12/21 AEW DYNAMITE TV RESULTS: Keller’s report on Hayter vs. Shida, Elite vs. Death Triangle, Swerve-Lee meeting

By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor


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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
DECEMBER 21, 2022
SAN ANTONIO, TEX. AT FREEMAN COLISEUM
AIRED LIVE ON TBS

Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone


[HOUR ONE]

-The Dynamite opening aired.

-Excalibur introduced the show as clips aired of Bryan Danielson chasing MJF last week. He said MJF will be on the show and Danielson will speak.

-Ricky Starks made his ring entrance. They showed a fan striking Starks’s pose in the front row. Fans chanted “Ricky! Ricky!” He said it’d be really nice if he were standing there as AEW Champion, but he lost. He said that’s on him because he should have known better. “At least I lost as a man, whereas Maxwell won as a coward.” He said he was so close to beating him, so imagine what happens next time. He said there will be a next time between the two of them. He said it doesn’t mean this is the end of the road. “This is just the start,” he said. He said he’s willing to work his way back to the top. He said at the end of the day, he’ll be the man around there. Chris Jericho’s “Judas” started playing.

Jericho walked out with Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia following behind him. They showed a split-screen view of Action Andretti’s shocking upset victory last week over Jericho. Jericho said he’s been watching him a long time and he’s no dime-store version of anybody. He said he’s a million dollar talent and he guarantees he will be a world champion some day. He said he’s not quite ready yet, though. He said he doesn’t want him to be a flash in the pan. He said after talking things over with Danny and Sammy, he thinks he has everything it takes to be a big star in AEW. He said what he needs is some advice – from him. Fans began a “Sammy sucks!” chant. Jericho said if they say “Sammy sucks,” that means they are saying he sucks too, “and we don’t suck.” He said they want Starks to join the Jericho Appreciation Society. Taz said, “Whoa, what an opportunity!”

Starks reacted in a mocking way that he was flattered. He said Jericho just a few months ago was built like an air fryer, and now he’s shredded and dressing like a single father on his fifth divorce. He said the offer is very tempting to “join your little boy band,” his answer is “hell no.” He said he doesn’t want a leash around his neck. He said he lost last week to Action Andretti and his stock has dropped. He said the “J” in “J.A.S.” might as well stand for “Jobbers.” Fans popped. He called Garcia and Guevara “Jas-holes.” Fans began chanting “Jas-holes!”

Starks asked Garcia what Jericho has done for him since he joined. He said he couldn’t care less about Sammy. He said he won’t let Jericho suck the life out of him, but if he wants something to suck – at which point he began to pretend he was going to unzip. Jericho got bug-eyed. Starks said he understands his appetite might not be big enough tonight, but he proposed they wrestle one-on-one on the Jan. 4 Dynamite. Jericho told Starks that was the wrong answer. Hager jumped Starks from behind. Jericho, Garcia, and Guevara joined in a four-on-one beatdown. Action Andretti ran out for the save. He ducked a Jericho bat swing and then springboarded off the middle rope at him. He took out Garcia and Guevara and then played to the crowd. Andretti landed a split-legged moonsault on Jericho.

(Keller’s Analysis: Starting the show with Starks speaking about what happened last week was a smart move, as it sends the message he’s not “yesterday’s news” as it seemed could be the situation after Danielson ran out to start his feud with MJF. A feud with Jericho is a good foll0w-up to the MJF title match. The crowd is really with Starks.)

-The announcers hyped the Dynamite line-up.

(1) THE ELITE (Matt & Nick Jackson & Kenny Omega w/Brandon Cutler, Michael Nakazawa, Don Callis) vs. DEATH TRIANGLE (Pac & Rey Fenix & Penta el Zero Miedo w/Alex Abrahantes) – Fifth match in Best of Seven Series for the AEW Trios Titles

The Elite made their ring entrance first. Then Death Triangle. The bell rang 16 minutes into the show. Callis joined in on commentary. Excalibur talked about the comeback by the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors from a 3-1 deficit and said it’s nearly impossible to pull off. All six brawled at the start. Nakazawa got involved. The announcers pointed out it was no DQ. When Cutler tried to join the fight, Abrahantes blocked him. Cutler sprayed him with his body spray. As Omega celebrated some offense, Penta bashed him over his head with a metal trash can. Pac and Fenix held the trash can up against Omega as Penta landed a flying dropkick into him. Schiavone said it’s a good thing it’s no DQ because Death Triangle were going to use the hammer anyway. Fans chanted, “We want tables!” They cut to a split-screen break at 4:00 with Death Triangle in control and celebrating at ringside. [c/ss]

Tables were set up at ringside. Death Triangle focused on Omega’s ankle. A Christmas tree was in the ring at this point. Omega came back with a second rope moonsault onto Pac using the trash can as a weapon which led to a two count. Omega pulled a barbed wire wrapped broom out from under the ring. He whacked Fenix with it. It got stuck in trunks. Omega then smashed him with it. He followed with a bulldog on the broom. The Bucks laid out Pac and Penta on tables at ringside. Then they leaped off the top rope and drove them through the tables. Back in the ring, Omega covered Fenix for a near fall. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Abrahantes grabbed Omega’s legs as he was setting up the BTE Trigger. Pac then kicked Omega. Fenix charged at Omega, but Omega countered with a V-Trigger. Fenix landed a huracanrana for a dramatic near fall. Abrahantes handed Fenix the hammer, and he paused briefly before hitting Omega with it leading to a near fall. Pac put Omega in the Brutalizer and choked him with a wire. Fenix also locked Nick in a leglock. Penta blocked Matt from breaking up the Brutalizer.

Omega caught Fenix with a snap dragon suplex, and then continued to sell a mouth injury from the hammer shot. Matt and Nick landed a double-team piledriver onto a chair for the win.

WINNERS: The Elite in 15:00 to close the gap in the series to 2-3.

-After the match, Death Triangle attacked The Elite. Pac bloodied Matt with the hammer. Pac’s abdomen was covered in Matt’s blood. The beating went on as Excalibur cut to a clip from last week of MJF yelling angrily about Danielson trying to attack him from behind during his celebration. He called him a prick and said he’s a nobody to him. He said it should have been his moment, but “you had to stick your hipster little nose in it.” He said he’s a worthless scumbag. He said everybody wants to ride his wave in the company and eat off of his plate, but Danielson will eat less than he desires and more than he deserves.

(Keller’s Analysis: I am forever a fan of the post-match sweaty hyped-up backstage promos like that.) [c]

-Tony Schiavone interviewed Action Andretti about his win over Jericho last week. He said some are saying it’s the biggest upset of the decade. He said he’s received so much support from AEW fans all week. He said they were frustrated and angry and decided to take it out on Starks. Matt Mendard and Angelo Parker entered the scene and said he’s on a hot streak and some would even say he’s on fire. From the other side, Jericho threw a fireball in his face. Jericho punched away at him.

-Renee Paquette introduced Danielson from mid-ring. Danielson made his ring entrance. She said this is the first time they’ve heard from him since his mentor William Regal was brutally attacked by MJF. She said they were really close. She asked about the status of the Blackpool Combat Club. He said he doesn’t expect the BBC to forgive Regal because he’s done some pretty bad things.

He said he first trained to wrestle in San Antonio, Tex. Fans cheered. He said his first match was 15 minutes up the road at Far West Rodeo. He said Rudy Boy Gonzales and Shawn Michaels trained him. Fans chanted, “HBK!” He said the man who turned him into the wrestler he is today was Regal. He said he turned him into the person he is today, too. He said Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley don’t have the same relationship with him, but he said when he was by his side at the hospital and unsure if he’d talk to him again, he cried. He said Regal has meant so much to the entire industry. Some fans tried to start a “Yes!” chant, but it didn’t catch on. Danielson said he loved having Regal in AEW. He said Regal taught him there are consequences to actions. He said MJF will learn that. He said he has listened to every word he has said. He said he loves Regal more than anyone on Earth other than his family, and he will pay. He called him to the ring. Instead, “All Ego” Ethan Page made his entrance, accompanied by Stokely Hathaway.

