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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
NOVEMBER 1, 2023
LOUISVILLE, KY. AT KFC YUM! CENTER
AIRED ON TBS
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a highlight package of “last week on Dynamite” (!!!) showing Bryan Danielson getting injured and grabbing his face in pain followed by Claudio Castagnoli vowing revenge against Orange Cassidy. Then a clip aired of MJF beating Kenny Omega on Collision with Jim Ross’s commentary touting the match’s importance.
-They went backstage to Renee Paquette interviewing MJF about his match tonight where, if he wins, Jay White says he’ll give him his belt back. She asked if he has found three partners to team up with given how many enemies he’s made. MJF showed he had a list in his hands, but then turned to a monitor to show Adam Cole, sporting a longish grey beard, who said he wishes he could be there for him because the whole world is gunning for him. Cole recommended he take up Samoa Joe on his offer. MJF said he’s not sure about that given what Joe has done to him, but he has to find three partners first. As MJF walked away, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett rolled Roderick Strong into the scene. Strong yelled “Adam! Adam!” He asked Cole if he’s seriously buying into MJF pretending he’s not the devil. The feed to Cole cut out and then the guy in the Devil mask appeared briefly.
(Keller’s Analysis: Formatting-wise, I loved this. They recapped key happenings on the prior two AEW TV shows and it built both the opening AEW International Title match and the eight-man tag main event featuring two wrestlers headlining the next AEW PPV. The specific content was also good, centered around MJF’s character still looking for partners, and Cole showing up again to keep that storyline undercurrent alive. This is a good use of TV time in the opening few minutes of Dynamite.)
-The Dynamite opening aired.
-Pryo blasted in the arena as Excalibur introduced the show. Spotlights shined on the crowd, but also clusters of empty seats in the lower deck, also.
(1) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. CLAUDO CASTAGNOLI (w/Wheeler Yuta) – AEW International Title match
Justin Roberts stood mid-ring and introduced the champion Cassidy first. The bell rang seven minutes into the hour. Excalibur brought up that there seemed to be tension between Wheeler Yuta and Hook last week during everything going on with Danielson. Taz acknowledged it, but said he didn’t know details. Claudio dominated with aggressive, stiff offense early. Graphics in the lower left corner of the screen listed other advertised matches and segments.
At 4:00 Claudio cut off a Cassidy comeback by catching him at ringside, pressing him above his head, and dropping him over the ringside barricade. When Yuta got in Cassidy’s face, Hook showed up. The ref ordered both of them to the back. Claudio carried Cassidy on his shoulders back to the ring and climbed the ropes. The announcers marveled at his strength. Cassidy slipped free and went for a powerbomb out of the corner, but Claudio blocked that and then powered Cassidy up and delivered a delay-drop vertical suplex. Claudio was slow to get up as Cassidy rolled to the floor. They cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
Claudio controlled the action during the break. Back from the break, they showed that backstage Yuta and Hook argued backstage after being booted from ringside. Security ejected Hook from the building for putting his hands on AEW official Pat Buck. Taz said you can’t lay hands on an official and acknowledged Hook has a temper.
Cassidy leaped off the ropes at Claudio, but Claudio caught him again. Cassidy turned it into a Stun Dog Millionaire. Claudio came right back with his giant swing. Claudio then applied a sharpshooter mid-ring. Claudio shifted into a different mat submission hold at 13:00. Cassidy leveraged Claudio’s shoulders down for a near fall. Claudio came right back with an uppercut for a near fall. Claudio lifted Cassidy by his waistband and applied a sleeper and then he swung him around a bit. Cassidy began fading. As the announcers began writing Cassidy off, he showed signs of life and kicked off the ropes to escape. He followed with an Orange Punch and a Beach Break. Claudio rolled to the floor to avoid a potential pinfall attempt.
Cassidy landed some slo-mo kicks that quickly turned into a fast, full-force kicks and stomps. Fans cheered. He went for another Orange Punch, but Claudio blocked it. Cassidy maneuvered Claudio into a tornado DDT for a two count. Schiavone touted this “sensational opening match.” Cassidy rolled up Claudio from a hurancanrana for a leverage three count.
WINNER: Cassidy in 17:00 to retain the AEW International Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent opening match.)
-Jon Moxley made his way out through the crowd to “Wild Thing.” Mox attacked Cassidy. Claudio watched and seemed potentially conflicted by Moxley’s actions. Claudo then cleared the ring of security who were trying to stop the Mox attack. Claudio pulled Mox off of Cassidy as if to say “that is enough” without going against the attack up until that point.
