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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
FEBRUARY 18, 2026
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. AT SACRAMENTO MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
AIRED ON TBS & HBO MAX
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR
Commentators: Excalibur, Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reported that 3,007 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 3,007. The arena has a capacity of 3,849 spectators when configured for concerts. The previous time they were in this arena for Dynamite on March 5, 2025 they drew 2,869.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Jerud Buhagiar review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
VIP VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
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Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so don’t share. It’s just for VIP members at this time.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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[HOUR ONE]
-Excalibur introduced the show as they showed the interior of the arena with spotlights moving around the sold out arena.
-Soundbites aired with Mina Shirakawa Willow Nightingale, and Megan Bayne regarding the TBS Title match. Then Swerve Strickland said, “I need this.” Kenny Omega said Swerve is in his way until he knocks him out of his way.
-Renee Paquette interviewed Orange Cassidy backstage. She asked if he has a replacement for Roderick Strong. Cassidy said the good thing about The Conglomeration is there are a lot of them. In walked Tomohiro Ishii.
(1) JON MOXLEY vs. MARK DAVIS
They cut to the concourse where Moxley entered. He shook hands with the other members of The Death Riders on his way into the arena. Yuta had a hook covering his hideously exposed head. They cut to Renee at ringside with a “sideline report.” She talked about their long travel time back from Australia. She said this is Davis’s chance to prove to The Don Callis Family that he is their X factor. Davis then made his entrance. The bell rang 6 minutes into the hour. Danielson said he wanted to see a fully bald Yuta and now he has a hood covering his skull. Schiavone said Don Callis isn’t with them on commentary, indicating he’s scared of Moxley. Excalibur said he thought Schaivone meant he was dead when he said he “wasn’t with them,” then added, “Wishful thinking.” (Geesh.)
Davis took it to Moxley at ringside. He punched at Mox, but Mox ducked, so Davis’s fist hit the ringpost. Seconds later, Mox leaped through the ropes and tackled Davis Danielson noted the blood flowing from Davis’s fist. Mox went after it, pulling his fingers apart and then biting down on them. Fans chanted, “You sick f—!” Mox stomped on his hand on the ringside steps. They cut to a double-box break at 5:00. [c/db]
Davis took over during the break. They battled back and forth, including colliding mid-ring with clotheslines. Mox then put Davis in the Bulldog Choke and Davis tapped out seconds later.
WINNER: Moxley in 13:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was hard-hitting and intense throughout. Davis’s bloody fist added a visual throughout. This type of match seems to be what Mox lives for.)
-A promo aired with “Hangman” Adam Page from Grand Slam. He said he will ruin any idea of MJF’s idea of a happy future if he tries to kick him in the ball again. He said he’s coming for the AEW World Title “and I will end you to take it!” He told MJF to look into his eyes and know he is telling the truth. “I will end you,” he said.
(Keller’s Analysis: As usual, this is a tremendous promo that a top babyface should give maybe once every year or two when a situation really calls for it, but he goes to this mega-intense place in four out of five of his promos and it just makes him seem kinda weird for being so over-the-top.)
-FTR wheeled Wheeler Yuta to the ring in his wheelchair. Excalibur said they weren’t on his format sheet. [c]
-In the ring, Dax said he’s been trying to figure out over the last week why “in typical Young Bucks fashion” they decided to come to the ring and cheapshot him and Cash. He said it dawned on him that in 2016, they were the best tag team in the world. Fans chanted, “Shut the f— up!” He said they even coined the phrase FTR. He said they are now in second place to them, the greatest tag team of this generation. Stokley said the Bucks keep coming at them, expecting a different result, and it’s pissing him off. He said last week they shook hands with The Rascalz and Private Party. He said they hate so many of their coworkers, but the Bucks are at the top of the list. As he went on, the Bucks enterefd the ring and superkicked Cash and Dax. Then they stood behind Stokely. Fans chanted, “You f—ed up!”
