was lowered during his introduction and quickly cleared from the area by the crew. The announcers said there would be limited commercial interruptions during the match.
MJF got the better of Knight early and worked him over at ringside. Back in the ring, MJF put Knight down with a cutter and covered him for a two count. Knight came back with a DDT. Knight followed up moments later with a suicide dive. He tossed MJF back in the ring and followed, but MJF went right back to the floor.
Knight performed a flip dive onto MJF and then played to the receptive crowd. Knight performed a springboard clothesline onto MJF on the floor. Back in the ring, MJF caught Knight with another cutter for another two count. MJF executed a Panama Sunrise for a near fall heading into what Schaivone said would be a 90-second break, which turned out to be a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Knight hit his UFO Splash finisher, but he sold knee pain and was slow to make the cover, so MJF kicked out at two. MJF targeted Knight’s knee with a dragon screw leg whip. MJF covered Knight several times, yet was unable to pin him. MJF grabbed the title belt from ringside and teased using it as a weapon once he was back in the ring, but the referee took it away. MJF pulled out his Dynamite Diamond Ring and smiled while the referee was clearing the belt from the ring. Knight low-blowed MJF and then covered him for the three count.
Kevin Knight defeated MJF in 15:20 to retain the TNT Championship.
After the match, MJF chop-blocked Knight’s bad knee. Darby Allin rappelled from the rafters, entered the ring, and put MJF down with a Scorpion Death Drop. MJF went to the stage and said he wanted his rematch for the AEW World Championship. Allin said not until MJF puts something on the line. Darby said he would give Knight the next title shot.
Brody King made his entrance and went face-to-face with MJF before heading to the ring. King told Darby that he wouldn’t be defending the championship against Knight next week. King said Knight would be challenging him for the AEW World Championship next week…
A video package spotlighted the Darby Allin vs. Brody King match… Excalibur hyped upcoming matches, and said The Brawling Birds would be in action after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: A good opener with Knight fighting fire with fire at the end. The announcers played up the idea that King was offended by Darby talking about defending his title next week before facing him in tonight’s title match. By the way, I’m filling in for Jake Barnett, who is still angry with Tony Khan and the other 31 NFL ownership families for not selecting him in the 2026 NFL Draft. Jake has been eligible for over twenty years, but he really thought this was his year. Also, an hour before showtime, WrestleTix listed the host venue as being set up for 5,556 with 5,283 tickets distributed. The building’s listed capacity is 10,000. The last time AEW ran this venue was for the June 19, 2024 Dynamite, and they distributed 4,326 tickets.
Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed Adam Copeland and Christian Cage. She asked about FTR challenging them to an I Quit match at AEW Double or Nothing. Christian quickly accepted. Copeland said that was quick considering Christian’s bad history in I Quit matches. Christian claimed he never quit…
2. “The Brawling Birds” Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor vs. Emily Jaye and Jordan Blade. Jaye and Blade did not have a televised entrance. The Birds won quickly using Two Birds One Stone…
“The Brawling Birds” Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor beat Emily Jaye and Jordan Blade in 1:20.
Powell’s POV: A quick squash win for the Birds.
Still shots of Swerve Strickland at the NFL Draft were shown from AEW social media…
AEW Women’s Champion Thekla and Skye Blue delivered a promo on the backstage interview set. Thekla said there were too many dumb bitches in AEW. Blue blamed the Brawling Birds for what happened to Persephone…
Kazuchika Okada made his entrance and was joined on the stage by Don Callis and Mark Davis. Callis headed to the broadcast table while Davis went backstage. Ace Austin made his entrance and was joined by Juice Robinson, who also headed to the back…
3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Ace Austin for the AEW International Championship. Don Callis sat in on commentary. Knight hit an early springboard enzuigiri that sent Okada to the floor. Okada tried to sweep Austin’s legs out from under him while Austin was on the apron, but he did a handstand. Okada applauded. Austin kicked Okada through the ropes and then dove over the turnbuckle, but Okada moved. Okada kicked Austin and then DDT’d him on the floor before a PIP break. [C]
Austin had a run of offense that included a leg drop from the ropes onto the back of Okada’s head. Okada came back with a great dropkick. Austin caught Okada in a backslide for a near fall. Okada hit him with another dropkick and then followed up with a tombstone piledriver. Okada hit the Rainmaker and then covered Austin for the win.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Ace Austin in 11:15 to retain the AEW International Championship.
