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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
OCTOBER 4, 2023
STOCKTON, CALIF. AT STOCKTON ARENA
AIRED ON TBS
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
[HOUR ONE]
-The usual AEW Dynamite opening theme aired. Then they cut to the arena where pyro blasted on the stage as Excalibur introduced the show. He said it’s the fourth anniversary of Dynamite’s premiere and “we’re not stopping anytime soon.” He said they are “absolutely loaded.” He hyped “Rated-R Superstar” Adam Copeland, Nick Jackson challenging Rey Fenix, and Sammy Guevara & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kenny Omega & Chris Jericho.
-Renee Paquette interviewed Omega and Jericho backstage. She said four years ago they were on opposite ends of the ring from each other, but now they are aligned. Jericho said just days after the 33rd anniversary of his in-ring debut, they align to take out the Don Callis Family. “Now that’s what I call an anniversary celebration!” In walked Copeland. He said it’s so good to see Renee. He mentioned there’s a lot of Canadian energy there with the four of them and there should be maple syrup flowing. He shook hands with Jericho. Omega said it’s nice to meet him and he offered a handshake. He paused before shaking his hand. He asked him to let him know if he needs anything. Copeland said he’s going to issue his mission statement later, but he wished them luck against Don Callis since he still can’t stand him. Jericho asked Renee, “What about me?” Renee said it’s always good to see him. She said under her breath, “I like him a little better.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Copeland’s appearance explains why they inserted that backstage interview at the top of the show, a departure from Dynamite’s usual format. Seems like an early indication of a future Copeland vs. Omega match. That didn’t seem like it would’ve been on anyone’s bingo card a year ago.)
(1) REY FENIX (w/Alex Abrahantes, Penta) vs. NICK JACKSON (w/Matt Jackson) – AEW International Championship match
Jackson made his entrance first, accompanied by Matt on the stage. Excalibur said this will be Jackson’s fifth singles match in AEW. Excalibur talked about Fenix entering the match injured and the possibility that the International Title is jinxed because wrestlers who hold it end up injured. Schiavone said there aren’t any wrestlers who don’t wrestle hurt. The bell rang six minutes into the hour.
Schiavone said four years ago they changed the landscape of pro wrestling and four years later, they’re still going strong. When Fenix lifted Nick, his back gave out and he collapsed. Fenix armdragged Nick out of mid-air on a dive at ringside, but again favored his back. They fought at ringside where Nick springboarded off the ringside barricade and head-scissored Fenix.
Back in the ring, Nick stayed on offense. Nick aimed a roundkick at Fenix on the ring apron, but Fenix moved and Nick kicked the ringpost. Fenix swept Nick’s leg and Nick landed head-first on the ring apron. Fenix dropped down at ringside as they cut to a split-screen break at 4:00. [c/ss]
During the break, Penta and Alex checked on Fenix. Nick sustained offense against Fenix during the break. After the break, they battled back and forth and ended up knocking each other down. They were both down and slow to get up as fans stood and applauded. (Part of the fun sequence was Fenix kipping up twice after two superkicks by Nick, which probably doesn’t speak well of the impact of Nick’s signature kick!)
Nick gave a charging Fenix a cutter at ringside at 9:00. Again, both were down and slow to get up. Nick landed a leaping piledriver for a near fall. Nick grabbed his shin after a kick. Fenix and Nick battled on the top rope seconds later. Nick landed a cutter off the top rope for a near fall. The crowd chanted, “Holy shit!” Nick landed a Destroyer a minute later for a near fall.
Fenix battled back and landed a frog splash mid-ring for a dramatic near fall at 13:00. A “Fight forever!” chant broke out. Nick rolled up Fenix, but Fenix rolled back and leveraged Nick’s shoulders down for the win. Fenix celebrated gleefully, but also couldn’t stand and collapsed when he tried, reaching for his back and wincing.
WINNER: Fenix in 14:00 to retain the International Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Great athleticism. Really dynamic opening match.)
-A video package aired on the latest with MJF, Adam Cole, and Roderick Strong. Excalibur said Cole put off his surgery to go visit Roderick earlier in the day.
-They aired Cole visiting Strong at home. The audio quality was a mess. Strong gave Cole a rolling stand-up scooter for him so he could roll around with him with a bad knee. Cole asked what the emergency was he talked about. Strong said the fung shui was all wrong and he needed Cole to move furniture for him. Strong said that’s what friends do. Cole ended up lifting things around the house as Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett watched. Strong was impressed. When Cole tried to leave, Strong said he still needs his help.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s a bummer the correct audio channel didn’t air on TV. TV viewers heard the echo of the sound blaring in the arena, but no direct feed, and it pretty much ruined the segment. It was Cole mugging for the camera in a slapstick over-the-top way. Why did Cole agree to move his furniture if able-bodied Taven and Bennett were there? Or is that the “funny part”? Sigh.)