(Keller’s Analysis: Fans so badly want to cheer Moxley, and him attacking a popular wrestler like Cassidy in that way just leaves fans so unsatisfied. Mox should be recast as going after heels only.)
-MJF knocked on Kenny Omega’s locker room door. Chris Jericho answered. MJF asked if Kenny was there. Jericho chuckled and slammed the door. Wardlow then shoved MJF against the wall. He said MJF took everything from him, so he’s going to take everything from MJF “when you least expect it.” He dropped MJF and walked away. Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, and Billy Gunn then showed up. Caster said, “Why don’t you team with us?” MJF looked back at the camera, then walked away. Caster rubbed his scissoring fingers against MJF’s shoulder as he walked away. Bowens said, “Damn you, Max! We hid back here for nothing.” [c]
-Moxley was throwing a fit backstage. He said he showed Cassidy respect when no one else would and let him walk out on his own power back in Chicago. He said Cassidy wrote him off like everyone else has done. He said he’ll beat him at Full Gear within an inch of his life with his bare hands “just because I can.”
(2) THE YOUNG BUCKS & “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE vs. BRIAN CAGE & TOA LIONA & BISHOP KAUN – ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles
Hangman walked out looking engaged and determined in a way that resembled Moxley. Taz explained that Prince Nana isn’t at ringside because he knows Hangman couldn’t restrain himself if he was present after the home invasion last week. The bell rang 35 minutes into the hour. Hangman went after Kaun aggressively at the start. They cut to a double-box break at 2:00. [c/db]
Hangman clotheslined Liona over the top rope, then quickly returned to the ring and powerbombed Kaun. As Hangman set up a Buckshot Lariat, Nana and Swerve Strickland showed up on the stage. Swerve said, “Who’s house? As a matter of fact, last week I was at your house.” Hangman, in a nice touch, officially tagged in Nick before charging to the back to go after Swerve and Nana. Swerve and Nana got a head start fleeing the scene.
Nick rallied against all three heels until Cage caught him with a lariat. Cage superplexed Nick into the ring. Matt entered and blocked Kaun from going after Nick. He was triple-teamed, though, as Nick was down. Nick popped up and went for a superkick, but Cage blocked it. Schiavone said the numbers are against the Bucks. Cage powerbombed Nick. Kaun and Liona slammed Matt to the mat and scored a three count.
WINNERS: Cage & Liona & Kaun in 8:00 to capture the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s good to get the least prestigious belts from ROH’s B-brand off of three of their top stars, especially when AEW has their own version of the titles.)
-They went backstage where Hangman and Swerve were being held back from each other and yelling at each other. They cut back to ringside where Matt was throwing a fit over the loss. He smashed a ringside table with a chair and then swung it against the ringposts.
(Keller’s Analysis: I love the Bucks showing some fire here.) [c]
-MJF was about to knock on Samoa Joe’s locker room door when he stopped and walked away. He then walked up to Darby Allin’s locker room and grabbed his sign and crossed out his name and wrote “Emo Bitch” instead. Caster walked up with a sign that said, “MJF Pick Us!” MJF walked away. Bowens yelled at him. Caster recoiled but also smiled a little.
-Schiavone stood mid-ring and introduced “Rated-R Superstar” Adam Copeland. (The nickname feels so dated since he’s hardly Rated-R in any way at this stage of his career and how he presents himself.) Copeland soaked up some cheers. He then touted everything Tony Schiavone does for the company backstage and said fans would appreciate him more if they knew about all of it. Fans chanted “Tony! Tony!” Copeland said he respects Sting because they’ve faced some of the same challenges and foes over the years and have been a sounding board for each other. “I respect the hell out of that, man,” he said. He said he also respects Darby Allin. He said he’s one of the foundations of the industry going forward, “and if you don’t see that, you’re blind.”
Copeland said everyone wants to know if he’s going to agree to team with Sting and Darby at Full Gear. Christian Cage’s music interrupted and he walked out with Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne. Christian said before Copeland gives his answer, he wants to set the stage. He said he’ll retire Sting early. He said Darby hasn’t been around because he dumped him on the stairs at WrestleDream and injured his arm “which will never be the same.” He said everyone knows about Copeland’s neck, so if he doesn’t want this fairytale to turn into a nightmare, he should back down from him. He threatened to snap his neck and leave him in a wheelchair to live the rest of his life undignified with his kids wiping his face and talking about how their dad “used to be somebody.”