After the match, Callis entered the ring, and then Davis came out and joined him and Okada. Robinson came out to check on Austin. Callis took a cheap shot at Austin. Konosuke Takeshita walked onto the stage and had a long-distance staredown with Okada, who stood on the middle rope…
Powell’s POV: A well worked match, but it went a bit longer than necessary given that there was no mystery regarding the outcome. Austin may have lost the match, but his legs won over Callis and the broadcast team, who spoke repeatedly about how powerful they are.
A video aired from the old west set used for Bandido vignettes at one time. Random cowboys were down in the street. A couple ran out of the saloon. A man with a bloody forehead was thrown out of the saloon. Swerve Strickland walked out of the saloon and picked up a Bandido wanted poster. Prince Nana gave Swerve a lighter, and Swerve used it to burn the poster… [C]
The broadcast team spoke at their desk. Excalibur assumed Taz left his shades at home. Taz said they were stolen…
A video aired with the Death Riders training at an undisclosed location. Will Ospreay showed up. Jon Moxley asked if Ospreay was cleared. Ospreay shook his head no, but he said nothing would stop him from going to Japan for a big title match (involving United Empire).
Moxley told Ospreay that he needed him to drop everything in his brain and heart, as well as the anger that burns a hole in his stomach. Moxley called it excess baggage and told Ospreay to drop how he feels about him. Moxley said when he commits, he sees it through to the end, and expects the same in return from Ospreay, who agreed.
Ospreay locked eyes with Pac for a moment and then approached Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir. Ospreay asked where the ring was. Moxley said they don’t use a ring. Moxley covered the camera and said the rest was proprietary…
Powell’s POV: I’ll bet Death Riders and Ospreay did massive amounts of steroids once Moxley covered the camera. Wait, wrong era of pro wrestling.
[Hour Two] AEW Tag Team Champions “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler made their entrance with Stokely Hathaway. The entrances for the tag team match followed…
4. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero. Christian had Beretta against the ring post. Wheeler distracted Christian long enough for Beretta to slip away and then slam Christian’s bad arm into the ring post. Harwood got in Christian’s face and laughed at him.
Three “fans” stood up behind Hathaway and removed their hoodies to reveal themselves as Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly. Cassidy slammed a bucket of popcorn over Hathaway’s head. Cassidy, Strong, and O’Reilly cleared Harwood, Wheeler, and Hathaway from ringside. Romero jumped from the apron and caught Christian with a knee strike before a PIP break. [C]
The heel duo got the better of Copeland. Beretta held Copeland while Romero went to the ropes. Christian shoved Romero off the ropes, and then Christian hit Beretta, which triggered a Canadian Destroyer from Copeland. Beretta avoided a Copeland spear and then rolled him up and used the ropes for leverage, but referee Rick Knox caught him. Moments later, Beretta ran toward Copeland, who popped him up before Christian speared him. Copeland covered Beretta for the win.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage beat Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero in 12:45.
After the match, Christian broke off a piece of a chair and handed it to Copeland, who put it in Beretta’s mouth while pulling back on it. Copeland stuck a microphone in Beretta’s face and made him say that he quit. Excalibur spoke over Christian, who said something over the house mic about Beretta being a little bitch… [C]
Powell’s POV: Holy shit, Rick Knox actually caught someone cheating. He didn’t have to act like the most oblivious referee in the history of pro wrestling for once. While this match also lacked mystery regarding the outcome, having FTR at ringside helped. It was also a revenge match for Copeland and Christian, because Beretta and Romero helped FTR attack them at one point.
