***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Tonight’s raucous episode of AEW DYNAMITE was broadcast live from the H.E.B. Center in Austin, TX!
Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Jim Ross were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
The opening contest was Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page, the AEW World Tag Team Champions, against the #1 ranked challengers, SCU (Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, accompanied by “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels). The belts were at stake!
Before the bell rang, the Dark Order appeared on the screen atop the entrance ramp and said the Exalted One was coming soon! Chris Daniels told SCU he’d go to the back, leaving ringside to investigate whatever Dark Order may be planning.
Omega isolated Frankie’s shoulder with Steamboat-esque arm drag takeovers. Scorpio Sky kicked Omega in the back with a cheap shot. Omega was rolled up by Frankie for a two count! SCU were vicious tonight, showing a bit of a mean streak. Scorpio Sky hit a beautiful flat liner on Omega. They went for SCU Later but Page ran in to prevent it.
Omega took down Sky with a hurracanrana, then a shotgun drop kick to Frankie, knocking him to the outside. Sky interfered again, but Omega took out both members of SCU as he hurled himself over the top rope to the outside!
Omega hit a fishermen’s buster on Sky for a near fall, and then tagged in Page. Sky was tossed back with a fall away slam from Page. Kazarian knocked “Hangman” off the top rope, and then muscled Omega into the corner turnbuckles.
“It’s almost a back-to-basics approach from SCU,” said Excalibur.
SCU racked up a number of timely, quick tags, and worked over Omega’s lower back. Frankie hit a low cross body on Omega, and then applied body scissors. Omega found the fighting spirit deep down inside and powered up to his feet, trying to make the tag. Page wasn’t available, tending to his own injury. Finally Omega found “Hangman” for the tag, who worked as a one-man wrecking crew on SCU! Page was connecting with consecutive running clotheslines in opposite sides of the ring to SCU!
Page went for the Buckshot Lariat, but Kazarian got out of the way. SCU used a swinging assisted DDT for a very near fall on Page! Kazarian hit a cutter on Omega, and SCU had the champs in stereo submission holds, but Omega was able to knock him and his partner free.
Omega used the V-trigger, and then a snapdragon suplex on Kazarian. Page powerbombed Kazarian, and then they finished things off with the Buckshot Lariat-V-Trigger combo on Kazarian for the pin!
Page celebrated in what has become typical Page fashion as of late…by downing some frosty beverages from the fans at ringside.
Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, and the Dark Order surrounded SCU in the ring! Chuck Taylor and Trent, the Best Friends, ran down to the defense of SCU. The Butcher, the Blade, and the Bunny, and then The Hybrid2 (Angelico and Jack Evans) surrounded SCU and the Best Friends, to even up the odds with the Dark Order.
The Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson, sprinted down to the ring and dished out super kicks and dropkicks, clearing the ring of TH2 and the Butcher and the Blade! The Dark Order retreated from the chaos. Orange Cassidy joined his Best Friends and the Young Bucks and they hugged it out.
An interview was played that had been conducted earlier in an empty arena, where Jim Ross talked to Santana, who promised Jon Moxley that he would learn what it’s like to live in the dark permanently when Santana gets his revenge.
This was followed by “the Natural” Dustin Rhodes vs. “the Spanish God” Sammy Guevara (with Jake Hager)!
Rhodes got a great ovation from his hometown crowd. Sammy immediately darted to the outside as Dustin charged for him. Hager tried to distract Dustin as Sammy came back in from the opposite side, but it didn’t work—Dustin clobbered Sammy with a thrust to the throat! Sammy tried to run, but Dustin was more than willing to take the fistfight to the outside of the ring.
Sammy tried for a springboard but Dustin caught him and dropped him face first. “A really good veteran counter,” said Jim Ross. Dustin hit two lariats on the 26-year old Guevara, and then a power slam. The crowd chanted “You still got it!”
Dustin climbed to the top rope and was distracted by Hager. Sammy took advantage of the opportunity and hit a GTS on Dustin for a two count! They went back to the top, and Dustin rocked Sammy with the Canadian Destroyer! Dustin got the three count after the Final Reckoning!
Hager was helping Sammy to the back. Dustin grabbed the microphone and said, “Hey, turn around!” He pointed to Hager and said, “You broke my arm and I want a piece of you at REVOLUTION!” Hager started to return to the ring, but Sammy talked him out of it…for now.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Dr. Britt Baker at the top of the entrance ramp. Baker said she knocked out Yuka Sakazaki’s tooth last week, because the tooth needed to come out…“and I extracted it for free!”
Schiavone asked Baker for her insight into the match scheduled for later in the evening with AEW Women’s Champion RIHO defending against “the Native Beast” Nyla Rose. Baker replied: “Nyla Rose and RIHO are still number two compared to me! I am a role model. I have three degrees. I was the first woman signed to All Elite Wrestling. This is my division! What I did last week was a statement!”
The AEW Women’s World Title was on the line as champion RIHO wrestled the #1 ranked challenger, “the Native Beast” Nyla Rose!
“She believes tonight is her night,” Excalibur said of Nyla Rose.
RIHO ran into Nyla’s corner, and Nyla swatted her to the mat. RIHO tried for a dropkick, and again, Nyla batted her away. RIHO sprung off the top to the outside, but Nyla caught her with a massive backbreaker.
