***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
October 16, 2019, ALL ELITE WRESTLING (AEW) made its debut in Philadelphia at The Liacouras Center, in front of a sold-out crowd for the third episode of ALL ELITE WRESTLING DYNAMITE on the TNT Network!
Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
The card began with an AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament match. Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian (known as SCU) were scheduled to face the team of the Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent. SCU’s music hit, and as Daniels and Kazarian made their entrance, they were blindsided by Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr., the Lucha Bros. Christopher Daniels was nailed with a package-piledriver. Scorpio Sky came to the aid of his partners. It proved to be too little, too late, as Daniels was injured (later it was revealed by the AEW broadcast team that Daniels suffered a stinger). Daniels had to be stretchered backstage to the AEW medical staff. To avoid a forfeit and elimination from the tournament, on a moment’s notice Scorpio Sky replaced Daniels in the match.
The Best Friends didn’t waste anytime with their tandem offense, picking apart SCU, who were still rattled from the Lucha Bros. Chuck Taylor and Trent hit a stacked suplex on Kazarian, and were heavily dominating. Scorpio Sky (wearing only one sneaker and one sock, as he wasn’t originally scheduled for this match and wasn’t in his usual ring gear) was tagged in. Scorpio Sky hit a spectacular tope con hilo (losing his lone sneaker in the process). “He’s got no shoes!” chanted the hot crowd. Kazarian was tagged in, fighting on pure instinct and guts, until Best Friends hit their sole food maneuver, doing further damage to Kazarian’s injured back. Trent attempted to pile drive Kazarian on the ring apron, but Kazarian reversed it into a backdrop on the frame of the ring. SCU picked up the win after a power-bomb/leg drop combo. SCU will face the Dark Order next week!
Santana and Ortiz, two prominent members of AEW World Champion Chris Jericho’s “Inner Circle,” were out next to wrestle the team of John Silver and Alex Reynolds. Santana hit a diving back elbow on Silver and tagged in Ortiz. They were running roughshod over Silver and Reynolds. They quickly hit the Street Sweeper (flipping neck breaker/power-bomb combination) and won the match decisively.
AEW World Champion Chris Jericho appeared on the arena jumbotron and said his thugs, Santana and Ortiz, want to issue a challenge to Nick and Matt Jackson, the Young Bucks, for a tag team match on November 9th at FULL GEAR!
A video package aired hyping the main event of FULL GEAR, Cody vs. AEW World Champ Chris Jericho. It focused on Cody training, with Cody’s mother, Michelle, Brandi Rhodes and DDP, among others, offering insight into Cody’s current mindset. “History will be made and a legend will be born,” said Cody’s best friend, MJF.
Next was the first title defense of the AEW Women's World Championship, with Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., challenging Riho, the current champ. Britt Baker still had a black eye from being assaulted last week on DYNAMITE by Bea Priestly. The crowd was chanting for Riho as the bell rang. Britt Baker looked for her Lock Jaw finisher early in the match against Riho, who managed to get a rope break. Riho stomped both feet onto Baker’s abdomen, then followed-up with a running knee. Riho attempted a diving stomp off the top rope but Baker managed to evade her. Baker picked up the champ and hit a TKO, but Riho kicked out at two! Riho hit two roll-ups on Baker, but Baker stopped a third. Riho hit palm strikes on Baker and then a northern lights suplex. Riho hit diving foot stomps to the spine of Baker, but it wasn’t enough to finish her. Baker hit a ripcord elbow on Riho and attempted to apply Lock Jaw on Riho. The champ countered it with a roll-up pin for the victory. The two wrestlers shook hands as a sign of respect at the conclusion of their match.
In a first-round match-up in the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament, it was the Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt, replacing an injured Luchasaurus) versus the Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix). Stunt and Pentagon began the match for their respective teams, as Marko bit Pentagon’s fingers. Marko and Jungle Boy hit consecutive DDTs on the Lucha Bros. Pentagon and Fenix seemed a bit shocked at first, until Pentagon gained control with thrust kicks to Stunt and Jungle Boy. Fenix was tagged in and hit overhand chops to the Jurassic Express, “like a one-man wrecking crew,” as Jim Ross described them. Somehow Marko Stunt kicked out of a pump handle driver by Pentagon! Stunt’s feet were kicked out from under him by Pentagon’s devastating leg strikes. The pace of the match never slowed down, and neither did the punishment that Pentagon dished out. Marko was being mauled by the Lucha Bros. Marko hit a leg lariat on Pentagon, and tagged in Jungle Boy, who hit a reverse DDT on Pentagon. Then Jungle Boy landed a back-flipping knee strike, followed by a 450 splash from Marko, and then a standing shooting star press from Jungle Boy onto Pentagon. The Lucha Bros withstood the lightning quick offense sequences from the Jurassic Express, and put an end to the match with a package piledriver. Your winners and advancing to the next round: The Lucha Bros.
