By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@jakebarnett)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 327)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, at BOK Center
Simulcast live January 7, 2026, on TBS and HBO Max
The show began with Excalibur and Tony Schiavone on commentary. In the ring, Justin Roberts introduced Jim Ross as the third man on commentary for the night. Excalibur advertised Sammy Guevara vs. Bandido, an MJF appearance, and a Willow Nightingale celebration. Backstage, Renee Paquette informed the crowd that JetSpeed would be unable to compete later. Ricochet and Don Callis appeared and gloated that their bounty was cashed in, and Jake Doyle (formerly Jake Something) appeared as the man who cashed in. Jack Perry will need to find two other partners.
Adam Page and Swerve Strickland vs. The Opps is the Main Event, but the opening match will be Jon Moxley vs. Shelton Benjamin. Jon Moxley made his ring entrance through the crowd. He was followed by Shelton Benjamin accompanied by MVP.
1. Jon Moxley vs. Shelton Benjamin: MVP joined in on commentary as an analyst. Shelton landed a couple of quick german suplex throws. Moxley bounced back quickly and traded strikes. Shelton forced Moxley to duck a kick, and he staggered back into the corner. They battled back and forth without anybody taking clear control, until Moxley sent Benjamin to the floor with a lariat. Moxley tossed Benjamin into the barricade, and Benjamin returned the favor seconds later. Benjamin sent Moxley over the barricade with a lariat and they battled into the stands.
They had a hockey fight in the stands until the referee forced Moxley back towards the ring. Benjamin leaped the barricade unconvincingly and landed a rather weak lariat. They battled at ringside and Benjamin was able to land a suplex throw on the floor. Moxley grabbed a wristlock and then tossed Benjamin into the ring steps. Despite not counting at all during the brawl in the stands, Benjamin was forced to answer a ten count. Both men were down after a double clothesline in the ring…[c]
My Take: It’s good to see JR back in the commentary booth, though having MVP out there as well makes the soundtrack a little crowded for the opening match.
Benjamin hopped onto the top rope and pulled Moxley down with a hip toss. Both guys traded holds. Shelton whiffed on a corkscrew kick, and Moxley followed up with a lariat, but couldn’t capitalize on it with a cover. Moxley went for a piledriver, but Shelton reversed and landed several German suplex throws in succession. The five minutes remaining warning was announced just as Moxley returned fire with a cutter. Moxley followed up with mounted punches in the corner, but Shelton managed to slip underneath him and land a powerbomb for a near fall.
Moxley was forced to reach the ropes as Benjamin applied a crossface type submission. Shelton followed up with a Paydirt a moment later for a close near fall. Both men battled on the turnbuckles. Moxley knocked Benjamin down and dove at him, but got nothing. Benjamin followed up with kick to Moxley’s bad leg, and a second one to the head for a near fall. Moxley replied with a Paradigm Shift for a close near fall. He followed up with a sleeper hold, and Shelton battled to his feet. They got tied up near the ropes with one minute remaining.
In frustration, Moxley dropped to a knee and Benjamin blasted him with a knee for another near fall. Benjamin locked in a triangle submission, but Moxley was able to stack him up for a three count.
Jon Moxley defeated Shelton Benjamin at 20:04 (They said 19:55 but they lied)
Moxley offered Shelton a handshake after the bell. A video showed Darby Allin skating backstage, and then we got some video highlights of Kazuchika Okada defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi in his retirement match…[c]
My Take: A solid opener that was paced a bit slower than your average AEW contest. They fibbed a bit on the timing but nobody else is counting but me.
The Demand made their entrance. Jack Perry followed, and then his substitute tag partners The Young Bucks.
2. Jack Perry and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, Toa Liona): The bell rang and chaos erupted immediately. Perry landed a moonsault on Kaun and Liona on the floor, and then he landed a spear on Ricochet in the ring. They then landed a triple dropkick on Ricochet and gloated to the crowd. The babyface team remained in control as Perry landed a DDT on Ricochet while The Bucks landed a double team senton on Bishop Kaun.