(2) WARDLOW vs. GRIFF GARRISON
This was a surprise appearance by Wardlow, who hadn’t wrestled since June. He attacked Garrison at the bell as Garrison was still warming up against the ropes. Wardlow stomped away at Garrison as a “Wardlow” chant rang out. Wardlow aggressively powerbombed Garrison five times. The ref just stopped the match.
WINNER: Wardlow in about 1:00.
-Excalibur threw to a video package on Copeland’s AEW debut at WrestleDream. [c]
-Renee interviewed Callis and Konosuke Takeshita backstage. Callis revealed that Guevara was not cleared by the AEW medical staff. He said there’s no shortage of eager young athletes wanting to show what they can do. He said Kyle Fletcher will be the replacement partner for Takeshita. Callis said battles are won and lost in a war and no one remembers those; he said they remember who wins the war and he vowed to win the war. (Did he just concede tonight’s match?)
-They went to the announcers on camera. Excalibur said “our colleagues at TBS” had trouble with the audio feed earlier for the Cole-Strong feud, so they would replay it.
-The video of Cole visiting Strong’s house aired with proper audio again.
(3) BUTCHER & THE BLADE & KIP SABIAN vs. THE ACCLAIMED (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) & BILLY GUNN
Caster rapped about emergency alerts on phones and Blade and Butcher’s heads being so shiny “I always knew you guys polished each other’s knobs.” The heel trio attacked The Acclaimed and Billy as they entered the ring. The babyface trio battled back at ringside and then entered the ring to celebrate as the heel trio recovered. They scissored each other.
The bell rang officially 37 minutes into the hour. Butcher and Blade took control against Caster. Sabian then springboard-flipped onto both Caster and Bowens. They cut to a split-screen break at 1:00. [c/ss]
With the match as a backdrop, Excalibur plugged next Tuesday’s line-up: Rey Fenix vs. Jon Moxley, Saraya vs. Hikaru Shida, Copeland vs. Luchasaurus, Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland to earn a TNT Title match. Bowens and Caster doubled up on Sabian and got the pin. After the win, Caster molested his tag team title belt and then let fans scissors his belt after he performed cunnilingus on it. Bowens played air guitar with his belt.
WINNERS: Acclaimed & Gunn in 6:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m thinking that got cut a few minutes short because of the “need” to replay the Cole-Strong video skit.)
-The third part of R.J. City’s interview with Toni Storm aired. R.J. talked about her wrestling for 14 years. Storm threw her shoe at him and said she’s focused on now. She grabbed him by his shirt and said he has no idea what it’s like to be in the spotlight and have all your friends leave you. She said she always asks if she has “it” or is just lucky, and wonders if it can all be taken away. R.J. said, “You’re not even old!” Toni had an epiphany and said over and over, dramatically, “I’m timeless!” Her new nickname is now “Timeless” Toni Storm, according to the graphic noting that she’d wrestle later.
(Keller’s Analysis: These have been fun. Sad to them come to an end, but good not to overstay your welcome, even if you are timeless.) [c]
-An emotional Bryan Danielson said he’s never gotten to wrestle the style match in front of AEW fans until Sunday’s against Zack Sabre Jr. He said he’s a little bit upset, though, because he thought they’d determine who the best technical wrestler is. He yelled that Zack oesn’t have the heart and soul he has to go out there and compete. There were soundbites with ZSJ also.
(Keller’s Analysis: The way it was edited, it felt a bit melodramatic. Danielson felt over-the-top with his raging emotions without more context.)
-A video package aired on “Swerve” Strickland beating “Hangman” Adam Page at WrestleDream. Hangman said Swerve’s victory over him via cheating doesn’t put him in his position.
(Keller’s Analysis: The background music was loud enough it was tough to make out what Hangman was saying. That happens a lot with AEW.)
-Excalibur plugged Swerve vs. Danielson next Tuesday in a match for no. 1 contendership for the TNT Title.
-A clip aired of the Jay White-MJF segment last week and then the attack at the end of Dynamite. Excalibur said MJF said the mask was stolen from his locker room. Taz said he believed MJF.
