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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
FEBRUARY 14, 2024
AUSTIN, TEX. AT H-E-B CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON TBS
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
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—AEW Dynamite opening played. There was a firework display. They showed a wide shot of the arena with the crowd seated on the floor and first deck.
—Jon Moxley came out from the crowd to a big reaction. Dax Harwood came out with Cash Wheeler to a solid reaction. Wheeler went to the back.
(1) JON MOXLEY vs. DAX HARWOOD
The crowd was split chanting “Let’s go Moxley” and “FTR”. Moxley backed Harwood into the corner. Moxley smooched Harwood on the lips. Moxley placed his hands behind his back. Harwood smooched Moxley on the lips. The commentators noted it was Valentine’s Day. The action began picking up as Harwood and Moxley exchanged big strikes. Moxley went for a bulldog choke but Harwood countered into a rollup for a near fall. The action moved the floor as Moxley launched Harwood over the barricade. Harwood responded by catching Moxley with a sit-out powerbomb for a two count. Harwood and Moxley both went for a suplex as they tumbled to the floor. [c]
The crowd cheered as Harwood and Moxley exchanged strikes as they returned from commercial break. Moxley caught Harwood in a guillotine on the ropes. Moxley delivered strikes but Harwood hanged onto the ropes. Moxley bit Harwood’s hand, sending him off the ropes. Harwood responded by catching Moxley with a superplex. Harwood and Moxley exchanged head butts from their knees. Harwood applied a Sharpshooter but Moxley broke free. Moxley went for an arm bar but Harwood blocked. Harwood caught Moxley with a piledriver for a two count. The crowd chanted “This Is Awesome.”
Moxley rolled to the floor. Harwood went after Moxley on the floor. Moxley kicked the ropes between Harwood’s leg as he was entering the ring. Moxley caught Harwood with a cutter. Moxley followed by hitting a curb stomp. Moxley delivered a piledriver but Harwood kicked out at two. Moxley went for a Paradigm Shift but Harwood blocked. Harwood planted Moxley with a brainbuster for a two count. Harwood went for a flying head butt but Moxley moved. Moxley placed Harwood in a bulldog choke for the submission win.
WINNER: Jon Moxley in 18:45
—Moxley refused to release Harwood from the bulldog choke. Cash Wheeler ran down, attacking Moxley. Claudio Castagnoli ran down to make the save. Claudio gave Wheeler the Neutralizer. The crowd chanted “BCC!” Moxley placed Harwood in a sleeper hold. Claudio placed Wheeler in a crossface. Moxley and Claudio left through the crowd.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a really good back and forth action packed match. Hardwood hasn’t had many single matches in AEW. A really good showing from Harwood getting a chance to work a single’s match with Moxley who is one of AEW’s top stars. A strong showing from Moxley looking strong in the win. The post-match angle was pretty interesting with Blackpool Combat Club leaning more heel. The crowd really likes the BCC act so it’s interesting to see AEW trying to turn them heel again.)
—Renee Paquette was backstage with Don Callis, Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs. Callis said nobody wants to face either Hobbs or Takeshita. He said Takeshita needs to be on the Revolution show. He said he had all the talent within the family to make a match. He said he was going to put together the match of the decade. He said Takeshita will face Will Ospreay at Revolution. Renee asked why Callis would have two family members face each other. Callis brought up how his dad used to have drinks at night. He said his dad made him and his brothers fight in the backyard and everything was fine. He said the Don Callis Family will win and be stronger together.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This is a great way to have Will Ospreay start his run in AEW by wrestling Takeshita at the Revolution PPV. I liked the story as well with Callis wanting to see his two best wrestlers in the faction face each other. I would have Ospreay win the match and that begins the split away from the Don Callis Family.)
(2) WARDLOW vs. BARRETT BROWN
Wardlow came out to a mild reaction. Adam Cole didn’t come out with Wardlow. Cole was already ringside to do commentary for the match. Wardlow rocked Brown with a hangman knee strike. Wardlow flexed while looking at himself on the screen. Wardlow planted Brown with a Last Ride Powerbomb for the win.