Stokely realized it and tried to talk his way out of the situation. Excalibur said, “Stoke might have stepped in it.” Fans chanted “Superkick!” The show skipped ahead with Stokely down and Cash checking on him. Matt Jackson said they are officially the no. 1 contenders. Nick Jackson challenged them to a match at Revolution.
-They cut to Brody King and Bandido backstage. Brody talked about how close he was. Fans loudly chanted, “F— Ice!” He said MJF just weaseled his way into another win. Brody said he is getting himself back into the World Title hunt on Feb. 25.
(Keller’s Analysis; So fans are going to chant “F— Ice!” even when he appears on the screen. This is like when WWE fans booed any Crown Jewel graphic in the early years of going to Saudi Arabia.)
(2) WILLOW NIGHTINGALE vs. MEGAN BAYNE (w/Penelope Ford) vs. MARINA SHAFIR vs. MINA SHIRAKAWA – TBS Title match
Shafir came out first, then Bayne, Shirakawa, and finally Willow. The bell rang 35 minutes into the hour. Everyone took turns on the attack. Willow gave Bayne and Shafir a lung blower. Then she whipped Shafir into Bayne in the corner and splashed both of them. Shafir shoved Bayne into Willow. Bayne took Willow off the top turnbuckle with a hurancanrana. Shafir awkwardly 619-style headscissored Willow to the floor. Bayne then threw Shirakawa onto Willow and Shafir at ringside. They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
Shafir and Bayne double-teamed Willow during the break. Shirakawa rallied against the heels after the break. Willow overhead suplexed Bayne off the top rope onto her head. Yikes. She seemed fine. Shirakawa then leaped off the top rope with a dropkick on Willow. She followed with a series of strikes including a spinning backfist. She followed with a figure-four attempt, but Willow cradled her for the win. Schiavone touted her three title defenses in five days.
WINNER: Willow in 12:00 to retain the TBS Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good four-way match, with solid action and intensity throughout.)
-A video package aired on AEW Grand Slam.
-They went to the announcers at ringside. Schiavone paid tribute to Kerwin Silfies. He said he worked with him first in 1989. He said he was calm under pressure. Bryan Danielson said he was very kind and patient as his voice cracked. He said when he first got to WWE, he knew nothing about production and he was so patient and kind. [c]
-“Hangman” Adam Page made his ring entrance. MJF then made his entrance. Hangman stared at him like he tortured and killed his dog. Schiavone said MJF is a “horrible piece of human flesh.” MJF said he wasn’t going to cut a cutesy wrestling promo to help sell tickets. He said he hates Hangman’s guts. He said he hates the way he looks, talks, wrestles, and white-night bullshit. He said he hates that the dumb, ignorant, white-trash hicks actually think he are anywhere near his level in any category in this sport. He said he, not Hangman, is the main character. He said it makes him want to puke that he holds two wins over him. He said he got lucky. He said he sees something in Hangman that the fans can’t. He said he can smell it and see it in his eyes. He said something is off about him.
MJF said perhaps he’s upset because his “two boyfriends,” Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland, are fighting. He said Hangman had the chance to be The Guy twice and both times he crumbled under pressure. He said if he comes up short again, he’s worried people will see he is a fraud. He said Hangman isn’t the man he faced at Revolution last year. He said Hangman is “a lucky shot, but I think you’re all out of bullets.” He said on March 15, his birthday, he can’t think of a better gift in the world than ending the myth of Hangman and his “cowboy shit.” A “Cowboy Shit!” chant broke out.
[HOUR TWO]
Hangman said that between the two of them, he was so undeniable that the fan carried him to a World Title reign twice. He said he beat the absolutely dog shit out of MJF. He said if there is a lucky shot in the ring tonight, it’s the man who had the guaranteed chance at the World Title and then went home and waited until they were in front of one of the largest crowds they ever had and he returned with a new head of hair and inserted himself into a match with three men who already hated each other. He said he waited on the floor and waited until the last second and kicked him in the balls and collected the spoils of greater men.