Ethan said he made it all the way to the finals of the Title Eliminator Tournament and near the end of the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal. He said if he had faced MJF, he’d be the AEW World Champion. He said for some reason, “vegetable man” thinks he can jump ahead in line. Hathaway said Danielson should go home and shop at Trader Joe’s (which has a surprisingly weak vegan selection) and get his probiotics and cauliflower Cheetos.

Danielson said the glare coming off his head is distracting and he asked him to grow some hair. He said between that and fans telling him to shut up, he wasn’t sure what he said. He asked if he called him “vegetable man.” Hathaway said, “You raggedy bitch.” Ethan said he didn’t call him “vegetable man” because of his way of life and what he eats. He said if he thinks he’s jumping ahead of him in line, he will turn him into a vegetable. Danielson said that sounded like a threat. He told him to try turning him into a vegetable “right here, right now in San Antonio, Texas.” Fans popped. Ethan said he’d rather do it next week. Fans booed. They showed MJF smiling and watching backstage.

-The announcers hyped the $300,000 Three Kings Christmas Casino Trios Royale on Rampage this Friday. They listed the trios teams involved.

-A clip aired of the Jon Moxley-Hangman Page pullapart brawl last week. Then Mox cut a backstage promo about the battle royal on Rampage on Friday. He said he and Hangman can keep their grudge going as long as Hangman wants before they settle it. “Then again, what is there to settle,” he said. “You got knocked out. What did you think was going to happen when you signed on to wrestle me.” He said he’s tired of hearing about the “accident” and “the thing that wasn’t supposed to happen.” He asked what did he think he was trying to do with the clothesline. He said he wasn’t trying to comb his hair. “It ain’t my problem that you’ve got a glass jaw. That just makes me good at my job. I ain’t the bad guy here.” He told Hangman not to be one of those “play wrestlers.” He shifted to darius Martin and called him injury prone. He asked if that’s his fault too. He said he has to teach Darius a hard lesson tonight.

(Keller’s Analysis: Great stuff. I’m glad Mox pointed out what we’ve been saying for weeks, which is that Hangman has nothing to be upset with him about.) [c]

-A soundbite aired with Samoa Joe who called himself the one true king of television. He told Wardlow that he is not going to be having a happy new year. He said he’s going to give Wardlow exactly what he has coming. He said on Dec. 28, all the holiday cheer ends.

(2) HOOK vs. EXODUS PRIME

Schiavone noted Hook’s record is 16-0. Excalibur said some are calling him the Rookie of the Year. The announcers talked about the alliance between Hook and “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry that was established last week. Hook dominated and hit a German suplex and a clothesline, then strutted around the ring. He followed with forearms and the Red Rum for the tapout win.

WINNER: Hook in 1:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good to see Hook get a TV win on Dynamite.)

-They jarringly cut away from Hook’s celebration to show Hathaway gloating as Big Bill chokeslammed Perry into a trash bin backstage. Hook made his way to the back.

-Moxley’s ring entrance took place. [c/ss]

[HOUR TWO]

(3) JON MOXLEY (w/Claudio) vs. DARIUS MARTIN (w/Dante Martin)

Mox slapped Darius a minute in. Darius swept Moxley in response and then landed a dropkick. Mox rolled to ringside to regroup. Claudio talked to him briefly. Moxley took it to Darius at ringside. He turned to Dante, which gave Darius a chance to catch him by surprise with a dive. Back in the ring, Mox knocked Darius off the top rope. Dante gave Darius a pep talk as Darius was down at ringside. Darius beat the ten count when he rolled back into the ring. Mox controlled the action for a few minutes. He body-stomped Darius and then applied a chinlock. He finished him with a Death Rider.

WINNER: Moxley in 9:00.

(Keller’s Analysis: I’m curious if this was setting up something between Mox and the Martins, perhaps on Friday.)

-A vignette previewed the Women’s Title match later. [c]

-A vignette aired on Powerhouse Hobbs who talked about what monsters did to him when he was a kid on the streets, but he said they created a monster themselves. He said he’s going to spill everyone else’s blood in the next chapter of The Book of Hobbs.