The Gates of Agony returned fire by slamming Ricochet repeatedly between the ring apron and the barricade. Toa Liona then used a running body block to send him into the timekeeper’s area. Ricochet and Kaun then took out the Young Bucks on the floor…[c]
Nick Jackson tagged into the match and landed a superkick on Kaun, followed by a twisting acrobatic arm drag on Ricochet. Matt Jackson entered the ring and The Bucks landed a double superkick and synchronized top rope attacks on the Gates of Agony. Nick landed a destroyer on Ricochet, followed by a coordinated double stomp into a powerbomb for a near fall.
Toa Liona managed to recover and stack up all three members of the babyface team for a Samoan drop. Kaun then tagged in and put Jack Perry on the top rope and landed a Superplex. Liona then followed up with a diving headbutt. Ricochet delivered a springboard 450 and covered for a close near fall. Perry recovered and delivered a nifty German suplex out of the corner. Kaun delivered a brainbuster, which pretty much got no sold by Perry.
Ricochet landed her Vertigo slam on Perry, but Matt Jackson broke up the fall. He then went for the Spirit Gun, but Perry avoided it and landed a Poisonrana. The Bucks and Perry fired off a month’s worth of Superkicks at the heels and then delivered a Doomsday Device to Ricochet. They followed up with a BTE Trigger and a running knee strike from Perry for the win.
Jack Perry and The Young Bucks defeated The Demand at 13:19
After the match, Mark Davis and Jake Doyle attacked Perry and The Young Bucks. Callis entered the ring and gloated during the attack, but Jet Speed ran down with weapons to break things up. The Lights went out, and when they came on Andrade was in the ring wearing his black mask. He delivered a DDT to Jack Perry and the Callis Family celebrated. FTR showed up on the stage to observer the chaos…[c]
My Take: An enjoyable match if you can reliably turn your brain off and let the spots wash over you. Andrade returning to AEW after sorting out his contract issues doesn’t feel like big business to me, particularly when they had him rejoin the Callis family on the same night as the debuting Jake Doyle. Seemed like too much crammed into the post match segment for anything to stand out as special.
Renee Paquette was in the ring, and invited Willow Nightingale out for her title celebration. She was joined by Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron.
Something weird happened with the ring lights as Willow started speaking. She was basically in the dark as she explained that she was on her Willow 2 Belts tour, and said it was important to celebrate with her friends. Willo called out Harley Cameron for having her back, and said she had been reunited with her TBS Championship and the incomparable Kris Statlander. She said she was going to celebrate with some food because she loves some cake, which started a cake chant, and then she loves the fight too.
Willow called out Mercedes to the ring, because she knew she would have something to say. She walked out in a mourning dress. Willow tried to gas her up by saying they had a lot to celebrate together. She listed off all of Mercedes’ many accomplishments in 2025 and said she had to dig deep to defeat her. Willow offered to cut her some cake and said they should have a good time. Mercedes flipped off her veil and started crashing out. She tried to attack Willow, who tripped her into the cake. Willow then delivered a powerbomb on top of the cake.
Willow, Harley, and Kris danced around while Mercedes was motionless on the cake in the ring. We then got some footage of Hechicero getting help from El Clon to defeat Kommander for a shot at Mark Briscoe’s TNT Title. Briscoe was then shown in a pre-taped promo. He congratulated Willow on her TBS title win, but said mentally he wasn’t doing so good. He had an itch that needs scratching, and it’s been too long since he whooped a man’s ass.
Briscoe said he knows Hechicero is a bad man, but he had peered into his crystal ball and said the TNT Title isn’t going anywhere. He concluded and said the phrase of the day is reign and defend. Briscoe will face Hechicero on Collision this Saturday. Backstage, Thekla accused Kris Statlander of being insecure about reuniting with Willow. The Triangle of Madness challenged Willow, Harley, and Kris to a trios match to a trios match next week on Dynamite.
