By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 245)
Des Moines, Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena
Aired live June 12, 2024 on TBS
[Hour One] AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland made his entrance with a dancing Prince Nana. The broadcast team of Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone checked in and then ring announcer Justin Roberts introduced Swerve, who headed to the ring for a promo.
Swerve spoke about defending his title against Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door. He said it would be two killers, then thought about it and said it would be one killer. Swerve said he saw an assassin when Ospreay beat Kenny Omega, Konosuke Takeshita, and Bryan Danielson, but he didn’t see that assassin at Double Or Nothing.
Swerve said he’s not someone you want to hesitate with. He said he got the name Killshot because if you don’t pull the trigger, he will. Swerve said it doesn’t mean he doesn’t respect Ospreay, who is a fighting champion unlike the EVPs.
“The Elite” Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry interrupted Swerve and then walked onto the stage. Okada asked whose house it was. “It’s my house, bitch,” Okada said. Nicholas boasted about taking out Kenny Omega, Eddie Kingston, and beating Team AEW. “Half the roster is gone because of us,” Nicholas said.
Nicholas said the wrestlers in the back don’t think they are violent enough. He challenged AEW’s best to face them in the most violent match in AEW – Blood & Guts. Matthew said this is where Swerve comes into the picture. The Elite members entered the ring.
Matthew said that they haven’t gotten off to a good start with Swerve. He said they think Swerve is cool, then asked if he wanted to stand side by side with winners and champions and whether he wants to change the world. Matthew asked Swerve to be the fifth man on their Blood & Guts. Matthew said they wanted to see Swerve wear their shoes and then gave him a pair.
Swerve said he’s not a size nine and nobody wears pearl necklaces anymore. Swerve said he’s a philanthropist and cued Nana, who tossed the Jacksons’ shoes into the crowd. Matthew acted like there was a bug on him and then said it was an injury bug that just landed on Swerve.
Billy Gunn and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens made their entrance, causing The Elite members to go to ringside. Christopher Daniels came out and said they couldn’t go long because of all of the matches they had scheduled. Daniels told everyone other than Perry to leave the ring, which drew boos. Daniels introduced Dustin Rhodes, who made his entrance for the opening match…
Powell’s POV: A good opening segment with Swerve cutting a solid promo about the Forbidden Door main event before The Elite came out.
1. Dustin Rhodes vs. Jack Perry in a qualifier for the ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship at Forbidden Door. Perry pulled off the middle turnbuckle pad while trying to avoid Rhodes pulling him out of the corner. They battled to ringside where Perry ran Dustin into the ring post and then the ring steps. Dustin bladed. Perry pulled the floor mats back and set up for a move, but Dustin back dropped him on the concrete heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Perry had Dustin against the ropes when he struck Kenny Omega’s pose for the V-Trigger. Perry ran the ropes, but Dustin powerslammed him. Dustin put Perry in position for Shattered Dreams and hit the move when the referee was busy clearing a chair from the ring. Dustin hit CrossRhodes for a near fall.
A short time later, Perry DDT’d Dustin on the exposed floor at ringside. Perry returned to the ring and was fine with winning by count-out, but Dustin beat the count at nine. Dustin struggled to get to his feet and the referee turned away for some reason, allowing Perry to kick Dustin in the balls. Dustin flipped off Perry, who hit him with a running knee strike and then pinned him…
Jack Perry defeated Dustin Rhodes in 10:05 in a qualifier for the ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship at Forbidden Door.
The updated graphic listed Perry, Konosuke Takeshita, and Mark Briscoe for the ladder match…
Powell’s POV: I think the idea with referee Aubrey Edwards turning away was that Dustin actually pulled her out of his way, but it didn’t look very convincing. Perry going over was expected. I wish there was some explanation for Tony Khan allowing the man who first struck him to have a qualifying match.
Renee Paquette interviewed Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Orange Cassidy and asked how O’Reilly and Cassidy would function after facing one another on Saturday. O’Reilly said they are pros. Cassidy spoke about a few people having his back and then Willow Nightingale entered the picture. Briscoe delivered one of his vintage wild promos…
Rush made his entrance while his opponent was already inside the ring…
2. Rush vs. Donn Rusman. Rusman was introduced as being from Iowa. Rush did his usual by taking him to ringside and running him into the barricade and working him over with punches and kicks. Back inside the ring, Rush hit Rusman with Bull’s Horns and then pinned him.
Rush defeated Deonn Rusman in 1:30.
After the match, Rush grabbed a mic and then tormented Rusman, referring to him as weak like all Americans. Rush set up for his finisher again, but he stopped when he heard entrance music.
MJF made his entrance and ran to the ring where he traded forearms with Rush. Security ran in and then MJF and Rush stopped fighting long enough to fight off security while Christopher Daniels showed frustration at ringside. MJF and Rush started fighting again. Rush ran MJF into the ringside barricade. MJF threw Rush over the barricade and followed him into the crowd.
MJF brought Rush into the backstage area. Daniels followed them and called for help while MJF picked up Rush and drove him through a table. Rush picked up a trash bucket and threw it at MJF. Security and a group of wrestlers pulled MJF and Rush apart…
Excalibur announced MJF vs. Rush for the start of next week’s Dynamite and said there would be no commercial interruptions during their match. The broadcast team ran through the remainder of this show’s lineup and added Samoa Joe and Hook vs. The Premier Athletes. Footage aired from Collision of Joe and Hook beating up The Premier Athletes… [C]
Powell’s POV: I was surprised that MJF was not advertised for this show, but it made for a nice surprise when he showed up. MJF and Rush had a great brawl. I’m surprised they’re not saving their first may for pay-per-view, but it’s always possible that whatever they do next week will create the need for the pay-per-view match. Either way, it’s a great hook for next week’s show to open with MJF vs. Rush.
An ad for Collision listed previously advertised matches for Saturday’s show…
Powell’s POV: The Collision ad with specific matches listed is a nice upgrade over the generic Collision ad they typically run.
3. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Orange Cassidy vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Roderick Strong, and Kyle Fletcher (w/Trent Beretta, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett). Don Callis sat in on commentary. Cassidy performed an early springboard dive onto a big batch of wrestlers at ringside. Cassidy approached Beretta and they jawed at one another. Takeshita spun Cassidy around and dropped him with an elbow strike heading into a PIP break. [C]
Late in the match, Fletcher cut off Cassidy on the top rope and performed a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle. However, Briscoe tagged himself in before the move and hit Fletcher with Froggy Bow. Briscoe had the pin, but it was broken up. Briscoe set up for the Jay Driller, but Takeshita ran in and ended up hitting Briscoe with a knee strike. Fletcher performed a piledriver on Briscoe and then pinned him.
Konosuke Takeshita, Roderick Strong, and Kyle Fletcher beat Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Orange Cassidy in 13:05.
After the match, Beretta threw punches at Cassidy while Takeshita and Fletcher worked over Briscoe. Taven and Bennett blocked O’Reilly from helping his teammates.
Willow Nightingale’s entrance music played, but she was tossed onto the stage by Kris Statlander. Stokely Hathaway came out with a mic and told Willow to wake up. Hathaway said he tried. He told Willow that the next time Willow got involved in Statlander’s business, they would be dragging her to the ER…
Excalibur hyped the Samoa Joe and Hook vs. Premier Athletes match for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: The screen went black for a half-second a few times during the match. It happened once earlier in the show. I’m not sure if it’s just my feed or a network issue. Anyway, this was all action. I didn’t even try to keep up with all of it. Get used to it. There’s probably very little chance I’ll be able to keep up with the main event.
[Hour Two] Renee Paquette spoke while Rey Fenix warmed up behind her. Paquette said she spoke with Fenix, who said he knows how good Ospreay is…
A Shingo Takagi video package aired and he said he is ready for the Owen Hart Foundation tournament…
A bearded Christopher Daniels stood backstage and said he had news regarding The Elite. Daniels said Tony Khan decided that The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada will be in eliminator matches next week. He added that no one will be allowed at ringside in either match…
Powell’s POV: If nothing else, the beard helps Daniels look less like fellow middle management character Adam Pearce. Takagi working the Owen Hart tournament is a welcome development.
The Premier Athletes were making their entrance while Samoa Joe and Hook were shown having a chat as they were backstage. Joe and Hook attacked the Premier Athletes on the stage and then brought them to the ring…
4. Samoa Joe and Hook vs. “The Premier Athletes” Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling). Joe threw Nese inside the ring and joined him, then the referee rewarded the pre-match attack by calling for the bell to start the match. Sterling tried to trip Hook. Katsuyori Shibata showed up and the production crew missed whatever Shibata did to Sterling. Joe caught Nese in a sleeper, then Hook put Daivari in Redrum and got the submission win. Meanwhile, Shibata had Sterling in a sleeper at ringside…
Samoa Joe and Hook beat “The Premier Athletes” Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese in 2:30.
Powell’s POV: Quick and painless. I didn’t catch everything Joe and Hook were chatting about, but it was along lines of the bit they did on Saturday where they were having a trivial conversation and then flipped the switch and attacked the Premier Athletes, which I got a kick out of.
A Stephanie Vaquer video package aired and she said she would become the first person to hold the TBS Championship and New Japan Strong Women’s Championship simultaneously…
5. Mercedes Mone vs. Zeuxis for the TBS Championship. Both entrances were televised. Zeuxis caught Mone with a big kick early. Mone came right back and pulled Zeuxis to the floor and then took her down with an arm drag. Zeuxis returned to the ring first and caught Mone with a kick through the ropes. Zeuxis hit a suicide dive and then tore a fan’s sign in half for heat going into a PIP break. [C]
After some back and forth action, Mone performed a meteora off the ropes and acted surprised when she didn’t get the three count. Zeuxis came back with a lung blower for a near fall. Mone avoided a moonsault. Mone hit her Moneymaker finisher and scored the pin…
Mercedes Mone defeated Zeuxis in 10:00 to retain the TBS Championship.
Powell’s POV: The outcome was never in question, but it was a good match.
A Mina Shirakawa video package aired and focused on her relationship with Mariah May, who also spoke…
Renee Paquette interviewed Toni Storm, who was accompanied by Mariah May and Luther. Paquette noted that Shirakawa and May are close. May thanked Storm for getting her in the Owen Hart Cup tournament and said she wouldn’t let her down. May said Shirakawa wants to have a contract signing for her match with Storm. May said she would host it and make sure everyone is on the same page. Paquette informed Storm that she has a Rampage match against Alex Windsor…
Big Bill stood in the ring with the TV Time talkshow set. Bill said Chris Jericho taught him that it’s never too late to start learning and it’s never too late to start winning. Bill introduced Jericho, who made his entrance. Bryan Keith was also in the ring.
Jericho showed off his newest “Hi Guys!” t-shirt and claimed it was one of the fastest selling shirts in AEW history. Jericho teased throwing the shirt to the crowd and never did. He spoke about how he was eating corn backstage and then spoke about how to grow corn properly.
“Private Party” Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy were introduced as Jericho’s guests and they made their entrance to a flat reaction. Jericho said Private Party hasn’t been winning a lot of matches because their basics are not up to snuff. He said he didn’t know who trained Private Party, but the person wasn’t very good. Jericho said he was trained by Stu Hart and learned the basics.
Jericho said Private Party doesn’t even climb to the top rope properly. Kassidy asked Jericho to show them, then said some people might say Jericho is the Caitlin Clark of AEW. Jericho demonstrated how Owen Hart taught him how to climb to the top rope.
Quen said they had a lesson of their own and then Kassidy tripped Jericho. The Private Party duo cleared Bill and Keith from the ring and then Kassidy hit Jericho with an overshot swanton, and then Quen hit him with a nice shooting star press. Private Party fled the ring once Bill and Keith returned…
A video package spotlighted Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito, who will meet for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door… [C]
“Bullet Club Gold” members Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Juice Robinson delivered a backstage promo while standing with a Jay White cutout. They spoke about the one-year anniversary of AEW Collision and House of Black. Robinson challenged House of Black to a match…
Daniel Garcia made his entrance while his opponent was already inside the ring…
6. Daniel Garcia vs. Nick Comoroto (w/Jacoby Watts). Matt Menard sat in on commentary. Will Ospreay was shown watching the match on a backstage television. MJF was shown watching the match in another part of the backstage area. Garcia used his Red Cross finisher and scored the pin…
Daniel Garcia beat Nick Comoroto in 1:10.
Powell’s POV: A quick squash win for Garcia. The ring announcer never mentioned Watts, and I don’t believe the broadcast team ever acknowledged him. Weird. By the way, Dot Net Member Jerry from Illinois wrote to say that the glitches I mentioned earlier were also occurring on the TBS app. Fortunately, they haven’t had any issues since then.
Backstage, Paquette spoke with Ospreay and asked how he was holding up with all of his title matches. He said his body was feeling fine. He spoke of facing Rey Fenix and his match at Forbidden Door. Ospreay said he had a match and a contract to hand over… [C]
Pac delivered a promo in the backstage area. Pac spoke about taking loss after loss and failure after failure. He said it’s humiliating. He said he’s supposed to be a bastard, but he’s feels like a bitch. Pac said that ends now. Pac said he’s done with apathy and is angry again. Pac announced that he will enter and win the Owen Hart Cup tournament and then challenge for the AEW World Championship at All In at Wembley Stadium. Pac told Bullet Club Gold that Death Triangle has not forgotten what they did…
Powell’s POV: I forgot what Bullet Club Gold did to Death Triangle. Anyway, I like the idea of Pac entering the tournament. Pac talking about his desire to main event the Wembley show was believable. I wish he would have focused on that and no included the line about Bullet Club Gold, as it sent the message that he’s more of a trios guy than a singles threat these days.
Will Ospreay made his entrance and handed a contract to Prince Nana, who was standing next to AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland in the front row. Rey Fenix made his entrance…
7. Will Ospreay vs. Rey Fenix for the AEW International Championship. They cut to an early PIP break. [C] Excalibur announced matches for AEW Collision and then said Blood & Guts will be held on Wednesday, July 24 in Nashville, Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena. He also listed the Young Bucks vs. The Acclaimed as one of the eliminator matches for next week’s Dynamite.
Ospreay and Fenix fought for position on the top rope. Fenix performed a huracanrana, but Ospreay landed on his feet. Ospreay performed a tornado that Fenix blocked. Both men traded big kicks. Fenix ducked the Hidden Blade and then both men hit simultaneous kicks. Ospreay performed an Air Raid Crash for a two count before a PIP break. [C]
Schiavone noted that Alex Abrahantes was not with Fenix, then noted that he was injured a week earlier.
[Overrun] Schiavone acknowledged that they were in the overrun and encouraged viewers to stay with them. Ospreay hit an OsCutter for a near fall. Ospreay removed his elbow pad and set up for his finisher, but Fenix countered into a huracanrana and got a two count.
Fenix went for a rolling move and popped up into an elbow strike. Ospreay went up top and looked at Swerve Strickland, who stood up and looked back at him. Ospreay hit a top rope double stomp. Ospreay followed up with the Hidden Blade and scored the pin…
Will Ospreay defeated Rey Fenix in 15:15 for the AEW International Championship.
After the match, Swerve entered the ring while Nana stayed on the apron. Ospreay smiled and offer his hand. Swerve did not accept. Rather, Swerve said Ospreay still thinks it’s a damn game. Swerve asked Ospreay if he thinks he’s playing with him. Swerve held up his title and said it can change Ospreay’s life. Swerve told Ospreay that he can’t hold both worlds on his shoulders because he’s not smart enough.
Swerve used the belt to shove Ospreay, who then took the AEW World Championship belt away from him. Ospreay looked down at both title belts. Ospreay put the AEW International Title over one shoulder and then put the AEW World Championship over the other shoulder.
Swerve went face to face with Ospreay and then took the AEW World Championship from him. “You’re lucky we’re still friends,” Swerve told Ospreay. “Because anybody else would do this, I would put them in the grave.” Swerve and Nana left the ring while Ospreay smiled and then played to the crowd while Excalibur hyped AEW Collision and next week’s Dynamite. Ospreay pointed at the Forbidden Door sign while look at Swerve, who was on the entrance ramp…
Powell’s POV: A good match, though not the off the charts banger than one might expect from Ospreay and Fenix. The post match angle was better. Swerve made the segment feel tense and they are doing a good job of making the Forbidden Door main event feel big time.
Overall, this was a good episode that closed on a high note with the Forbidden Door main event hype. I was hoping for one more MJF and Rush brawl later in the show, but they did consistently push their match as opening next week’s show. I will be back later tonight with my 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 laughed when Nana tossed the shoes into the crowd. Just for once ESPN in Australia is showing Dynamite live.
“I’m surprised they’re not saving their first may for pay-per-view,”
Why? Why are you surprised that Tony Khan is a fucking moron who can’t get even the most basic elements of booking right?
I don’t think it’s a blunder to go with a big television match as long as it is properly promoted. They did a pretty good job of stressing that it opens next week’s show and will air commercial-free. It’s a nice match, but it’s not like they are giving away a PPV main event for no good reason. It just surprised me because I figured it was going to be a PPV match.
A wrestling booker would have a guy like Nick Comoroto squash a scrawny midget like Daniel Garcia in 2 minutes. Tiny Con does the exact opposite.
Hey what happened to Ricky Starks?
Starks recently said he has no idea why he’s not booked.
Here’s what Tony Khan said in a recent interview. “I think Ricky Starks is tremendous. I’d love to get him involved and back in AEW any time. He’s been a huge part of what we’ve done here, for about four out of the five years.”
As for your obvious follow-up question, I have no idea why Khan doesn’t book Starks if he wants to have him involved. Lots of speculation that Starks is WWE bound. For what it’s worth, that was the same speculation the last time Starks disappeared from AEW television. Starks is tight with Cody Rhodes, so I’m guessing he ends up in WWE/NXT eventually.
Thanks Jason! For a while AEW was pushing Starks hard as the “next Rock” so it seems weird he has been missing. Maybe you’re right he is leaving and they don’t want to give him time before he goes
We supposed to believe that the Bucks actually thought Swerve would join the Elite? I think they did all of that just to showcase their shoes.
How unimportant does the beatdown of TK look right now?
This show made more sense than usual, I’ll give it that.
Maybe they did it on another show, but did any of Okada, Ospreay, et al address MJF’s comments from lw, even a little bit? Top guys can’t be dragged by MJF to that degree and just pretend it didn’t happen.
I’ll agree it was less nonsensical than usual. Even the main event wasn’t the mind numbing spotfest that I expected. This might be the first Dynamite episode in a year or more that I’ve gotten to watch live and didn’t bail out on before it ended.