(4) AUSTIN & COLTEN GUNN vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)

As the Gunns came out, a split screen showed snippets of the backstory between these two teams. They cut to a split-screen break at 2:00. [c]

The Gunns took control at ringside. Austin set up a stuff piledriver off the ringside steps on Dax, but Cash made the save. Back in the ring, Austin set up a superkick, but he stopped short and the did the crotch chop. Cash leaped at Colten at ringside, but Colten side-stepped him so Cash crashed into the ringside barricade. In the ring, Dax and Austin were both down and slow to get up from their battle. Austin pinned Dax with a roll-up with help from Colten at ringside. Excalibur said FTR were on a three match skid now.

WINNERS: Austin & Colten Gunn in 9:00.

-A video aired with Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, and Satnum Singh doing a mock rap with Dutt on vocals.

-They went to Excalibur and Taz at ringside. Taz said that was awkward rapping from Dutt.

-Schiavone stood in the ring with Rick Ross, a “Hip Hop Mogul.” Keith Lee made his enterance. Ross said they’re there to make history with some big business to discuss. He then introduced Swerve Strickland, calling him “a young legend.” He told Lee he’s a big “mother f—cker.” (Did he just say that live on TV?) When Swerve didn’t come out right away, Lee got impatient. Ross said he should give the legend some time.

Swerve walked out and said he is going to start doing thing his way. He said that he and Lee should own everything. He said he can’t deal with all the accusations. Ross interjected they don’t want to put up with false accusations. Swerve said Lee can’t keep his eye on the ball or his health. “Honestly, you need to keep your eyes in the back of your head from now on.” Ross pointed at the back of Lee’s head. Parker Boudreaux attacked Lee from behind. Lee knocked him out of the ring and then turned back to Swerve. When Lee walked toward Swerve in the aisle, another guy attacked Lee. The announcers wondered who it was. Ross said it’s a Mogul Affiliate. Boudreaux hit Lee from behind with a chair. They double-teamed Lee as Swerve watched with a look of satisfaction from the stage. Ross said, “It’s time to make history.” They put Lee on the ringside steps and then put a cinder block on his chest. Swerve then leaped off the top rope and stomped the block into pieces on Lee’s chest. Ross said he might need some attention.

(Keller’s Analysis: That played like a half-speed walk through at dress rehearsal early in the process of trying to get their timing right. This was a slog to watch and yet everyone involved seemed self-satisfied with how it was going.) [c]

-A promo aired with Dark Order and Hangman Page about Friday’s battle royal.

(5) JAMIE HAYTER (w/Britt Baker) vs. HIKARU SHIDA – AEW Women’s Title match

Justin Roberts did formal ring introductions. They cut to a break with Shida in control at ringside several minutes in. [c/ss]

Back from the break, Shida was still in control as Baker grew concerned at ringside. They cut to a second split-screen break. [c/ss]

Back from the break, Schiavone called it perhaps the hardest hitting women’s world title match he’s ever seen. Shida rallied with a knee and scored a near fall. Hayter came back with a running sliding lariat for a near fall. As Rebel distracted the ref, Baker tried to interfere with a kendo stick. Shida fended her off and hit her with the stick as the ref took a ridiculously long time yelling at Rebel. The crowd chanted “This is awesome” and then stood and cheered for near falls. Excalibur called it “an absolute barn burner.” Hayter landed a ripcord clothesline for the win. Schiavone said they’ll remember this for a long time. Excalibur said it took three of Hayter’s best shots to take Shida down.

WINNER: Hayter in 16:00 to retain the AEW Women’s Title.

(Keller’s Analysis: Really good match. They earned the crowd reaction they got as the match progressed.)

-When the heel trio attacked Hayter after the match, Toni Storm charged out for the save. She was soon beaten down by the three heels. Sarayah ran out to clear the ring of the heels as her music played.

-Excalbur snuck in a final plug for Rampage including Jarrett & Lethal vs. The Acclaimed.

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