Hangman said MJF says he hates him, “but I hate you so much worse.” He said it’s not because of all the years of lying and cheating and the depravity of his actions. He said the truth is, in all his years, he has never met someone more like him. He said he is desperate for love and acceptance. He said he is no better than that, and he hates it. He said he knows how much he wants to make his mark and how loyal he is to AEW. He said as much as everyone wants that title, they have always needed it. He said at Revolution, he wants to end it for good, forever. He said he thinks MJF can feel it too. He said it can’t just be a normal wrestling match. He said he should think about it and let the fans suggest their ideas.
MJF said he only wants to do a normal professional wrestling match. Hangman said he thought he’d say that because he’s scared and he’s always been a coward. Hangman said if MJF agreed to his stip, he’d give him something. He said he would agree to never wrestle for the AEW World Title again for as long as he lives. MJF’s expression changed to a smile. “You got yourself a deal, Cowboy,” he said. He said as far as his stipulation goes, he thinks things through, so he’d need a week to think through it. Hangman said he already knows what stip he wants – “Texas Death!” MJF looked shaken up and gulped and stepped back as Hangman shot him a look. Excalibur asked, “What will the caveat be?”
(Keller’s Analysis: Intense segment, and Hangman vowing to never wrestle for the AEW World Title unless he wins is quite a stipulation. It was a bit confusing at the end when MJF said he needed a week to think about his stip, while Hangman blurted out he wanted Texas Death.)
-A promo aired with The Death Riders. Moxley said a pack of Wolves are too needy, where as coyotes are adaptable survivors. Pac said the Don Callis Family are not like them. He challenged them to a fight on Collision on Saturday. Daniel Garvcia said for them, family is just a name or a title, not something they’re willing to die for. Mox said he’s not done with Takeshita. He said he won’t walk away from it. He said he wanted a rematch with no time limit at Revolution and there must be a winner.
(4) ORANGE CASSIDY & TOMOHIRO ISHII vs. GABE KIDD & CLARK CONNORS
Excalibur said originally Roderick Strong was scheduled to team with Cassidy, but he hasn’t been seen since walking out on him. The bell rang 11 minutes into hte hour. Schiavone said he thinks there’s something wrong with Gabe. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Ishii bak suplexed Connors while favoring an apparent leg injury. Cassidy tagged in and dove through the ropes at Kidd. Connors gouged Ishii’s eyes. Darby showed behind Connors and hit him with his skateboard in the crowd. Ishii gave Connors a brainbuster suplex for the win.
The ref called for help for Ishii afterward. He clutched the back of his leg. Cassidy helped him stand. He dropped to the mat to roll out of the ring.
WINNERS: Cassidy & Ishii in 10:00.
-They cut backstage where The Don Callis Family had attacked some people. Josh Alexander looked wild-eyed as he accepted their challenge. Callis walked in and said he accepted Mox’s stip on behalf of Takeshita. Kazuchika Okada said he showed up to do his job, unlike Takeshita. Andrade walked into the scene. Okada said he is the uncrowned World Champion. Andrade said his eyes are on the AEW World Title. Callis said he sees Claudio Castagnoli walking around with his CMLL World Title. Callis said that title would look great on the mantle of The Don Callis Family. Rocky Romero loved that idea. [c]
-A promo aired with Hook, who said Samoa Joe has put him in control while he is out injured, He said Katsuyori Shibata is in Japan scouting. He said he is the greatest second-generation wrestler of all time and the boss of The Opps. The graphic said: “The Opps – Never Lacking.”
-Schiavone commented that Hook looks like a leader with his demeanor.
(5) THE BRAWLING BIRDS (Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor) vs. VIVA VAN & BECCA
The bell rang 29 minutes into the hour. The Birds won with a Hart Attack style double-team move on Becca.
WINNERS: The Brawling Birds in 4:00.
-Renee interviewed Kris Statlander and Thunder Rosa. Statlander said she wants to fight Thekla when she’s done hiding from her. Rosa said Statlander isn’t cleared to wrestle, but she will step up to face Thekla. She said she feels great.
