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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
JULY 26, 2023
ALBANY, N.Y. AT MVP ARENA
AIRED ON TBS
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
[HOUR ONE]
-After the Dynamite opening, they went to the arena where pyro blasted and the camera panned the crowd as Excalibur introduced the show. He said they are on the road to All In in London at Wembley Stadium. They went to Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz at the commentary table. He hyped the main event three-way tag match of Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lucha Bros. vs. Best Friends, plus MJF and Adam Cole and the rest of the advertised matches.
-A video package aired on Darby Allin talking about how he met A.R. Fox. He touted his work ethic. He said he knew he had to surround himself with someone like that if he was going to get ahead in wrestling. He said when he was living in his car, Fox told him to live with him for free. “If someone deserves a shot, it’s A.R. Fox,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy saying it, but without A.R. Fox, there might not be a Darby Allin.”
(Keller’s Analysis: That was nicely done. It’s amazing how much Darby has come out of his introvert shell and become a confident speaker.)
(1) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. A.R. FOX – AEW International Championship match
The bell rang six minutes into the hour. Schiavone and Taz talked about Taz’s history with Darby. Cassidy got some laughs from the crowd when he played dead briefly after flipping onto the mat to relieve some armbar pressure by Fox early. After some back and forth action, Fox landed a twisting leaping vertical suplex for a near fall at 5:00. Cassidy rolled to the floor. They cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Fox rallied after the break including a running flip dive over the top rope onto Cassidy at ringside. Back in the ring he landed a top rope senton for a near fall at 11:00. Cassidy made a comeback with a dive of his own at ringside followed by a DDT and a Beach Break for a near fall at 12:00. Fox threw Cassidy off the ropes and scored a two count. Cassidy eventually caught Fox in a mouse trap roll-up for a leverage pin.
WINNER: Cassidy in 14:00 to retain the International Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Nice match. Not sure how well it’s going to hold viewers since it just felt like two nice guys wrestling each other a friendly way without any sense that Fox could actually win.)
-Afterward, Cassidy offered a handshake. He put his sunglasses on Fox and they stood side-by-side. Fox, though, broke the sunglasses and punched Cassidy in the head. Excalibur, void of any human-like emotion, flatly and dryly said Fox’s frustration got the better of him. Darby ran out and shoved Fox. He yelled that it was embarrassing and demanded an explanation. Fox tried to explain himself and seemed potentially remorseful. He turned and walked to the back. Excalibur said he should take his loss like a man. Taz said he kind of liked that fire he showed. Jon Moxley ran out and clotheslined Cassidy. He then landed a brainbuster suplex and yelled at him before leaving. He palmed the camera as he walked away.
-A one-minute video package aired on last week’s Blood & Guts match.
-Renee Paquette interviewed Don Callis and Chris Jericho backstage. Callis said people see the potential in their alliance. He suggested Jericho and Takeshita together for a tag match. Jericho said Takeshita is amazing, so he’d be willing to give it a try. Callis said his opponents would be Danny Garcia & Sammy Guevara. Jericho seemed concerned. Callis said Jericho told them they need to spread their wings and he thinks it’d be great. Jericho thought about it, then said he’d do it. Callis said to commemorate this next step in Jericho joining the Don Callis Family, he commissioned art of them together in 1995 with Bad News Allen looking down at them from the sky. Jericho said it was too big to carry around. Callis said he knows a great place for it in Jericho’s house.
(Keller’s Analysis: This is featuring Callis in an effective way because he’s such a sleazebag. He just oozes insincerity. He’s also clearly trying to divide Jericho and his J.A.S. stablemates. The painting was a funny touch.)
-Excalibur plugged that Jack Perry was up next. [c]
-A vignette aired of Hook riding a subway with the FTW belt. Then in the next shot the belt was gone. In the next shot, Hook was gone.
-Backstage Claudio and Wheeler Yuta cut a promo. Claudio said last week they showed you can’t mess with the Blackpool Combat Club without ramifications. Mox joined them and said that’s what happens when you try to flex on his friends when he’s not even in the building. He told the Lucha Brothers and Best Friends that they’re playing with explosives. He said they should stay in their lane. He also said Pac will pay for his mistake.
(Keller’s Analysis: I like seeing Claudio get a chance to cut intense promos like this.)
-Tony Schiavone stood mid-ring and introduced Perry. Perry walked out wearing orange shorts and an “I Beat Hook” t-shirt. Perry said when he said he was going to win a championship, he wasn’t talking about the FTW Title belt. He said it was created in a second-class company full of scumbags like the fans. Boos rang out and an “asshole” chant started. He said the belt has never been recognized, but as soon as he put his hands on it, it became the real deal because he’s that damn good. He said he’s the best wrestler to ever get within 100 feet of that. He said he would run circles around Taz and his friends.