WINNER: Wardlow in 1:10
(Amin’s Thoughts: We’ve seen plenty of Wardlow squash matches. This was just another Wardlow squash match. The Undisputed Kingdom feels ice cold.)
—Matthew & Nicholas Jackson were shown arriving in a private jet. They were still wearing their blood stained coats. [c]
(3) ADAM COPELAND vs. DANIEL GARCIA
Adam Copeland came out to a big reaction and firework display. Daniel Garcia got a solid reaction. The crowd cheered when Garcia did his dance. Matt Menard joined commentary for the match. Copeland took control rocking Garcia with forearm smashes. Copeland went for a crossface. Garcia countered into an ankle lock but Copeland grabbed the ropes. Copeland caught Garcia with a standing splash for a near fall. The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Adam” and “Let’s Go Danny”. Garcia caught Copeland with a drop toe hold. The crowd cheered as Garcia did his signature dance. Copeland caught Garcia going for a dive. Copeland connected with a shoulder breaker. Copeland launched Garcia crashing into the turnbuckle as they went to break. [c]
Copeland caught Garcia on the ropes as they returned from commercial break. Garcia responded, stopping Copeland from climbing the ropes. Garcia battled back, catching Copeland with a dragon screw. Garcia rocked Copeland with a running boot. Garcia delivered another dragon screw. Garcia applied an STF but Copeland broke free. Garcia caught Copeland with an inverted dragon screw. Garcia went to climb the ropes but Copeland stopped him. Copeland caught Garcia with an avalanche impaler DDT. Copeland went for a spear but Garcia caught him with a knee strike. Garcia applied a jackknife cover for a two count. Copeland caught Garcia in a crossface. Nick Wayne and Killswitch attacked Copeland and Garcia. The crowd booed the finish.
WINNER: No Contest in 13:00
—Killswitch and Wayne continued to attack Copeland and Garcia after the match. The crowd booed as TNT Champion Christian Cage came out with Shayna Wayne. Christian grabbed a pair of chairs. Menard stopped Christian from using the chairs. Killswitch attacked Menard from behind. Killswitch gave Garcia a chokeslam. Copeland returned, attacking Killswitch and Wayne with chairs. Copeland stopped Christian from using a chair. The crowd cheered as Copeland teased attacking Christian with a chair. Shayna gave Copeland a low blow. Nick delivered Wayne’s World cutter to Copeland. Christian gave Copeland a Con-Chair-To. Christian posed with the TNT Title. The crowd booed. Garcia checked on Copeland. [c]
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a good match. A good showing from Garcia getting the chance to work a competitive match with Copeland. They already have an AEW World Title three-way match at Revolution. I really hope this isn’t leading to another three-way match for the TNT Title. I’m wondering if they are writing Copeland off the Revolution show with the Con-Chair-To angle.)
—They showed highlights of “Hangman” Adam Page and “Swerve” Strickland going to a time-limit draw last week on Dynamite.
—Excalibur on commentary noted Copeland walked to the back with Garcia and an AEW doctor.
—AEW World Champion Samoa Joe came out to a big reaction. The crowd chanted “Joe! Joe! Joe!” Joe introduced him to the crowd as the World Champion. He said he came here with a spirit of apology. He said when he became champion he brought back the AEW rankings to ensure the very best victims were served up to be destroyed by him. He said everything was going well till Hangman and Strickland battled to a draw. The crowd booed. He said the championship committee took a page from the Texas playbook. He said the committee made it bigger and dumber. He said they reward mediocrity around here and didn’t tell the pretenders they didn’t belong in the ring with him. He said instead he found himself in a three way match. He said they will both walk in. He guaranteed they would both limp out. He said he stands here as AEW World Champion and nobody could do anything about it.
“Swerve” Strickland music played. Strickland came out to a big reaction. They showed members of the crowd doing Prince Nana’s dance. There were big chants of “Swerve’s House!” He said when he started this thing it wasn’t supposed to be personal. He said it’s getting more personal the more Joe runs his mouth. He said when Joe won the AEW World Title. He said that. The crowd laughed and cheered. He said you show up, put your reputation and put your rise on that. He said he’s on his way to becoming one of the greatest of all-time and told Joe to check his resume and put some respect on it. He spoke about facing former world champions and some of the best legends AEW has to offer. He said he was always the one left standing. He said nothing would change at Revolution aside from him holding the AEW World Title above his head.