Our next match was “The Bastard” PAC and Jon Moxley vs. “Hangman” Adam Page and Kenny Omega. AEW Commentator Excalibur described Moxley as “maintaining a laser-like focus,” while the crowd erupted in cheers for Omega. Moxley mounted Omega with hammer fists to the head. PAC tagged himself in and managed a few strikes of his own on Omega. Moxley was tagged back in and kept Omega disoriented. Omega hit a suplex on Moxley and got a tag to Page. Page went over the top with a pescado to PAC, and then climbed the top rope for a cross-body to Moxley in the ring. Page hit a running high boot to Moxley, knocking him to the arena floor. Page climbed to the top rope but was distracted by PAC; Moxley took advantage of the opportunity and pushed Page, who plummeted to the edge of the ring. Moxley and PAC were functioning very effectively as a team. Moxley ducked under a buckshot lariat from Page, but Page was able to follow through with another lariat. Omega and PAC were both tagged in, and Omega hit a snapdragon suplex on Moxley and PAC. Page and Omega double-teamed PAC with dynamic tag combos, until Moxley made the save for his team. Omega hit the V Trigger knee on Moxley, but PAC hit a cutter over the top rope on Omega. Page flew to the outside and connected with PAC. Moxley and Omega slugged it out in the middle, the two going toe-to-toe with forearms (and even a head-butt from Moxley). Both went to the outside of the ring; Moxley returned with a barbed wire baseball bat, and Omega had a broom wrapped in barbed wire. Before Moxley could tee off on Omega, PAC, who warned Moxley that if he used the weapon, they’d be disqualified, stopped him. Moxley was furious at PAC, giving him the two-finger salute before walking out on his partner. This allowed for a two-on-one situation, with an abandoned PAC falling victim to the finishers of Omega and Page. PAC lost via pinfall.
The main event of the night was a Philadelphia Street Fight for the AEW World Championship, with Darby Allin vs. champ Chris Jericho. Darby Allin skateboarded down the ramp to the ring. Jericho was sporting his “pain maker” persona face paint tonight. Darby didn’t waste any time knocking Jericho off his feet and peppering him with strikes. Darby clotheslined Jericho out of the ring. Jericho cut him off with a kick to the sternum. Jericho whipped Darby chest-first into the turnbuckles. Jericho imposed his size advantage and turned Darby Allin inside out with a clothesline. Darby fought back to his feet, but Jericho threw him into the ring post, crashing onto the concrete floor. Jericho took a kendo stick to Allin’s back and abdomen. Darby went for the crucifix on Jericho and managed a two-count, followed up with an O’Connor roll on Jericho. Darby attempted the Fujiwara armbar on Jericho, but Jericho transitioned into the Lion Tamer. The champ hit the double knees on Darby, who grabbed the bottom rope to break the pinfall. Jericho hit Darby in the spine with a steel chair, yet Darby was able to hit a stunner on Jericho. The Lion Tamer was again applied to Darby, who refused to quit and grabbed the ropes. Jericho found gaffer’s tape under the ring and hogtied Darby’s wrists behind his back. Darby was defenseless as Jericho hit unprotected, closed fists on Darby. Somehow Darby hit a lionsault on Jericho. With his hands tied behind his back, Darby jumped off the top rope onto Jericho, and Jericho barely managed the kick out at two! Jericho power-bombed Darby onto a skateboard, but Darby Allin, relentless, was able to get up again! Allin went up top for the coffin drop, and while the referee was distracted, Jake Hager snuck down and walloped Darby. The Lion Tamer was applied by Jericho again, and this time, it was enough to defeat Darby. Jericho’s “Inner Circle” came down to celebrate with “a little bit of the bubbly,” popping champagne bottles and drinking in the victory.
We’ll catch you next week from The Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA!