AEW Dynamite -June 19, 2024
by Doc Allen
Live from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia. WrestleTix estimates attendance at 4,167. Tony Shiavone, Excalibur, and Taz are on commentary.
MJF vs. Rush
Aggressive start, Rush trips, and MJF does the Jarrett strut. They exchange open hand slaps. MJF asks the fans to get louder for another slap, and pokes Rush's eyes instead. Rush gains control with a snug headbutt. Rush pauses to pose and MJF tackles him. Rush recovers with a tight chinlock. Snap German suplex and low dropkick by Rush gets 2. MJF dodges the Bulls Horns and comes back with a Spike DDT. MJF tweaks his knee but hits a piledriver anyway. MJF charges into Rush's belly to belly suplex against the buckles. MJF slips under his bad knee, Rush hits a piledriver but a cocky cover only gets 2. Rush repeatedly whips MJF into the barricades. He gets carried away smashing MJF's head against the rail and whips him with a production cable. MJF desperately hits a drop toe hold into a standing chair. Rush answers with a belly to belly suplex from the apron! Rush prepares another Bulls Horn, MJF blindsides him with a hard lariat to the chest. Spinebuster by MJF, followed by a Heatseeker! Brainbuster by MJF gets 3 on Rush at 14:19! MJF took a world class a$$-kicking here. Rather than using a banana peel finish, MJF was booked to claw his way back and earn a decisive victory. Awesome opener, ****.Winner: MJF
(What's left) of The Mogul Embassy appear on the big screen to lay out the next challenge to MJF.
Renee Paquette chats with the AEW All-Star team of Kyle O'Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, and Orange Cassidy. Mark has revenge and redemption on his mind. Jack Perry stops by to stare Mark down, who amusingly continues his promo once he's gone.
AEW International Champion Will Ospreay comes to the ring and he's mad over in Virginia. He's joined by AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) for an official confrontation days ahead of Forbidden Door. Ospreay reminds Swerve that he once held 3 different World titles from 3 different continents, so he's ready to carry the weight of two different worlds. Swerve thinks Ospreay needs Don Callis in order to win. Will sees ALL IN on the horizon and doesn't think Swerve is ready for the pressure. Swerve makes it personal by bringing up Will's family, they bump foreheads and talk a ton of trash, but no more violence.
The Don Callis Family kind of freak out backstage, but Don assures everyone that it's fine.
Zack Sabre Jr., Konosuke Takeshita, Roderick Strong, and ROH TV Champion Kyle Fletcher vs. AEW All-Stars (ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe, Kyle O'Reilly, Dante Martin, and Orange Cassidy)
Cassidy is aloof to fight ZSJ, so the others start fighting without him. The match breaks down immediately, Strong puts Kyle in a kneebar around the bottom rope. Cassidy sits down, but ZSJ puts him in an armbar, Mark leaps off the chair to splash Fletcher. Everyone gathers to catch Martin's somersault senton. Back from commercials, Cassidy gets a hot tag and cares enough to grapple with ZSJ. O'Reilly helps with a series of kicks, Strong takes him down with a backbreaker. Dante gets the next hot tag and hits a double rana! Dante runs wild, Fletcher takes a high crossbody for Takeshita. Fletcher helps Takeshita hit a bonkers avalanche powerbomb on poor Martin! Fans chant' This is awesome!” Back from MORE commercials, Briscoe gets the most recent hot tag and runs wild like an insane redneck should. Froggy elbow by Mark, leg drop by O'Reilly, high crossbody by Dante, and sloth elbow drop by Cassidy! Fans chant “This is awesome!” again. The match breaks down again with guys taking turns hitting drive-by finishers. The fans love the entire sequence, especially outside dives by Dante and Briscoe. ZSJ and Cassidy are left alone to trade rapid counters. Fletcher interrupts, Kyle and Cassidy work together to hit Total Elimination. Orange Punch on Roddy ends it at 16:34! Previewing numerous Forbidden Door matches with a red hot tag is a good way to go. I'd love to see Cassidy and O'Reilly try teaming on a regular basis, ***½.Winners: AEW All-Stars
Jack Perry attacks Briscoe on the ramp. Back in the ring, Cassidy sticks hands in pockets to send one more message to ZSJ.
Video promo with TBS Champion Mercedes Mone. She's been putting serious time in at the gym and isn't scared of Stephanie Vaquer.
Rush is sulking backstage when he's approached by Don Callis.
Eliminator Match:
AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Nicholas and Matthew Jackson) vs. The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster)
Kazuchika Okada cuts Caster's mic and pretends to feel bad about it. The Bucks ambush before the bell, but Bowens hits a back body drop on the ramp. Bell rings, The Acclaimed hit a tandem neckbreaker. They follow with Scissor Me Timbers. The evil Bucks take control just in time for some commercials. They return with Caster hitting a high crossbody on both Bucks. Bowens runs wild on a hot tag, but injures his hamstring after a Fame-asser. Matthew blasts a superkick for 2. The Bucks hit a draping Swanton Bomb on Bowens. Bowens blocks the EVP Trigger, but suffers a SUPERKICK PARTAY instead. Caster saves the match but takes a penalty kick to the face. Bowens blocks the Meltzer Driver but Matthew delivers a blind low blow. EVP Trigger but BOWENS KICKS OUT! Nicholas takes time to dive onto Caster. The Bucks hit a Doomsday Inverted DDT but BOWENS KICKS OUT AGAIN! Matthew misses a belt shot, Nicholas does too and smacks his brother. Bowens hits The Arrival, and Caster helps with the Mic Drop and The Acclaimed WIN at 10:18! And people say AEW doesn't tell stories. Good match that sets up an appealing title match, ***¼.Winners: The Acclaimed
Samoa Joe and Hook barge into the Premier Athlete's locker room, only to find a letter left for the "belligerent savages."" Basically, there'll be a tag team match on Collision.