In the arena, Sammy Guevara made his entrance for the next match. He was followed by Bandido.
3. Bandido vs. Sammy Guevara: Bandido offered a handshake, but Guevara flipped him the bird instead. The match spilled outside early on, where Guevara spit something in Bandido’s face. He then delivered a DDT on the floor…[c]
My Take: Willow did well in her first segment as TBS Champion, but I still think a strong heel challenger and some adversity will help a lot. The Triangle of Madness is unfortunately not that.
Guevara and Bandido traded lariats sprinting across the ring. Bandido landed a kick and a tornillo, followed by a one armed press slam. Guevara ended up on the floor again, where Bandido jumped over the top rope to deliver a big splash. Guevara came up with a bloody nose. He battled back into the match and delivered a shooting star press from the top rope to the floor as the crowd reminded him that he still sucked.
Bandido avoided a GTH, but Sammy was able to land a springboard cutter a moment later for a near fall. Bandido fired back with a pop up cutter, but Sammy once again avoided the 21 plex. Guevara delivered a suplex and covered for a near fall. Guevara taunted Bandido, but ate a knee strike for his trouble. Bandido followed up with the 21 plex and got the win.
Bandido defeated Sammy Guevara at 11:58
After the match, MJF made his entrance accompanied by his new hairline. MJF patronized Bandido and told the crowd to give it up for Bandido. He then reminded everyone that he sold out Arena Mexico and a former CMLL Champion, and said he was a bigger star in Mexico than Bandido will ever be. MJF then said he respected Bandido’s culture and his potential, so he brought out his personal translator Jonathan Cruz.
Cruz spoke to Bandido in Spanish, and repeated what MJF had just said in Spanish. MJF thanked him for coming to a dump like Oklahome to do his job, and reiterated that no one wanted to be there. He told Bandido that he hopes he’s smarter than he looks, and said he had six Dynamite Diamond Rings to his name. He said the ring on Bandido’s finger doesn’t belong to him, and asked him to hand it over and cancel the match next week since he doesn’t have a prayer against him.
He promised that he would put in a good word with Tony Khan and wrestle him on PPV in 5 or 10 years, and called it a great deal if he agreed to cancel the match. Cruz tried to speak again, but Bandido grabbed the microphone and said he spoke English, and called MJF a son of a bitch.
MJF kicked Bandido in the balls, and took his Dynamite Diamond ring. Cruz held Bandido for a punch, but Bandido ducked and MJF decked Cruz instead. Bandido then kicked MJF in the balls, and delivered a 21 plex to both Cruz and MJF. He then held up the AEW Title as the segment ended. Marina Shafir vs. Timeless Toni Storm is up next…[c]
My Take: Bandido and Guevara had a decent match, but it lacked suspense given the circumstances. The MJF and Bandido promo was fun, and I liked Bandido getting the upper hand given the obvious outcome of next week’s match. He needed a little something heading into next week.
Toni Storm made her ring entrance, followed by Marina Shafir.
4. Marina Shafir vs. Toni Storm: Shafir shot in and picked a leg on Storm to take her down. Storm recovered and delivered a few snap mares. Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia showed up and Storm told them to piss off. Shafir regained the advantage with a Uranage…[c]
Shafir landed a head kick and stacked up Storm for a two count. She then picked up Toni Storm and danced around with her, mocking her bit with Orange Cassidy. Storm broke free and tried to recover, but got leveled by a big kick. Storm landed an upkick and rolled up Shafir with her big package, but Wheeler Yuta pulled the referee from the ring. The ref called for the DQ.
Toni Storm defeated Marina Shafir by DQ at 8:01
After the match, Shafir knocked out Storm with a punch. Mina Shirakawa tried to make the save, but got knocked out as well. Orange Cassidy and Roderick strong eventually ran of the Death Riders. Claudio teased further confrontation, but it didn’t happen. Orange Cassidy picked up both Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa. Storm seemed to enjoy it where Mina was skeptical. The implied menage a trois jokes continue…[c]
My Take: That was the weakest match on the show, primarily because Marina Shafir continues to be very uneven in the ring. Some things look really good and others are simply unconvincing. Maybe the answer is simply being more choosy about her offense.