Luchasaurus and Wayne charged into the ring. Copeland fended them off. Christian tried to sneak into the ring, but Copeland stared him down. Luchasaurus then attacked Copeland from behind with a clothesline. Wayne delivered a leaping cutter off the middle rope on Copeland. Wayne went looking for something under the ring. He slid Christian a chair. Sting then walked out to his music. Wayne charged at Sting, but Sting thwarted that. Darby then charged to the ring and tackled Christian. Copeland knocked Luchasaurus out of the ring.
Copeland waited for Christian to turn around after Christian had just beat up Darby in the corner. He hit the spear. Copeland then grabbed the mic and said, “You wanna snap my neck? I’m going to beat your ass. It is on, you stupid little son of a bitch.” He told Sting that he was right. He said he’ll be their partner at Full Gear. Sting and Darby hugged Copeland.
(Keller’s Analysis: Basic, timeless, by-the-numbers set-up for a reluctant partner to agree to a tag match after the heels try to take him out or at least discourage him. That’s a match that will help sell some PPV buys.)
-Nigel McGuiness and Tony Khan stood backstage for “an important announcement.” TK said it’s been a great for year for AEW. He touted the 81,035 announced attendance at Wembley last summer. He said Nov. 1 is the start of the holiday season, but he said at his parents’ house, their tree has been up since July. He said the best gift for fans would be a ticket to All In 2024. He said tickets go on sale on Dec. 1, but you can sign up now for pre-sale access. Nigel hyped the show and said he can’t wait to see fans at Wembley next year.
(Keller’s Analysis: This is the very last time AEW publicizing TK having an announcement on Dynamite will ever draw an extra viewer. That should have been made without social media hype. Yikes. AEW wants to be able to have a positive story come out about early demand for tickets to next summer’s big event. I’m really curious to see how it does the second time around. AEW doesn’t feel like a red hot product at this moment, so will that be reflected in slower sales for next summer’s Wembley event, or is there enough pent-up demand remaining after the great show they put on this past summer to draw a huge first-day ticket sale total?)
(3) CHRIS JERICHO & KENNY OMEGA vs. MATT MENARD & ANGELO PARKER (w/Jake Hager)
Don Callis joined in on commentary. Powerhouse Hobbs, Konosuke Takeshita, and Kyle Fletcher stood behind him. He said Menard & Parker don’t need to win the match, but just “lay them out.” After Jericho’s entrance, which included the full “Judas,” Omega made his way out to his music. After yapping at Jericho and Omega at the start, Omega tried to back off Jericho. Menard and Parker attacked Jericho and Omega. The ref (ridiculously) rewarded their pre-match attack by immediately calling for the bell to officially start the match five minutes into the hour. As Jericho and Omega made a quick comeback, they cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
Eventually Menard hit Jericho with his baseball bat while the ref was yelling at someone at ringside. Parker made the cover and scored a near fall. Menard handed Parker the bat right in front of the referee. He swung, but Jericho ducked and then he hit Judas Effect for the win.
WINNER: Jericho & Omega in 7:00.
-After the match, Callis challenged them to face them in a street fight in Ontario, California on Dynamite. “Step up to the plate, dummies!” Callis said. Jericho said, “He just called us dummies, Kenny. What are we going to do?” Omega said he’d hate being a “stupid head.” Omega said none of this has been about winning matches, it’s been about trying to beat them up. He said they accept their challenge and they have a partner in mind – Kota Ibushi.
Callis smiled and said he’s not a dummy, so he knows that they’re still a man short. (It sure looked like three-on-three at that point.) Jericho said he’s got a friend who’s even bigger than Will Hobbs in mind. Callis said there’s no man bigger than Hobbs. Jericho said Hobbs isn’t bigger than a giant. Out walked Paul Wight in his wrestling singlet. Fletcher charged and Wight knocked him out cold. Takeshita, Hobbs, and Callis backed away as Wight stared them down. Schiavone said, “What a blockbuster!” [c]
-Renee interviewed Omega and Jericho. The Bucks were in the background. When Jericho referenced Wight being his friend, Matt asked Omega if they’re friends. He asked what the point was of The Elite getting back together if they don’t have each other’s backs. He said, unconvincingly, “No heat there.” He then asked regarding Jericho, “Who invited this prick into our locker room?” He said he hasn’t forgotten what he did to their father years ago. Jericho told him to watch his mouth when he talks to him. He said they won their match earlier, whereas The Bucks & Hangman didn’t. Omega said Jericho is aligned with them against the Don Callis Family. Matt predicted Jericho would turn on them. He told Jericho to enjoy their locker room and “clean up afterward.”