Nyla pulled a table out from beneath the ring. As Nyla was setting it up, RIHO ran right across the table’s surface and stomped on the “Native Beast!” RIHO’s offensive attack was short lived; Nyla gave RIHO a double-axe handle for her troubles, then began to stomp on her. Nyla tried for a choke slam but RIHO escaped with a crucifix bomb!
RIHO hit a low dropkick on Nyla, but Nyla kicked out at two! Nyla used a Samoan drop on RIHO for her own two count! Nyla propped RIHO across the middle of the top rope, and then took flight and dropped her knee across RIHO’s back! Somehow RIHO found the intestinal fortitude to lift her shoulder at two!
Nyla bit the face of RIHO and then blasted RIHO with an avalanche death valley driver. Again RIHO found the will to kick out!
The crowd was chanting RIHO’s name! Nyla tried to get the One-Winged Angel on RIHO, but RIHO fought out of it and nailed two snapdragon suplexes. RIHO used a Northern Lights suplex, but it wasn’t enough to finish Nyla. RIHO hit the foot stomps from the top rope three consecutive times, but Nyla kept kicking out! Nyla ran into RIHO with a spear and then powerbombed her for the victory!
And new AEW Women’s World Champion…“the Native Beast” Nyla Rose!
Lexi was backstage interviewing Jericho and the Inner Circle. Jericho said he had big news for Moxley next week. “I scoured the globe, Mox, looking for a bounty hunter to tear you apart, limb by limb. If you’re lucky enough to survive Santana tonight, next week Jeff Cobb will give you a tour of the islands! I always thought I’d see you in the Inner Circle, Mox, but next week…I’ll see you in hell!”
Brandi Rhodes joined the commentary team to watch the next match, which was Jungle Boy (with Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt) vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (accompanied by Wardlow)!
MJF and Jungle Boy grappled in the center of the ring, exchanging holds and counters. Jungle Boy knocked MJF right off his feet with a swift push. Jungle Boy was lighting up MJF with chops and then an arm drag from off the top! MJF was infuriated, pulling Jungle Boy by the hair to the outside. MJF whipped Jungle Boy into the steel barricade, and then body slammed him to the arena floor!
Jungle Boy turned the tide with a back body drop and elbows to MJF! Jungle Boy fired up even more with a lariat, two tope suicidas and then a tope con hilo! Jungle Boy planted MJF for a two count! Jungle Boy tried to deadlift MJF but his injured back gave out on him. In the center of the ring, MJF applied a deep submission on Jungle Boy, but somehow Jungle Boy escaped it!
Jungle Boy used a running Liger bomb on MJF for a two count! As the referee was distracted, Wardlow gave MJF his Dynamite Diamond Ring, and MJF caught Jungle Boy with the loaded fist! MJF pinned Jungle Boy after connecting with the Double Cross!
Wardlow wanted to continue the beat down on Jungle Boy, but Jurassic Express ran down! Wardlow shot a menacing look to Luchasaurus, as he and MJF stormed to the back.
A highlight video aired of “the Bastard” PAC training in Newcastle for his match against Kenny Omega. “You know I’m the best. It haunts you! You have two weeks Kenny and then I get my rubber match. Aren’t you a lucky, lucky bastard?!”
It was time for the night’s main event—Jon Moxley (the #1 ranked challenger for the AEW World Championship currently held by Chris Jericho) against the Inner Circle’s Santana (accompanied by Ortiz)!
Le Champion Chris Jericho watched from his private skybox in the arena, along with Jake Hager and Sammy G. The entire arena sang along to Fozzy’s “Judas”.
“It’s Biblical, J.R. It’s literally an eye for an eye!” said Excalibur.
The two men were brawling in the crowd before the bell rang. They slugged it out to the ring, but the action spilled back to the outside as Mox jumped off the top rope to the floor onto Santana!
Momentum shifted with Santana landing a running kick to Mox. Ortiz laughed and taunted Mox on the outside, yelling, “We’re the best! We’re the best!” Back in the ring, Santana continued to work over Mox’s blind side.
Moxley applied a Fujiwara arm bar onto Santana, and then a release German suplex! Santana rolled through with a cutter and an arrogant pin attempt. Santana then hit a stalling pile driver, but Mox mustered out!
“It’s a slobber knocker without a doubt,” said Jim Ross.
Santana went for the frog splash but Mox got his knees up!
Santana blocked a lariat and returned the favor with a thrust kick to his opponent. Mox connected with a brutal lariat of his own! Moxley headed to the top, but Ortiz, standing on the outside, spit alcohol from his flask into Mox’s good eye. Santana went back up for the frog splash and this time he found it! Mox escaped the pin at two!
Moxley dug his thumb into Santana’s bad eye, and then defeated Santana with the Paradigm Shift! Like a pack of rabid dogs, the Inner Circle descended upon Moxley, assaulting him with the mad ball, the heavyweight belt, and low blows.
“He’s defenseless! What else can they hit him with here?” asked Tony Schiavone.
Chris Jericho smashed Moxley with the Judas Effect elbow! Jericho called to the back. Jeff Cobb came down, answering Jericho’s command, and gave Mox a “Tour of the Islands” onto the mat!
Be sure to watch next week live on February 19th, as AEW DYNAMITE will be broadcasting on TNT from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA!