AEW Dynamite results (7/29): Barnett’s review of Kenny Omega’s appearance, Willow Nightingale’s celebration, three championship matches

By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@jakebarnett)

AEW Dynamite (Episode 356)
Detroit, Michigan, at the Masonic Temple Theater
Simulcast live July 29, 2026, on TBS and HBO Max

The show began with Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz sitting at commentary. Excalibur ran through some segments on the show, including Willow Nightingale’s title celebration and Jon Moxley facing Komander for the International Title. A video was then shown that focused on the conflict that unfolded between Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Jon Moxley at the end of the Redemption PPV. Additional footage was shown of Moxley backstage watching Kenny Omega delivered a One Winged Angel, and Moxley expressing exasperation that Ospreay didn’t identity Omega as a shark at the top of the food chain.

Ospreay was interviewed by Renee Paquette outside the building when the Death Riders approached him. Daniel Garcia tried to get in his face but caught an elbow. Moxley calmed the situation down and asked Ospreay if he really wanted to do that. Ospreay told Moxley he didn’t get to pull the trigger for him, and handed the Death Riders patch back to him and told him he was out. Hangman Page then walked up and offered Ospreay some help if he needed it, but Ospreay told him he couldn’t trust Kenny so he couldn’t trust him.

Hangman said he understood the look on his face and that he knows when he gets to Wembley he’ll be the best he’s ever been. He then told him he hopes that he believes in himself.

Back in the arena, Jack Perry made his ring entrance for the opening match. He was followed by Nick Wayne and AEW National Champion Andrade El Idolo.

1. Nick Wayne vs. Jack Perry vs. Andrade El Idolo for the AEW National Championship: Perry blasted Andrade with a Superkick at the opening bell. Wayne and Perry then skirmished for a moment until Andrade returned fire on both of them with a double suplex. Perry took out Nick Wayne on the floor with a facebuster. Andrade then took out Perry with a dive to the floor. After a quick photo opportunity with a woman standing near the barricade, Andrade got caught with a sliced bread from Nick Wayne. All three men continued to trade strikes in the ring until all three were down on the mat…[c]

My Take: Interesting opening moments to the show with Ospreay basically declaring himself on an island with no friends. Hangman apparently spent all his time off in therapy, apparently? Seemed almost unsettlingly positive.

Perry ended up stranded on the turnbuckle. Andrade battled with him, but ultimately Perry took him off the apron to the floor with a hurracarrana. Wayne then surprised Perry with a Destroyer from the ring out to the floor. Wayne delivered a Fisherman’s Buster suplex and covered, but Perry managed to get back into the ring to break it up. The action broke down and moved at a frenetic pace. Perry landed three back to back suicide dives and a moonsault from the top rope onto both Andrade and Wayne at ringside.

He then brought Wayne back into the ring and landed a sit out Powerbomb for a close near fall. Andrade returned and landed a series of kicks on Wayne and sent Perry to the outside. He then went for a top rope splash, but Wayne got the knees up. Wayne then landed a Phoenix Splash, but Perry broke up the fall. Andrade landed his signature back elbow on Perry and then the DM on Wayne for the win.

Andrade El Idolo defeated Nick Wayne and Jack Perry at 14:28

After the match Schiavone asked Andrade how he felt. He said he felt tranquilo because he had screwed MJF and Don Callis. He then said he could fight anyone, but he wanted to be the best National Champion ever. Schiavone informed him a number one contender would be crowned for his title next week in Mexico, to which he replied “How you know?” and left.

Backstage, the Brawling Birds said they didn’t have much to say to Divine Dominion. They said they were both undefeated and they had been ducking them for long enough. They also said MIT can pick any two of their members and they would take them on anytime…[c]

My Take: Andrade being saddled with the National Title is a bummer, but the match was a solid show opener if you can unsee all the no selling. I hope they have some angle planned for the Birds and Divine Dominion because that promo was as basic as it gets.

The Don Callis Family was interviewed backstage. Fletcher and Kevin Knight bickered back and forth. Fletcher teased him for losing to Omega, and Knight was forced to admit that he’d lost but was happy to go toe to toe with one of the best ever in a PPV main event. He told Fletcher to watch out for Speedball because the International Title was at risk next week. Fletcher replied that the title would never leave the family, at which point Kazuchika Okada walked up and said Fletcher was right, it would stay in the family.