-Schiavone said the Bucks are upset about losing earlier, but they’ll calm down.
(Keller’s Analysis: Now we’re talking. The Bucks are acknowledging Jericho’s history and venting after being in a mood over losing their titles earlier. Omega and Matt each made salient points and you can understand each of their points of view. Jericho has to own his history and prove people wrong, but he’s not the type of beg for forgiveness. I just want to hear more from The Bucks and Omega and have them consistently be central figures in the drama of AEW’s week to week TV in addition to contributing excellent matches every now and then.)
(4) HIKARU SHIDA vs. WILLOW NIGHTINGALE – AEW Women’s Title match
The bell rang 22 minutes into the hour. The announcers talked about the challenge of Shida defending her title three times in just seven days. They cut to an early double-box break. [c/db]
At 7:00, Willow knocked Shida off balance on the top rope and then set up a Death Valley Driver off the second rope. Shida fought back and delivered a Falcon Arrow off the second rope instead. Willow kicked out with force. Willow landed a pounce and then played to the crowd before delivering a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. They exchanged some leverage two counts. Shida landed a knee strike for a believable near fall at 9:00. Shida then landed a Shining Samurai kick for the win.
Shida helped Willow up afterward and offered a handshake. Willow accepted and smiled. Then they hugged.
WINNER: Shida in 10:00 to retain the AEW Women’s Title.
-Toni Storm made her entrance with a butler walking ahead of her. Shida knocked the shoe out of the butler’s hands and then kneed Storm in the face. Storm fled and Shida pursued her. The lights went out. When they came back on, Julia Hart was standing behind Willow in the ring. Willow turned and stared at her. Excalibur said Willow knows what’s coming. Julia offered her hand. Skye Blue ran into the ring and stepped into Julia’s face. Skye then turned and stared at Willow, but then pivoted back and sprayed blue mist in Julia’s face. Julia rolled out of the ring and cried out in pain. Willow’s music played as Skye Blue and Willow smiled.
-Backstage, MJF was sitting against a brick wall when Caster, Bowens, and Billy approached. Bowens said nobody likes him except Caster, and he yelled that “everyone loves the Acclaimed.” Caster said if he teams with them, he has to agree to scissors them and wear what’s in the black trash bag. MJF looked inside the bag and said no deal. He said he has more options. He turned around and there stood Jeff Jarrett, Karen Jarrett, Jay Lethal, Satnum Singh, and Sonjay Dutt. They laughed and said they were there to help. MJF hung his head.
-Backstage, Strong, Bennett, and Taven approached Renee. Strong talked to Adam Cole on speaker phone and complained that MJF didn’t ask them to team with him. Cole told Strong to “shut the hell up.” [c]
(5) BULLET CLUB GOLD (Jay White & Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn & Juice Robinson) vs. MJF & MAX CASTER & ANTHONY BOWENS & BILLY GUNN
Bullet Club Gold came out first. Caster rapped on his way to the ring, making references to Rick Patino leaving town, Juice being covered in pubic hair, and some stuff that got bleeped. MJF them made his ring entrance. MJF wore a “Scissors Me” t-shirt in pink to match The Acclaimed. Fans chanted “MJF! MJF!” as his music faded. Excalibur plugged World’s End tickets going on sale. Excalibur said MJF teaming with Caster shows his desperation and that he was out of other options. Schiavone said he thinks it’s a good team. The bell rang 44 minutes into the hour.
MJF demanded White enter the ring. White tagged in. He then ducked away as MJF charged and tagged Juice back in. Fans booed. They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
Billy got in a stretch of offense. Bullet Club took over. After swarming Caster at ringside, White scored a two count back in the ring. Caster eventually leaped and hot-tagged in MJF. MJF got a big pop and fended off a three-on-one attack from the Gunns and Juice. White teased entering the ring, but MJF saw him, so White turned and ran. Austin tripped MJF as he re-entered the ring. MJF countered the Gunns with a DDT and then signaled for the Kangaroo Kick. He took out the Gunns with the Kangaroo Kick. As he celebrated, White gave him Blade Runner for the three count. Taz talked about what a boost it is for a challenger to get any kind of win against a champion before a title match.
WINNERS: Bullet Club Gold in 14:00.
-Afterward, White waited for MJF to stand, belt in hand. Caster saved him and took the shot with the belt instead. The heels retreated to the stage and celebrated their win.
(Keller’s Analysis: Does that mean Caster gets to go on a date with MJF?)
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