-Bullet Club Gold made their way to the ring, minus White. Austin Gunn asked, “Who’s ready for storytime with the Bang Bang Gang!” Austin said they’re not there to talk about the “soft brittle injury-prone one,” but rather the short brown-haired one who calls himself the devil. Colten called MJF “the People’s Douchebag.” He made fun of him for coming up with “tofu” as the key insult for White. He said he jumped White because he’s scared. Juice called him to come to the ring because he has some explaining to do. After a pause, he said he’s not man enough. MJF’s music played.
MJF stepped onto the stage and said, “Cut my music.” He said, “The Devil has arrived in Stockton, California.” He said they were making interesting accusations. He called Juice “a talentless taint.” Juice grabbed his crotch and said, “I’ve got a rock hard taint!” MJF said they’re about to have one of the loudest dueling chants of all time: “Ass boys! / Talentless taint!”
MJF said he’s done a lot of horrible things in his life, and since this is the fourth anniversary of Dynamite, he’s going to list them off. He said he’s a raging narcissistic so he wanted a louder cheer. Fans cheered louder. He said he threw Jericho off of the top of a cage to his near death, he whipped Cody Rhodes ten times with his belt, he gave several children dodgeball-related injuries, and he almost got them kicked off TV when he decided to call his boss Tony Khan “an f’n mark.”
MJF said he knows for a fact that he didn’t beat White, “a/k/a Tofu.” Some fans chanted “Tofu.” (It didn’t seem like the crowd was super into that, though.) He suggested they have a Stockton Street Fight. He marched to the ring. Taz said it’s not a good idea to go to the ring alone. The Gunns and Juice bailed out. Jay White showed up and attacked MJF with a Blade Runner.
EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are interested in becoming a volunteer contributor on the PWTorch team, let me know. We are, in particular, looking to fill the vacant NXT Hits & Misses and Smackdown Hits & Misses columns and someone to help with same-night coverage of AEW’s post-PPV Tony Khan media Q&As. There are other openings also. Let me know if you are interested: kellerwade@gmail.com.
[HOUR TWO]
White took the AEW World Title belt to the stage. He said he’s a cut above who MJF usually deals with, so “your cheap parlor tricks and games don’t work.” He said they don’t believe his denial, “unlike all of these filthy poors.” He said MJF is a dirty, pathetic liar and a slimy, gutless coward. He said AEW needs a truly elite champion, and MJF “is not him.” He then challenged MJF to prove him wrong by defending against him at Full Gear. MJF accepted his challenge.
(Keller’s Analysis: I’m happy they’ve announced this six weeks in advance. I’m also eager to see how they fill six weeks of TV time to make this match feel even bigger by the time they get to it. White is a superstar out there. MJF has had better crowd reactions.)
-Renee interviewed Hook and Orange Cassidy backstage. Cassidy said they would have made great tag team champions. He told Hook that he is a champion. Hook told Cassidy that he should be a champion again and it should be him against Fenix next week instead of Mox. Cassidy said he was champion for 11 months and Mox was just champion for three weeks. They shared chips out of Hook’s bag.
(4) KENNY OMEGA & CHRIS JERICHO vs. KYLE FLETCHER & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA
Jericho made his entrance first as fans sang his entrance theme, “Judas.” Omega came out second. Excalibur said it’s so tough to get used to Omega and Jericho together since they’ve been rivals pre-dating their time in AEW. He said it says something about “what garbage water Don Callis is” that mutual hatred of him brought them together. Fletcher and Takeshita came out together with Callis; Callis then joined the announcers on commentary.
Callis called Fletcher “a potential recruit.” Callis said Takeshita and Fletcher are two of the best under-30 wrestlers in the world. The bell rang 9 minutes into the hour. Excalibur noted that Fletcher’s usual partner, Mark Davis, suffered an injury at WrestleDream. Takeshita and Jericho exchanged strikes mid-ring. Omega got a nice pop when he tagged in and then a “Kenny! Kenny!” chant broke out. Takeshita raked Jericho’s eyes a minute later and they cut to split-screen break a few minutes in. [c/ss]
Back live, Jericho hot-tagged Omega. That also got a big pop. Fletcher and Omega battled. Takeshita jumped Omega from behind. Omega battled back and hit Fletcher with a rolling back stabber. The ref let Fletcher and Takeshita stay in the ring and double-team Omega for two minutes, which got ridiculous. Jericho recovered and joined in. Takeshita and Fletcher both drove Jericho and Omega to the mat with a Blue Thunder Bomb and Michinoku Driver for stereo two counts.
Omega and Fletcher battled one-on-one after that chaos. Omega landed a snap dragon and tagged Jericho back in. Jericho landed hard chops. More four-way action broke out with rapid fire moves. Fletcher landed a brainbuster on Omega. All four were down and slow to get up. An “AEW! AEW!” chant broke out. Fletcher and Jericho sat up and exchanged chops. They stood and then knocked each other down immediately with simultaneous clotheslines. They cut to a second split-screen break at 10:00. [c/ss]
During the break, Jericho locked on a Walls of Jericho on Fletcher. Takeshita broke it up. Back to full screen, Jericho crawled over and hot-tagged in Omega. He went at Fletcher who fired back until Omega stopped him with a knee, a powerbomb, and a V-Trigger for a near fall. When Takeshita interfered, Omega gave him a snap dragon to send him rolling to ringside. Fletcher caught Omega with a flying wheel kick. Jericho entered and gave him a Code Breaker. Omega then quicky finished Fletcher with a One-Winged Angel. “The kid screwed me!” exclaimed Callis. “I gave him a chance and he screwed me; he screwed the whole family.”
WINNERS: Omega & Jericho in 15:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Tremendous tag match. Fletcher really stood out as belonging in the ring with Omega and Jericho. His exchanges with Omega were the highlight of the match.)
-Callis yelled at Omega and Jericho. Powerhouse Hobbs attacked Omega and Jericho, clotheslining both of them. As he beat on Omega in the crowd, Excalibur wondered if this meant Hobbs was now aligned with Callis. Hobbs yanked a rail off of a guard rail and then he put Omega’s head in the opening and choked him. Callis applauded and smiled at ringside. Hobbs threw Omega back to ringside and then Callis and Takeshita threw him into the ring. Omega was gasping for breath.
Excalibur said Matt accompanied Nick Jackson to the hospital earlier in the night and Hangman isn’t in Stockton, “so Omega is all alone.” (Only his close friends are allowed to help him?) They taped Omega’s arms to the top rope. Jericho recovered and stepped in front of Omega. Hobbs jabbed Jericho in the head with the chair, then turned back to Omega. Hobbs then wound up with the chair. Callis asked to do it. Callis then bashed Omega across the skull with the chair. “That’s scary to watch,” said Excalibur. Callis held up the chair with a dent in it. “That is something from an era of professional wrestling I never hoped to see again.” Taz said he was part of that era, unfortunately. Callis kicked away at a prone Omega.
(Keller’s Analysis: Unprotected chairshots to the head, huh? Sigh. On the bright side, this seems like a good addition to the Don Callis Family. Good for both Callis and Hobbs.)
-Renee interviewed MJF backstage. Caster, Bowens, and Gunn were in the background. Caster gave MJF a massage. MJF leaped up and said he’s so sick of him. He said he’s a stalker leaving weird notes in his bag. Caster said, “It’s not like that.” MJF said he’s going to get a restraining order on him. Caster smiled and left. MJF called Cole. He said he can’t do it alone anymore. It went to voicemail. MJF was frustrated. [c]
-A vignette aired with Samoa Joe. He was in a suit and cutting a cigar in what looked like a hotel conference room. He talked about being a champion many times and he knows what it means to be hungry vs. satisfied. Vintage ROH footage aired. He said to truly be a champion in this day and age, he needs to regain the hunger. He said he is focused and ready to become AEW World Champion. He said MJF earned his respect, but soon enough he’ll realize that when he’s hungry, he always manages to eat.
(Keller’s Analysis: I loved that. Joe delivered those lines so well, and it felt like a declaration that he has at times been satisfied, but now he’s hungry for more. The camera angle, the suit, the cigars, and the setting mixed with vintage and recent clips worked well. This was one of AEW’s better vignettes.)
(5) “TIMELESS” TONI STORM vs. SKYE BLUE
Skye Blue came out first. She spun around a bit but then had a nonchalant “over it” demeanor the rest of the way to the ring. Storm came out in black and white effect, and then color returned as soon as she entered the ring. Her lipstick was smeared. Storm hit Skye with a short-arm lariat after pretending to be introducing herself to Blue. The the ref called for the bell 40 minutes into the hour. A graphic hyped that Copeland was coming up later. (Too much time passed between plugs for that.) Storm knocked Skye to the floor, then looked at the camera and said it was time to hear from some very important sponsors. They cut to an early break about two minutes in. [c/ss]
Storm beat up Blue at ringside during most of the break. Back to full screen, Blue made a comeback and landed a running high knee to the chin. She landed a top rope crossbody next for a two count at 5:00. As Skye complained to the ref, Blue went on the attack and scored another two count. Sky snap German suplexed Blue to take back control. She yelled “I’m pretty!” She got lost in the moment, then charged with a hip attack and Storm Zero for the win.