In the arena, Jake Doyle and Brian Cage joined Kyle Fletcher in the ring. They were followed by Brodido and Speedball Mike Bailey.

2. “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Brody King, and Bandido vs. Kyle Fletcher, Jake Doyle, and Brian Cage: King and Fletcher started the match. Fletcher backed up King into the heel corner and tag Jake Doyle. Doyle and Cage delivered a double team suplex to King, and then tagged Fletcher back in. King recovered and delivered some chops to Fletcher, and then made a tag. The babyface team made rapid tags and then took turns delivering lariats to Fletcher. King then took out Cage and Doyle with one as well. Fletcher got to his feet and hit the ropes, and ate a big lariat from King as well.

Bandido entered the match and picked up Fletcher for a delayed vertical suplex. The action spilled outside, where Cage got involved by powerbombing Bandido into the ring post…[c]

Fletcher continued to control Bandido as the show returned. He fired back with a DDT, but Brian Cage entered the match to prevent a tag. Bandido eventually broke free and tagged in Brody King, who entered the ring and mopped up all the Callis Family members with big strikes and a cannonball on Doyle and Cage in the corner. Bailey tagged in and tussled with Fletcher. He landed a standing double knee press and a spinning heel kick. Both men made tags.

Doyle and Bandido were then legal, and Bandido lifted the big man up for a press slam. He followed up with a splash, but Doyle rolled through and landed a powerslam. King entered the match and landed a discus elbow on Doyle. Cage then entered and hit an F5 on King. Fletcher and Speedball took each other out and ended up on the floor. Bandido landed a superkick on Doyle and fired up for the 21 plex. Doyle popped up and blasted him with an elbow.

Bandido tagged in Bailey, who landed an Ultimate Weapon on Doyle due to him being unaware of the tag. He then followed up with a sunset flip into a pin for the win. Fletcher looked shocked at the loss after the bell rang.

Mike Bailey, Bandido, and Brody King defeated Jake Doyle, Brian Cage, and Kyle Fletcher at 13:49

After the match, Excalibur announced Mya World vs. Persephone is up next…[c]

My Take: A decent match that gives Bailey a little shine ahead of his match with Fletcher. Not much else to it.

Renee Paquette sat down with The Young Bucks, Adam Copeland, and Christian Cage were shown backstage. The Bucks said it was an honor to be in the match with Copeland and Christian, and said they were nervous just thinking about the match. Copeland credited the Young Bucks with Revolutionizing Tag Team Wrestling and keeping the flame alive for Tag Team Wrestling. Christian piped up and said they didn’t come back to have a retirement tour, and set out to prove they were the best team of any generation.

Matt said they were clawing their way back from Rock Bottom, and they needed to cement their legacy to win the titles for the fourth time. Copeland pointed out that they lost 17 years of their careers to injuries, so there was no need to play the comparison game. Matt replied that they were going to be more aggressive than ever, and it wouldn’t be like Kobe putting up 60 points in his final season, they would be lucky to get on the board. Christian then said they would need to elevate their game at Wembley like they always do, and it would be different than they thought when the lights were on and they were across the ring from their heroes.

The interview ended with both teams saying they were not going to go out quietly, but were looking forward to the match. In the arena, Persephone and Maya World made their way to the ring.

3. Maya World vs. Persephone for the TBS Championship: There were a series of grappling evasions and pinfall attempts in the early going that went for two counts. Maya delivered a wheel kick and followed up with an arm drag. The action spilled outside and World landed another kick. Persephone fired back by lifting Maya into an Electric Chair position and dropping her on the ring apron…[c]

My Take: The Bucks and C&C promo was entertaining, but hopefully the competitiveness ratchets up as we get closer to All In. They teased some tension here but the feud will be more interesting if/when it gets more disrespectful.

Persephone maintained control with a Half Crab. Maya started a comeback, but was shut down by a fallaway slam. Persephone then dove in Maya on the floor and taunted the crowd. Maya fired back with a DDT on the floor and tossed Persephone back in the ring. Persephone fired back with a big lariat. Maya delivered some kicks and a moonsault from the corner. Hikaru Shida jumped on the apron and tossed Persephone a Kendo Stick.

Kris Statlander showed up and pulled the stick from Persephone. Maya then delivered her Bridging Fallaway Suplex and got the win.

Maya World defeated Persephone at 10:11

Mark Davis was shown backstage furious about his National Championship. He said he needed a measure of revenge and challenged Will Ospreay for next week in Mexico. Davis then said they were 1-1 in singles matches and Ospreay’s victory was tainted. He claimed he would leave Ospreay in a bloody heap behind Arena Mexico.

Renee Paquette stood in the ring and brought out Willow Nightingale for her World Championship celebration. The crowd chanted for her and Willow became emotional at the response. She said the situation was surreal and it was exactly what she had dreamed about. Willow said there had been doubters along the way, and they would look at a girl like her and tell her it would never happen. She went on to say that this past year she had made everyone very happy. The crowd chants drowned out what she was trying to say.

Willow credited her Mom for pulling her out of a dark place when she got hurt and had to relinquish her TBS Championship. She said her Mom calls her a Warrior Princess, and told her to fight, and so she did. Willow recalled her accomplishments over the last year, and looked into the camera and told the TV audience to keep fighting, even if life has them down, because sometimes the comeback is even better than the dream.

Mercedes Mone made her ring entrance to a chorus of boos. She said she didn’t come out to ruin the celebration, she came out for business, and demanded she sign the contract for All In. Willow put the contract on her chest and signed in, and Mercedes pie faced her. They went face to face briefly, and Renee said the match was official. Willow asked if Mercedes was angry today because people weren’t giving her all of the attention for five seconds, or is it because she has the one Championship that Mercedes just can’t get her hands on.

Mone replied that what she hates most about Willow isn’t her smile or the fact that people love her, it’s that Willow’s name is written all over her story. She recalled getting injured in a match with Willow, she lost her TBS Championship to Willow, and now she stands in her way again. Mercedes said she was tired of her smiling face being in her face, and she would end her fairy tale at All In, and took credit for making her. She said she gave her the greatest moment of her entire career, and she would take her title and her smile at All In.

Divine Dominion showed up and surrounded the ring. Willow tried to get a few shots in, but was put down quickly by a double chokeslam. The Brawling Birds ran down to the ring and checked on Willow. The heels bailed to ringside as the Birds jawed with them…[c]

My Take: In terms of crowd response, this was the most successful segment of the night. The crowd was crazy for Willow and the boo birds were intense for everything Mercedes tried to say. I imagine the plan heading into this show was for Mercedes to win the title at All In, but this would give me some pause.

Jon Moxley made his ring entrance for the next match. He was followed by Komander.

4. Komander vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship: The match pace started a bit slower with a feel out process to start. Moxley landed a few heavy chops to take control a few minutes in and fired up the crowd. Komander caught Moxley with a dive as he paced around the ring…[c]

Moxley held onto a front face lock as the show returned. Komander broke free and landed a series of kicks and a 619. He followed up with a flying cross body for a two count. Komander performed some acrobatics, but then Moxley immediately shut it down with a Cutter. He then delivered mounted punches in the corner, and tried to bite at his mask. Komander slipped free and landed a kick, and that left Moxley hanging over the top rope.

He followed up with a guillotine leg drop that sent both men to the floor. Komander landed a springboard 450 a moment later and covered for a near fall. Komander then performed his spacewalk splash across the ropes and onto Moxley on the floor. Moxley avoided a splash and performed a Stomp. He followed up with a DDT and applied the Bulldog choke for the win.

Jon Moxley defeated Komander at 12:27

Backstage, Mick Foley interviewed the Bang Bang Gang. Foley pointed out that Jay White wasn’t there. It wasn’t cleared up why White wasn’t there, but Juice Robinson issued a challenge for any two of the Dogs to face them on Collision tomorrow night…[c]

My Take: Another decent match from Moxley and Komander. They work pretty well together, but this felt like a bit of Deja Vu if you’ve seen their previous encounters.

Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly made their entrance. The Demand followed, and immediately started a brawl before the bell could ring. The Conglomeration got the better of it until Ricochet took out all three of them with a dive on the floor. The bell rang after the referee checked on Cassidy.

5. Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Toa Liona, Bishop Kaun, and Ricochet for the AEW Trios Championships: Cassidy started the match, but made a pretty quick tag to Roddy. Strong delivered a series of backbreakers and then tossed Orange Cassidy into both Liona and Kaun. Using their power advantage, Liona and Kaun surged back and took control of the match. Kaun picked up Liona and slammed him onto Cassidy…[c]

Strong delivered a backbreaker to Ricochet and tagged out to O’Reilly. Kyle delivered a series of strikes to Kaun and Ricochet. He then performed a Dragon Screw on Liona. Kyle then delivered an Axe Kick and a palm strike that sent Ricochet out of the ring. He then attempted an ankle lock on Kaun, but he reached the ropes. Ricochet and Liona then returned to the ring and took control of the match. O’Reilly managed to avoid a splash from Liona and take out Ricochet and Kaun with strikes.

Cassidy tagged into the match and did a goofy spot where he put a weak looking claw on Ricochet’s bald head. A moment later, Cassidy attempted an Orange Punch to the head of Liona but it backfired. The Lethal Twist showed up late in the match and took out The Conglomeration. Cassidy got hit in the head with one of the Trios Titles. Ricochet followed up with a Spirit Gun on Cassidy and got the win.

The Demand defeated the Conglomeration to win the AEW Trios Championships at 11:03

The Demand continued the assault after the match. Brody King came down to make the save, but was quickly overwhelmed. Hangman Page emerged from the back and the heels scurried. Page ended up hitting Jay Lethal with the Buckshot lariat. Outside the arena, the Death Riders answered the challenge from the Bang Bang Gang for tomorrow. Daniel Garcia then called out Will Ospreay for running from the grind. Moxley then complained about the morality police taking issue with the way they do things. He said what he loves about the Continental Championship is that it’s just about what’s in your head and what’s in your heart.

He mentioned a Continental Cup tournament that will determine his challenger for All In. In the Arena, Tony Schiavone welcomed Kenny Omega to the ring. Before he could speak, Will Ospreay made his ring entrance. He said this was great because he had something to say just to Will, but since he decided to come out, let’s have a little game of show and tell. Kenny said he showed him how he felt at Redemption, and he thought he would get it, but since he looks so confused he better move on to the tell part.

Omega said he cared about Ospreay, and wanted the world for him. He asked if he remembered their promise to do their best, and he put their friendship before the belt 100% of the time. He said he “allowed” Ospreay to enter the Owen by himself as a gift, and then he cut him down by saying that he gave up on himself. Omega held up the World Title and asked Ospreay if he looked like a guy who gave up. He then asked what Ospreay’s excuse is after his repeated warnings about Jon Moxley?

Ospreay then said he came back too early from his neck surgery for revenge and he couldn’t get it done. He didn’t have any friends to turn to, and Jon Moxley had his back even after he took everything away from him. Ospreay then admitted that he liked the camaraderie of the Death Riders and the feeling of having killers backing him up again. He said he doesn’t share a philosophy with Jon Moxley but he came to understand why they are so protective of AEW.

Omega recalled the story of Sunday from his perspective. He accused Ospreay of thinking about putting the bag over his head and setting the trap for him himself. Ospreay tried to deny it, but Omega slapped him across the face. He slapped him a few more times as he berated him for crumbling under pressure and claimed that’s why Ospreay would never measure up to him.

Ospreay slapped Kenny back and grabbed the microphone. He told Kenny that he admires him but if he puts his hands on him he’d kick the shit out of him. Ospreay continued and said that he wanted Kenny at his best at All In and the question everyone is asking is whether or not he can pull the trigger. He said he would not shoot him in the back like Kenny, or injure him before the match like Moxley, he would pull the trigger from the front because he wants him to see it coming. The show closed with both men having a stare down.

My Take: First of all, a 30+ minute overrun is diabolical. That said, I liked the closing segment and the wedge it drove between Omega and Ospreay. Neither guy is the most engaging promo but there was a logic to each of their explanations and they delivered everything with good energy. The crowd was hot for both of them which helped immensely. I hope they have some exciting angles planned over the next few weeks, because it would be a shame if this is the peak 5 weeks before the PPV.