Footage aired from “earlier tonight” of Renee Paquette asked Chris Jericho if Ricochet’s Ricosault is an improved version of the Lionsault. Jericho started to answer, but Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun showed up and attacked Jericho. Ricochet asked Jericho if this was what he wanted. Jericho was censored and then said “bald.” Ricochet tore Jericho’s shirt, and then Liona and Kaun ran Jericho into a production crate. Ricochet asked Jericho if he thought he was funny. He teased performing a Ricosault by doing a flip over Jericho and landing on his feet. Ricochet told Jericho that he’s not even worth it…
Entrances for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title match took place. A hoarse Renee Paquette spoke at ringside right before the match…
5. Megan Bayne and Lena Kross vs. Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles. Bayne picked up Shida and fell over early in the match. Shida went on the offensive for a moment and grabbed her kendo stick, but Statlander grabbed the other end of the weapon and stopped her from using it. Statlander pulled the kendo stick to move Shida out of a charging Bayne’s path, causing Bayne to crash into the corner. Shida kicked Statlander in the gut and then suplexed her onto Bayne in the corner. Statlander, who wasn’t happy about it. Kross tagged in and dumped Statlander over the top rope. [C]
Excalibur noted that there will be a three-hour block next Wednesday with two hours of Dynamite, followed by an hour of Collision (the second hour of Collision will air Saturday, May 9 at 6CT/7ET on TBS).
Late in the match, Statlander hit Kross with a 450 splash and then covered her for a two count. Statlander set up for another move, but Shida tagged herself in and hit a top rope meteora on Kross. Shiada followed up with a falcon arrow for a near fall. Shida set up for her Katana finisher, but Bayne cut her off. Statlander superkicked Bayne. Kross grabbed Statlander and held her while Bayne threw a kick that sent Statlander into a suplex from Kross. The champions hit their finisher on Shida, and then Kross covered her for the win…
Megan Bayne and Lena Kross beat Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida in 12:30 to retain the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.
Powell’s POV: There was some clunkiness, but I like the powerhouse champions, and Shida’s heelish antics are entertaining.
Renee Paquette tried to interview Andrade El Idolo and Don Callis on the interview set, but MJF stormed in. MJF said Andrade ruined the company, and said Darby Allin was on a reign of terror because of him. Andrade asked how he knew. MJF answered, which led to Andrade questioning how he knew again. Rinse and repeat, but this time, MJF got upset and shoved Andrade. Callis calmed them down. Callis said MJF is the money man. Callis told Andrade that MJF doesn’t have a belt right now, so he didn’t need to fight him. MJF walked away. “Wild horses, what are you going to do?” Callis asked Paquette before leaving with Andrade…
6. Rush vs. Steven Fuerte. Schiavone congratulated executive producer Mike Mansury and his wife Tori on the arrival of their twins – a boy and a girl. Schiavone said that mom and the babies are doing well (congrats!). Rush dominated Fuerte and finished him off with the Bull’s Horns.
Rush defeated Steven Fuerte in 1:40.
After the match, Rush took the mic and delivered a brief promo that closed with his usual “if you mess with the bull, you get the horns” line…
Renee Paquette interviewed “The Opps” Samoa Joe, Hook, Katsuyori Shibata, and Anthony Bowens on the interview set. Joe sang the praises of his allies and said Hook intends to become the new king of television when he challenges for the TNT Title on Collision. Joe recalled the Opps saving Will Ospreay from the Death Riders at one point, and asked if he wanted a relationship of convenience or confidence… [C]
Backstage, Stokely Hathaway stood on the interview set with “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. Hathaway said he spoke with Tony Khan. He challenged Orange Cassidy to a double jeopardy match against Harwood. Hathaway said that if Cassidy wins, he and any member of The Conglomeration can challenge for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Hathaway said that when Harwood wins, FTR would team with Tommaso Ciampa to challenge for the AEW Trios Titles. Ciampa showed up and said they would take the trios titles. Ciampa plucked a piece of popcorn from Hathaway’s beard and ate it…
Entrances for the AEW World Championship match took place. Footage aired of Darby Allin visiting Travis Pastrana, and taking part in some stunts…
7. Darby Allin vs. Brody King for the AEW World Championship. The bell rang, and then both wrestlers headed to the middle of the ring. They shook hands and turned around to walk back toward their respective corners. Allin turned back and hit King with a shotgun dropkick to start the match. Allin performed an early suicide dive, but he bounced off of King, who looked into the camera and barked. Darby battled back and had King seated on a chair on the floor. Allin went to the ropes and performed a missile dropkick before a PIP break. [C]
[Overrun] MJF was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor. Darby was on King’s back with a sleeper hold applied. King ran and turned into the top piece of the ring steps that was leaning against the barricade, which broke the hold. MJF was shown Kevin Knight was also shown watching the match from the crowd.
The following matches were listed for Saturday’s AEW Collision: Jon Moxley, Pac, Claudio Castagnoli, David Finlay, and Clark Connors vs. Dezmond Xavier, Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed, Dante Martin, and Darius Martin in a ten-man tag, Kevin Knight vs. Hook for the TNT Championship, Jack Perry vs. Mascara Dorada for the AEW National Championship, Juice Robinson and Ace Austin vs. Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia, and Willow Nightingale vs. Anna Jay for the TBS Championship.
King got Darby on top of the broadcast table and put him in a sleeper. Darby slipped away and then hit King with a Code Red on the table. Darby returned to the ring and performed a suicide dive (his legs hit the ropes, but he still made contact with King).
Back in the ring, King caught Darby on the ropes and tripped him up, and put him in a tree of woe. King performed a cannonball. King turned Darby inside out with a clothesline before covering him for another. King tossed Darby over the top rope, and Darby collided with a cameraman. King followed to the floor and grabbed Darby’s legs while Darby held the ringside mat, which was pulled back.
King dominated Allin until he avoided King’s cannonball, which sent King crashing through the ringside barricade. Moments later, Allin slipped under King and powerbombed him onto the exposed concrete. Darby went up top and hit King with a Coffin Drop on the floor. Darby returned to the ring. King barely beat the referee’s count and was immediately hit by a Coffin Drop. Darby followed up with another Coffin Drop before getting the three count.
Darby Allin defeated Brody King in 16:25 to retain the AEW World Championship.
After the match, Darby got back to his feet while the broadcast team recalled him saying he would give Kevin Knight a title match next week. They also said that Knight better not look past Hook when they meet for the TNT Title on Saturday. King got up and shook hands with Darby, who then went to the ropes and looked at Knight, who nodded approvingly. Excalibur ran through the Collision lineup.
Excalibur also hyped Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight for the AEW World Championship, and the Dax Harwood vs. Orange Cassidy double jeopardy match for next week’s Dynamite. Darby continued his post match celebration as the show concluded…
Powell’s POV: The crazy match one would expect from Allin and King. It fit nicely with the theme that Darby is riding until the wheels fall off throughout his title reign. King has had a good year, but this loss, combined with his pay-per-view loss to Swerve Strickland, makes it feel like his character is still a notch below the main event players right now. King is still in a pretty good place, and it’s not like he can’t move up when the time is right.
Overall, a good show with four title matches. I will have a lot more to say about it during our weekly same-night audio review of Dynamite for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
I guess I missed where they announced that the first 90% of the match would be no count outs, then all of a sudden the ref starts counting when there’s 2 minutes left in the match.
Kris Statlander performed a double hurricanrana on the two biggest women in NXT, then immediately couldn’t move when it was time to crawl to her partner. This is one of wrestling’s oldest and most annoying tropes that I hope somebody booking wrestling some day finds a way to get past.