AEW Dynamite - June 14, 2023
by Doc Allen
Live from the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. Wrestletix estimates 5,147 fans in attendance. Our hosts are Tony Shiavone, Excalibur, and Taz.
AEW World Championship Eliminator Match:
Adam Cole vs. AEW World Champion MJF
The crowd hates MJF, so he stalls for time by going into the stands to slap some nerd. MJF overconfidently returns to the ring and Cole beats him down. MJF traps Cole in the ring skirt and slams his arm against the steps. MJF focuses on the injury arm until he showboats with the Showstopper pose, and Cole makes him pay with a superkick. MJF blocks Panama Sunrise, Cole blocks the Heatseeker, and MJF nails a double underhook shoulderbreaker. Cole returns the favor for 2. They tease stunt bumps on the ring frame until MJF dishes out a Tombstone Piledriver! Back from commercials, Cole seems too fatigued to go on. MJF's trash talk inspires a back and forth slugfest. MJF pokes the eyes, but Cole overtakes him with kicks, at least until MJF blasts a lariat to give them a breather (and standing ovation). Cole tries a crossface, MJF reverses into Salt of the Earth. Cole reverses into an ankle lock and drags MJF to center ring. MJF reverses into a crossface, but the fans' chants inspire Cole to get a rope break. Fans chant “This is awesome!” MJF scores a Heatseeker on his third try, but Cole kicks out. MJF gets desperate and hits a flying elbow through a table! This leads to a near countout win for MJF, who looks spooked when Cole beats the count. Cole looks wobbly but nails a straight jacket German suplex on the apron! Cole prepares Panama Sunrise, but MJF collapses to safety. MJF was kind of playing possum and lures Cole into a double stomp to the bad arm. MJF argues with the ref, Cole rolls him up, and MJF kicks him into the ref for a bump. MJF retrieves the AEW title and pulls the old Eddie Guerrero trick by tossing the belt at Cole and playing dead. The ref is still down, so Cole clocks MJF with the belt! Boom drop by Cole but the ref's slow count allows MJF to kick out at 2! Fans chant “fight forever!” Cole prepares another Boom Drop, but MJF collapses to safety again. MJF hits a blind low blow and slips on the Dynamite Diamond ring. The ref is wise to MJF's tricks, and Cole hits the Panama Sunrise! Boom Drop connects and Cole's cover is interrupted by the time limit expiring at 30:00 (well, 29:58 according to my stopwatch, but I'll allow it). Cole asks for 5 more minutes, but MJF opts to walk away. I figured this was going the distance once they were well past the 20 minute mark. My feelings were kind of lukewarm here, but they sure did have the crowd in the palms of their hands, ***¾.No Contest
.Renee Paquette hosts Sammy Guevara in the ring. He's been MIA since coming up short in the World Title match at Double or Nothing. Sammy is feeling high because his wife is expecting a baby girl, but he's feeling low from not winning the World title. He's got some tough decisions to make and gets surprisingly interrupted by Darby Allin. Darby thinks the fans are starting to love Sammy again, and wants to know if he's ready to stand on his own again away from the JAS. Chris Jericho angrily joins the party and grills Sammy for not asking him for help against MJF. Sammy thinks Jericho should have consulted him before losing to Adam Cole twice. Jericho demands an apology, but Sammy isn't apologizing for sh!t. Darby doesn't think Jericho is a wizard any longer because his magic is gone. Sting arrives for a staredown with Jericho, and they point their bats at one another. Jericho backs off, ending a really cool segment.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion SANADA issues an open challenge to anyone in AEW for the Forbidden Door PPV.
The Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage, Kaun, and Toa Liona, with Prince Nana) vs. Keith Lee (with Dustin Rhodes), International Champion Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, and Sting
Cassidy and Allin start the festivities with stereo dives, but Cage catches OC for a bear hug. Sting and Allin double team Stickland with Stinger Splashes and running Coffin Drops. Sting gets pulled outside and tossed into the steps while the Embassy takes over Darby to send us to commercials. They return with The Embassy continuing to pick Darby apart. Darby's stunner gives him space to make the hot tag to Lee, who runs wild through the Embassy with apparent ease. The Embassy answer with a messy Tower of Doom double stomp on Lee for 2. Cassidy helps out with a tornado DDT on Strickland. Cage blocks the Orange Punch and hits a TKO. The match breaks down with drive-by finishers left and right. This sequence goes on far longer than usual. Cassidy gives Cage an Orange Punch, allowing Sting to finish with the Scorpion Death Drop at 9:00. Pretty run of the mill tag until they all lost their minds with the breakdown, **¾.Winners: Sting, Darby Allin, Keith Lee, and Orange Cassidy
Renee Paquette interrupts the Gunn Club backstage. They deny having any relationship with Jay White and the Bullet Club, and would prefer to talk about their own greatness. They're the best brother tag team in AEW, and will prove it when they beat the over-the-hill Hardy Brothers next week.
TNT Championship:
Wardlow © (with Arn Anderson) vs. Jake Hager
Hager (still sporting his awesome purple bucket hat) ambushes Wardlow on the stage. Hager controls the pace with body shots. Wardlow comes back with quick clotheslines and a German suplex. Wardlow throws Hager out the ring and dishes out another clothesline on the floor. Back from commercials, Hager is working an ankle lock. Wardlow escapes and hits a spinebuster. 2point0 show up for the distraction, but Arn and Brock Anderson intercept. Hager still manages a throw for 2. Wardlow blocks the Hager Bomb and clotheslines Hager outside for a slingshot crossbody. Wardlow hits a Senton Bomb and Powerbomb Symphony to win at 7:12. Glorified squash by Wardlow, he gave Hager just enough offense to be polite, **.Winner and still TNT Champion: Wardlow
Christian Cage and Luchasaurus appear on the big screen but no one can hear them. The camera pans back to reveal that the duo has bloodied Arn, and Wardlow sprints to the rescue. Yawn.
Hiroshi Tanahashi challenges MJF to an AEW title match at the Forbidden Door PPV. Renee Paquette asks a weakened MJF about the challenge, and he brushes it off with a quick no, because Tanahashi is a "rando from a rinky dink indie fed from Japan."
Renee Paquette is standing by with Orange Cassidy. He needs an opponent for Forbidden Door, and whadya know, here's Zack Sabre Jr. to stir the pot. Daniel Garcia wants in on the action. Cassidy thinks they should fight him and Katsuyori Shibata on Dynamite next week.
AEW Women's Championship:
Toni Storm © (with Ruby Soho) vs. Skye Blue
There's some crazy online story about Skye once getting tossed out of her church for burning her house down or something. Sounds like a Russo angle from 1998. Storm charges in, but Skye is ready for her with clubbing offense. Sky takes a moment to kick a cardboard cutout of Saraya into Ruby's face and hits a crossbody on Storm for 2. Storm misses a hip attack and Skye hits one of her own. Storm sprays Skye's mom in the face, Skye makes a late rescue with a dive. Back from commercials, Skye mounts a comeback and hits a rana. Toni tosses Skye and takes time to hug Ruby (who slips a spray can). Skye has some spray of her own and blinds Storm for a superkick. Skye hits a powerbomb, but the ref is busy with Ruby. Skye superkicks Ruby from the apron, but Storm regroups for Storm Zero for only 2! Storm angrily locks on a Cloverleaf to win at 7:01. This was overbooked nonsense, but it was tons of fun, **¼.Winner and still AEW Women's Champion: Toni Storm
Willow Nightingale runs in to save Skye from a 2 on 1 beatdown. I smell a tag team match.
Renee Paquette is standing by with Jack Perry and Hook. Perry feels naked standing next to FTW Champion Hook with no title belt, so he's accepting SANADA's challenge for the Forbidden Door PPV. Perry wants Hook in his corner, since they're best friends and all.
Bryan Danielson makes himself at home on commentary.
Hype video for the first episode of Collision on Saturday. Juice Robinson and Jay White do the talking against FTR to build up their six man tag, featuring the return of CM Punk. Collision will also see the long awaited returns of Andrade El Idolo and Miro, which amusingly seems to confirm the speculation that this show is a soft roster split for the locker room malcontents .The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) vs. The Elite (Hangman Adam Page, Nick Jackson, and Matt Jackson)
Page and Moxley still hate each other's guts and get into fist fight. The Bucks help clear the BCC from the ring and hit quick dives. They drape Yuta for Page's SSP from the apron! Order is restored, and Moxley stomp a mudhole into Matt, who pops up for a surprise spear. Nick drops Mox with a high crossbody and then hits a facebuster. Claudio catches Nick for a popup uppercut at ringside! Moxley helps with a tope, but Matt takes them down with a high crossbody! Yuta pulls Matt from the apron for a German suplex, while Moxley piledrives Nick for 2. Back from commercials, Hangman gets a hot tag and unleashes his brand of Cowboy Sh!t on the BCC. Page buckle bombs Yuta into stereo enziguris from the Bucks. Matt tags for rolling Northern Lights on Yuta, and manages to suplex an interfering Moxley as well. Matt catapults Yuta into Hangman's double stomp. The match breaks down, Yuta nails Matt with a German for 2. Moxley gets a hot tag and throws Hangman into the steps before hitting Matt with a Doomsday Device. Moxley puts Matt into a rear naked choke, Hangman flies over Claudio to break it up. Claudio chokeslams Matt and tags in Yuta for the Rocket Launcher, but Matt got his knees up! The Bucks throw a SUPERKICK PARTAY! Hangman powerbombs Yuta, Bucks hit a BTE Trigger, and the Buckshot ends it at 12:01! Totally insane nonstop action that I sadly won't remember for very long, ***½. Winners: The EliteThe BCC regroup for a revenge beatdown. Eddie Kingston dramatically returns and attacks Claudio. Moxley isn't sure what to do, but Matt makes the decision for him with an ambush. Konosuke Takeshita runs in to remove Kingston and put a hurting on Nick Jackson. Kenny Omega runs in next to brawl with Takeshita, and the crowd goes wild. The Bucks help with superkicks, and Omega drops Takeshita with a snap Dragon. The Elite hit triple dives, leaving Omega to tease a finishing dive, but Will Ospreay ambushes with a superkick! Danielson has been chilling on commentary, having a grand old time, and gloats while Ospreay gives Omega a Stormbreaker.
Final Thoughts: Overall, a strong episode of Dynamite, with lots of productive segments and matches. The final run-in bonanza made me mark out a whole lot. Good show, check it out.
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