Mariah May hosts the contract signing between AEW Women's Champion Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa. May expresses her love for both competitors, but Mina tells her to shut up. Mina accuses Toni of becoming soft. She's not just taking Toni's title, she's going to take Mariah back as well. Toni threatens to slap Mina's bloody t!ts off for speaking that way to Mariah. Tempers flare, but Saraya and Harley Cameron arrive to distract them from an Anna Jay sneak attack. The Outcasts prop up the table, but Toni runs wild with shoe attacks. Toni misses a hip attack on Saraya and puts herself through the table. Meanwhile, Mina and Mariah watch on helplessly on the stage. Lots of moving parts in this one, looks like Toni has her plate full after Forbidden Door.
Hype video for the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament, focusing on the big quarterfinal match between Pac and Claudio Castagnoli.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament:
Kris Statlander (with Stokely Hathaway) vs. Nyla Rose
I feel like I haven't seen Rose on Dynamite since they were still stuck in Daily's Place every week, which is a crying shame. Shiavone seems to feel the same way. Fans chant “Let's go, Nyla” as they lock up. Nyla forces Kris to retreat with a crossbody block. Kris takes control by knocking Rose from the buckles. Back from commercials, Rose smashes free from a chinlock. The fans get behind Nyla's comeback. Cannonball senton by Rose gets 2. Kris blocks the Beast Bomb and nails an ax kick for 2. Statlander misses a 450 splash, Nyla splashes her for 2. Kris hits a running boot and Tombstone Piledriver to win at 7:50. We lost a lot of this to commercials, but what we saw what very good, physical action. These two have way better chemistry now, **½.Winner: Kris Statlander
Stokely sneaks in a Justin Timberlake DWI joke before Willow Nightingale interrupts on the big screen. Willow is also in the Owen Hart Tournament and is on her way to whipping Statlander's a$$.
Last week on TV Time, Chris Jericho tried to recruit Private Party to the Learning Tree, but instead they kicked his a$$. Renee Paquette chats with Private Party about it. Chris Jericho interrupts to suggest that Private Party reject taking any piledriver from luchadors. This angle is much more fun with Private Party's involvement.
Daniel Garcia vs. Rhett Titus
Titus aggressively stomps Garcia in the buckles, but stops to dance. Garcia explodes into a shotgun dropkick, then a series of spinning neckbreakers. Garcia hits a guillotine choke Codebreaker to win at 1:01. Good squash.Winner: Daniel Garcia
The Mogul Embassy attack Garcia and Daddy Magic. MJF runs in for the save, using low blows as an equalizer against greater numbers. Brian Cage suplexes MJF, giving Hechicero a chance to tear his arm off. Will Ospreay makes an unexpected rescue, helping clear the ring until it's just him and MJF for a tense staredown. Fans chant “holy sh!t” and I think it's safe to say that Ospreay is becoming AEW World Champion at Forbidden Door. Will helps Garcia to his feet and shows him some respect while also reminding him that he's the International Champion.
Renee wants a word with MJF, but Brian Cage tries to get past security for a fight. Ospreay is more than willing to put his International title on the line on Collision.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament:
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Pac
Bryan Danielson joins commentary and seems to be in good spirits. Bell rings, Pac dropkicks the chest, then hits a missile dropkick. Claudio fights back with snug offense. Pac tweaks Claudio's back with a hard Irish whip to the barricade. Another missile dropkick by Pac, Claudio rolls away before taking a third one. Pop up uppercut by Claudio! Back from commercials, Pac fights from behind, side stepping Claudio to send him into the post. Pac delivers a flying rana from the apron, then a springboard moonsault! Claudio blocks another moonsault, so Pac hits a tornado DDT. Springboard elbow drop by Pac gets 2. Claudio wins a slugfest, but Pac hits a snap German suplex. Claudio blocks the Black Arrow and nails a brutal running uppercut for 2. Giant swing by Claudio, then a decapitation lariat for a good nearfall. Pac desperately applies a standing Brutalizer, Claudio reverses into a Sharpshooter! Pac almost gets the ropes, so Claudio switches to a crossface! They exchange rapid nearfalls until Pac scores a 3 count at 11:05! Just bell-to-bell excellence with no downtime, ***¾.Winner: Pac
Claudio won't shake Pac's hand, he also seems mad at Danielson.
Final Thoughts: Awesome episode of Dynamite, no misses, and a great example of why I've championed this promotion thus far.
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