Pac was interviewed backstage by Renee Paquette. He said his relationship with Darby Allin is well established, he’s the winner and Darby is a loser. Darby showed up and demanded a match with him, and Pac told him to sod off. Darby ultimately attacked Pac and threatened to slam his ankle in a door if he didn’t give him the match, and Pac eventually relented. Darby fled when the rest of the Death Riders showed up.
In the arena, lights went off and on to signify the lights out match. Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook then made their ring entrances, followed by Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland. Hangmand and Swerve entered through the crowd.
5. Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook: The lights flickred and went out during the match, and they tried to follow the action with spotlights. I don’t believe this was intentional? Hobbs took a big chair swing at Swerve, but he moved and the chair hit the ring post. Hangman Page wrapped a chair around the head of Hobbs and tossed him into the ring post. Swerve delivered a Death Valley Driver on the apron to Hook. The lights finally came on over the ring.
Swerve delivered a chop to hook against the barricade on the floor. Hangman had a chain and wrapped it around his right fist. Hook fled from Hangman, and Hobbs popped up and blindsided Page with a body block. Hook caught Swerve attempting a kick and gave him a T-Bone suplex on the apron…[c]
Hangman fought off Hobbs and Hook with right hands. Hook eventually caught him and tossed him through the table in the corner with a suplex. He then grabbed a chair from ringside and wedged it in the corner. Hobbs picked up Hangman, but Page slipped out and shoved him into the chair. Swerve appeared with a stapler and handed it to Page, who used it several times on Hook. Hobbs clocked Page with a lariat to reset the action.
He then picked up Swerve, who used the stapler on him several times. Hangman returned and hit Hobbs with a piece of drywall, and then stapled Hobbs in the groin. Swerve and Hangman retrieved cinder blocks from underneath the ring. They placed the pallet of cinder blocks in the ring. Hook saw the blocks and bailed from the ring. Hobbs used a chair on the backs of both Swerve and Hangman. Nana prevented Hobbs from sandwiching Swerve’s head between a chair and the cinder blocks.
Swerve returned fire with the chair and climbed to the top rope. Hobbs caught Swerve and slammed him onto the Cinder Blocks. Hangman broke up the pinfall. Hook returned with the Hobbs dojo, who attacked Hangman with weapons and beat him down in the ring. Hobbs wrapped a chain around the necks of Swerve and Hangman in a figure eight pattern. Nana popped up on the apron and tossed his hot coffee into the face of Hobbs.
Hangman and Swerve freed themselves and beat down the Dojo Members. Hook suplexed Nana on the floor. Hobbs recovered, but blasted Hook by mistake. Hangman set up for a Buckshot Lariat, but Hobbs caught him with a spinebuster. Swerve dove on the Dojo members on the floor and broke up the fall. Hangman and Swerve performed an assisted Deadeye on the Cinder Blocks in a gnarly looking spot.
Hook tried to get involved again, but was shut down with a nasty headbutt. Hangman delivered a discus elbow with the chain wrapped around his arm. He then held Hook in position for Swerve to deliver a House Call. Hangman then delivered a Buckshot Lariat and hung Hook over the top rope with the chain and forced him to tap out.
Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland defeated Hook and Powerhouse Hobbs at 19:55
Swerve and Page celebrated as the show went off the air.
My Take: Most of that match was fine, but there’s so little protection for Hobbs in the Deadeye that I can’t see a good reason to use it on the cinder blocks. It was hard to tell if he hit his head but I don’t think it added enough to the match to justify it. There are a million ways to dispose of Hobbs in this format so Hangman can get his revenge on Hook. Overall, this was a middle of the road show for me. There was quite a bit to like, but it still doesn’t feel like many of the ongoing angles are super hot right now.
MJF and the translator getting themselves into position for the 21 Plex looked extremely silly.