Jerry Lynn walked out and called Perry “Jungle.” Lynn said ECW paved the way for the current younger generation. Fans chanted “ECW!” He said without ECW, there never would have been a Jungle Boy. He told him to keep running his mouth because he will get his ass kicked. Perry said he’d like to see who is going to kick his ass. Lynn dropped the mic and stared at him. Perry said he’s not dressed for a fight right now and he’ll do it on his time. He challenged him to a match next week. “We’ll see who gets their ass kicked,” he said. Taz said that FTW Title wasn’t based on “turning your tail and running.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Perry’s pace is pretty casual and I think he needs fewer dead pauses as he waits for fans to react to him. He’s getting booed, but it’s nothing near Dominik or Callis heat. It’s cool seeing Jerry Lynn, one of the best workers of his generation who doesn’t get enough credit for his body of work, get some TV time there. I have no idea if he’s going to have a full-fledged match or if they’re setting him up to take a beating before a match starts, or something else entirely. The announcers could have done more to give background on Lynn because not everyone watching knows who he is or his story.)
-Renee interviewed Dr. Britt Baker backstage about facing Taya Valkryie later. Baker said she’d be lying if she didn’t say she was a little surprised that she called her out on Collision. She said she truly does respect and admire her, but she’s going to drag her ass to the deep end. She said TBS stands for The Britt Show.
(2) PAC vs. GRAVITY
Pac came out first. As Gravity made his entrance, they showed a clip of Gravity’s win at the ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV. Excalibur talked about how Gravity’s brother Bandido was out with a wrist injury. He said they took very different paths in pro wrestling. He said Bandido pursued Lucha Libre and Gravity pursued soccer at first, but then he joined his brother in pro wrestling. The bell rang 41 minutes into the hour. Gravity frustrated Pac with his offense early. They cut to a split-screen break at 3:00. [c/ss]
Pac took over and settled into a side headlock on the mat during the break. They showed Blackpool Combat Club watching the match from their locker room. Pac delivered a top rope supersuplex at 7:00 and then applied the Brutalizer for the tapout win. Pac held onto the hold after the bell. Pac cornered Gravity afterward. Gravity cowered in the corner.
WINNER: Pac in 8:00.
-Excalibur commented on clips of last week’s interactions with Adam Cole and MJF. Then they went to Renee’s interview with MJF and Cole last week backstage. MJF yanked the mic away from Cole as he was about to talk. MJF took digs at FTR. He mocked Dax’s accent and talking about loving his wife and daughter. He said he’s going punch him so hard on July 29 on Collision that he’ll spit out C.M. Punk’s jockstrap. He said they are better than him.
Cole turned to MJF and said he wanted to talk to him. He said when the tournament started, it was all about winning the belts. He said he never expected they’d become friends. He said he has, though. He said he has nothing to worry about because his friendship means the world to him. He said he’s not just his friend, he’s becoming one of his best friends.
MJF said he’s been thinking long and hard. He said win, lose, or draw, after their tag match on July 29, he is going to give him a rematch for his AEW Title. Cole was touched. Roderick Strong barged in and shoved MJF and yelled at him. Cole asked MJF not to retaliate because he wants a word with Strong. MJF said he’s lucky he’s his friend. Cole said Strong is acting crazy and possessive. He said he needs to trust him and he said he has other friends. Strong tried to grab Cole and Cole yelled, “Boundaries.” Strong said he’s making a mistake.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’ll still on board with seeing how this all plays out. I mean, MJF’s gotta reveal himself as an insincere scumbag, right? And then Cole will feel like a fool, right? At least fans are on board with the friendship so they can’t blame Cole for being trusting of him, right?) [c]
-They aired an interview Renee conducted with FTR backstage last week. Cash Wheeler talked about being excited to face Cole & MJF, but part of him feels bad because he likes and respects Cole, but he hates MJF and he knows he’s a terrible human being. He said he’s a generational ass-kisser and their generational ass-kickers. He said even MJF’s fiancé got to know him and left him. He asked what that says about him. He said they are going to make sure they learn not to mess with them. Dax said he’s not going to get all gimmicked up like MJF did. He said their dance routine was funny, but it’s making a mockery out of tag team wrestling. He said Saturday night, there won’t be a dance routine. He said they’re going to have a fight. He said he’s going to beat the shit out of him. He apologized for swearing. He said he’s going to rip his eyeballs out for saying something about his wife and daughter.
(Keller’s Analysis: FTR are the grownups in the room in this situation. Good mic work from both here.)