WINNER: Storm in 7:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Storm’s ring entrance was brilliant. She has found a way to work a credible style in the ring that incorporates her character, also. I want to see AEW do “fan cam” footage of her in character in a diner, walking around town, checking in at a hotel, etc.)
-Excalibur hyped Rampage: Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs. Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir, Penta vs. Kommander vs. Johnny TV vs. Lince Dorado, and The Hardys & Best Friends vs. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker & Daniel Garcia & Jake Hager.
-Renee interviewed Stokely Hathaway who talked about the four-way with an ROH Title shot on the line. He said Eddie Kingston will be at ringside doing commentary to see who is next in line for his title. “We need a champion that smells like Tom Ford, not Burger King and Newports.”
-A clip aired of Ricky Starks & Big Bill winning an eight-person tag match with a pinfall on Dax, which led to FTR defending against Starks & Bill on Collision on Saturday. Also, Storm vs. Kiera Hogan.
-Excalibur hyped “Title Tuesday” Dynamite next week: Fenix vs. Moxley for the International Title, Strickland vs. Danielson, Saraya vs. Hikaru Shida, Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Chris Jericho, Jay White vs. “Hangman” Adam Page, and Adam Copeland vs. Luchasaurus. [c]
-Schiavone introduced Adam Copeland. Taz said he’s known Copeland a long time and it’s great to see him in AEW. Excalibur said he’s a legend and a great addition to AEW. Schiavone said his arrival was the biggest news in pro wrestling this week. Copeland told Schiavone that his voice was the soundtrack to his childhood. He told Schiavone that he loves him, but this is his ring now, “so hit the bricks.” Copeland said that in the nicest way possible.
Fans loudly chanted “Adam!” (Easier to chant his first name than “Edge!”) He said he’s never heard that before and he likes it. He said in 2011 he was told he could never wrestle again, but it’s 2023 and he is standing in an AEW ring. An “AEW!” chant broke out. He said the AEW Championship would look good around his waist. He said there’s a roster full of compelling first-time match-ups for him. He referred to himself in the third person, said he had never done that before, and then vowed not to do it again.
He listed Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, Miro, Powerhouse Hobbs, Jay White, and Juice Robinson. (Interesting who he said and who he left off.) He said the fans are helping make this happen. He said the main reason he decided to come to AEW is that he sat down with his family. He said he asked his daughters, who are 7 and 9 years old, if he should retire. He said Lyric said, “You should go have fun with Uncle Jay (Christian Cage).” He said he’s referring to Christian Cage. He called Christian to the ring so he can tell him the real reason he’s there.
Copeland looked at the stage, but Christian didn’t come out at first. Then Christian’s music played. Christian entered the ring. A “Holy shit!” chant rang out. Copeland talked about being best friends before getting into the industry and the industry made them believe they’d be best friends for life. He said he’s sure Christian wants to know why he did what he did at WrestleDream.
He said he sees Christian’s face looking “more like a [bleep] than usual.” He said even though he knows all about him, he still loves him and that will never go away. He said he saw him standing over Sting, “a guy whose poster you brought to the barber so she’d cut your hair the same way as Sting’s.” Copeland said he was Lex Luger.
He said Sting has entertained people for over four decades and has caused people to feel for four decades. He said he can’t stand back and watch him smash him with a Conchairto. He said he also did it because he knows that Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne are going to drop him as soon as they’ve sucked all of his information out of his brain. He said Christian’s too egotistical to see it coming. Copeland said he’s there because it’s time, for the first time in over 20 years, for them to team together again and face teams like FTR and The Young Bucks and show a whole new generation of fans why they are one of the greatest tag teams of all time.
He asked Christian to do it again and end their careers as a team. Fans chanted, “One more time!” Christian held out his hand. Copeland handed him the mic. They hugged before Christian said anything. Christian then said, “Go [bleep] yourself.” Fans gasped. Christian released the hug and walked out of the ring and didn’t look back as Edge soaked up the moment. Fans chanted, “Asshole!”
Christian got to the stage and said he wanted to remind him what he’ll be up against on Tuesday live on Dynamite. Luchasaurus’s music played and he walked out with Nick Wayne and they stood by Christian.
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