(6) “THE JET” KEVIN KNIGHT (w/”Speedball” Mike Bailey) vs. THE BEAST MORTOS
As Knight made his entrance, a soundbite aired with Speedball and Knight on a divided screen. They said if Mortos beat him, they’d give him and his LFI teammates a shot at the Trios Titles on Collision this Saturday. Mortos came out second. Excalibur touted Mortos. The bell rang 36 minutes into the hour. They cut to a double box break at 2:00. [c/db]
Knight eventually bodyslammed Morton and then landed a turning splash for a two count at 8:00. Knight took Morton off the top turnbuckle with a leaping huracanrana and then landed a pendulum DDT. He followed with a top rope UFO splash for the win.
WINNER: Knight in 9:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good action. With the set-up, it seemed like Mortos was likely to win here, so the Knight win was a bit of a surprise.)
-A vignette aired with Will Ospreay hyping his comeback. [c]
-A promo aired with Ricochet and the GOA backstage. They wanted a Trios Title match on Collision. Ricochet said Jet Set Rodeo won’t need that stupid team name for long. Ricochet noticed a knife stuck to their locker room door. Ricochet looked spooked and then laughed it off.
(7) KENNY OMEGA vs. “SWERVE” STRICKLAND (w/Prince Nana)
Swerve made his entrance first. Then Omega.
[OVERRUN]
Omega went into his series of signature moves including a Snap Dragon suplex and running knee to the chin leading to a two count at 10:00. Fans chanted “Swerve’s house!” Omega waved his finger and shook his head in response. Swerve smiled and caught Omega’s leg on another knee attempt. He then landed a backbreaker and dropkicked Omega to the ring apron. Fans chanted “Fight forever!”
Swerve lifted Omega onto his shoulders, but Omega flipped to the apron and delivered a Snap Dragon. Fans chanted, “Holy shit!” Back in the ring, Swerve tried to suplex Swerve off the ring apron. Swerve held on. Omega landed headbutts, then went for it again. This time he executed the German suplex, but Swerve landed on his feet. He then quickly vertical suplexed Omega on the mat. Both were down and slow to get up.
Back in the ring, Omega landed a spin wheel kick as Excalibur plugged the Collision line-up including Julia Hart vs. Thunder Rosa. Omega placed Swerve on the top rope and took him to teh mat with a Dragon Suplex. Omega scored a near fall at 16:00. Omega went for a running knee to Swerve in the ropes, but Swerve pulled her into the path of the V-Trigger. Excalibur asked if it was intentional or inadvertent. Schiavone said he thinks inadvertent since Swerve appeared to be indicating to her his shoulder was separated. Omega lifted Swerve onto his shoulders. Swerve countered with a victory roll and a House Call. The ref was down. Fans counted to ten. Nana checked on the ref.
Omega leaped off the top rope onto Omega on the ring apron with a Swerve Stomp. Back in the ring, Swerve landed a another Swerve Stomp. A replacement ref entered and counted, but Omega kicked out. Swerve went wide-eyed and kind of freaked out at the kick out. Omega ducked a House Call and landed a Snap Dragon followed by a knee to the back. Omega lifted Swerve onto his shoulders and set up a One-Winged Angel. Swerve slipped out. Omega connected with a knee strike. Swerve landed a House Call to a charging Omega and then delivered a Home Invasion for the win.
WINNER: Swerve in 21:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That’s a big win for Swerve.)
-Afterward, Swerve jumped Omega. Fans booed. Schiavone said he didn’t understand this at all. Danielson said perhaps it was due to Omega questioning whether he was the most dangerous man in AEW. He said it was completely unnecessary. Swerve pulled the lid off the announce desk. Danielson said he didn’t need to do it as he already proved his point.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Jerud Buhagiar review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
VIP VIDEO CALLER CODE: CLICK HERE
https://streamyard.com/8cthai5dgk
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so don’t share. It’s just for VIP members at this time.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER AEW DYNAMITE TONIGHT: CLICK HERE TO WATCH
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