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[HOUR TWO]
(3) DARBY ALLIN (w/Nick Wayne) vs. SWERVE STRICKLAND (w/Prince Nana)
The bell rang three minutes into the hour. At 2:00 Darby took it to Swerve at ringside, chopping his chest and whipping him into the ringside steps. Swerve came back with a leaping sidekick off the ringside steps to the side of Darby’s head. They cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Swerve controlled the action during the break. Darby dove through the ropes and speared Swerve before somersaulting to the mat. Cool move. Darby threw Swerve back into the ring. When he rolled to ringside, Darby dove at him. Swerve kneed him out of mid-air. Fans chanted “Holy shit!” Darby countered a top rope move with a stunner on Swerve. Swerve came back with a Death Valley Driver off the second rope onto the edge of the ring apron. That was nasty. Fans chanted, “Holy shit!” When Darby tried to avoid a countout, a man in a hooded sweatshirt stopped him and threw him into the ringpost. Taz said it appeared to be Fox. Swerve then gave Darby his finisher for the win.
WINNER: Swerve.
-After the match, Wayne ran in and tried to help Darby, but Fox and Swerve attacked him with Darby’s skateboard. Fox revealed he had joined The Embassy.
(Keller’s Analysis: Fox is a good addition to the group and just giving him the heel turn and an angle like this is a big elevation for him. This sets up Swerve & Fox vs. Darby & Wayne.)
-Renee stood outside of a locker room. She talked about the situation with the Jericho Appreciation Society. Angelo Parker, Matt Menard, Anna Jay, and Tay Conti were waiting. Jericho arrived and invited them in. The camera followed them. Parker said he’s not sure about the J.A.S. anymore. Jay told Jericho he is being selfish. She said they’ve spent all this time appreciating him, but he doesn’t appreciate them. She said until he does, they’re not appreciating him. Jericho said, “Come on, guys. You think this is easy for me?” Menard said it looks pretty to him, so he should figure it out fast. [c]
-A clip aired of Billy Gunn indicating he was retiring last week when he unlaced his boots and left them in the ring.
(4) DR. BRITT BAKER vs. TAYA VALKYRIE
Schiavone pointed out this is the first-ever match-up between these two. Baker came out first. She leaned in the corner and stared down Valkyrie during her entrance. The bell rang 24 minutes into the hour. Valkyrie methodically beat up Baker for four minutes and then they cut to a split-screen break. [c/ss]
Baker made a comeback and landed a Panama Sunrise after the break. Baker put on her white glove and signaled for the Lock Jaw. Valkyrie recovered enough to fend her off. She set up a move, but Baker broke free and applied the Lock Jaw for the immediate tapout win. I kid you not, the director cut to a big fan sign that said, “Book the Women’s Division Better” and held that shot for a couple of seconds.
WINNER: Baker in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was probably the weakest looking Lock Jaw I’ve seen. Baker barely applied it and Valkyrie tapped before it was even applied. Maybe she just doesn’t like fingers in her mouth.)
-A series of vignettes aired with Nyla Rose, Sonjay Dutt & Co., Brian Cage & Big Bill, The Hardys, and others hyping the Tag Team Eliminator Battle Royal on Rampage this Friday.
-Excalibur plugged other Rampage matches: The Kingdom in action, Scorpio Sky vs. Kip Sabian, and Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose. Collision features: FTR vs. MJF & Cole, Andrade El Idolo vs. Buddy Matthews in a ladder match, Juice Robinson & The Gunns vs. El Hijo del Vikingo & Action Andretti & Darius Martin. A vignette aired with soundbites from Andrade and Matthews. Dynamite features: Jericho & Takeshita vs. Garcia & Guevara, a face-to-face with Lynn and Perry, and more for the 200th Episode of Dynamite.
-The Best Friends came out first. [c]
(5) JON MOXLEY & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI (w/Wheeler Yuta) vs. THE BEST FRIENDS (Chuck Taylor & Trent Berreta) vs. THE LUCHA BROTHERS (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix w/Alex Abrahantes)
The Lucha Bros. came out next. Moxley led Claudio and Yuta out. All three teams brawled at ringside 43 minutes into the hour and eventually up the ramp. Chuck landed a running leap off the ramp and flipped onto a crowd below. Claudio and Fenix were the first two who actually entered the ring and fought. A brief “Moxley” chant came from the crowd when he entered the ring and went after Fenix. They cut to a split-screen break at 7:00. [c/ss]
Mox and Claudio dominated during the break. Eventually Mox and Claudio were knocked to ringside so the Lucha Bros. and Best Friends battled. Mox and Claudio returned refreshed and took control again. Orange Cassidy came out next and punched Yuta. Berretta landed a Crunchy on Claudio, but the ref informed him he wasn’t the legal man. Fenix superkicked Berretta as Penta had him up for a piledriver. Penta then crashed him down to the mat and scored the win.
WINNERS: Lucha Bros. in 15:00.
-Everyone brawled at ringside after the break. Excalibur announced that Mox vs. Berretta vs. Penta in an Anything Goes match was just announced by Tony Khan. Taz called it a spin-off of this match. Cassidy hit Claudio with an Orange Punch right before they cut the feed at the end of the show.
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