The crowd booed as “Hangman” Adam Page came out to no music. He said he wasn’t mad after last week’s match on Dynamite. He said not to write he was mad when you write your weekly Dynamite reports. I wonder if that’s his way letting us know that people in AEW read weekly online reviews of Dynamite? He said last week was something which ended in s*it” that was censored. He said he signed a contract last week that the winner would be the number one contender. He said if it was up to him the match would be between two men who value everything that champion stands for. The crowd booed. He said Strickland was added to the match. He said Strickland doesn’t deserve one second of his time after everything he did to him. The crowd booed. He said Strickland doesn’t deserve five more minutes because he couldn’t get the job done. He said Strickland doesn’t deserve to be in the match.
Joe told Hangman and Strickland to get back. He said Hangman wasn’t going to beat Strickland to win the title. He said Strickland wasn’t going to beat Hangman to win the title. He said he’s going to whip both Hangman and Strickland’s asses at Revolution. The crowd cheered. He slammed the mic and left the ring. Joe’s music played. The crowd chanted “Joe! Joe! Joe!”
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a strong segment building up the AEW World Title three-way match. Joe was awesome on the mic as he has such a commanding presence. Hangman hasn’t turned heel but it’s almost complete. I could see a scenario where Strickland is on the verge of winning the title at Revolution but Hangman ends up costing him the title. The scenario coming out of Revolution should be Joe retaining the AEW World Title and Hangman right on the verge of going heel.)
—“Timeless” Toni Storm presents Wet Ink. She showed her ankle tattoo. She said Deonna Purrazzo was her young girl. She said she brought Purrazzo into Japan and helped her sign a contract. She said Purrazzo “bit the teeth that feeds.” She was shown getting her tattoo done. She said Purrazzo would get the old “Toni Storm” and so much more. She asked what do you do when you can’t change the past? They showed a past photo of Storm and Purrazzo. She said you kill it.
—Renee was standing backstage with Deonna Purrazzo. She said Storm talks too much. She said she was going to make this short and sweet. She said “Toni, I’m going to break your arm, b*itch,”
—Matthew & Nicholas were shown leaving an SUV limo backstage. They came out to some new music. They told Justin Roberts to introduce them as Executive Vice Presidents.
(4) MATTHEW & NICHOLAS JACKSON (The Young Bucks) vs. DANTE & DARIUS MARTIN (Top Flight)
Nicholas left the ring and told the commentators to respect them. Matthew held Dante and Nicholas away. Dante and Darius rocked Matthew with strikes. Dante and Darius delivered stereo plancha to Matthew and Nicholas on the floor. Darius rocked Matthew with a basement dropkick for a near fall. Nicholas caused a distraction. Matthew took advantage, rocking Darius with a clothesline. [c]
Darius rocked both Matthew and Nicholas with clotheslines as they returned from the commercial break. Dante ran wild catching Matthew with a springboard crossbody for a two count. Dante and Darius caught Matthew and Nicholas with stereo sunset slip for a two count. Matthew responded by catching Dante with a DDT. Dante responded by catching Matthew with a hurricanrana. Darius planted Matthew with a Tornado DDT but Nicholas made the save. Dante connected with a tope to Nicholas on the floor. Darius caught Matthew with a Spanish Fly for a two count. Nicholas dropped Dante on the barricade. Matthew went for a leverage pin but the referee stopped him. Nicholas argued with the referee. Matthew nailed Darius with a low blow. The crowd booed. Matthew and Nicholas delivered the EVP Trigger to Darius for the win.
WINNERS: Matthew & Nicholas Jackson in 13:10.
—Tony Schiavone interviewed Matthew and Nicholas after the match. Matthew gloated about them being undefeated. He said after beating Top Flight it’s safe to assume they are number one contenders. The crowd booed. They showed a graphic of Matthew & Nicholas as number one contenders. Schiavone noted Sting wasn’t on the show because of the despicable heinous act. Matthew called Schiavone’s act disparaging. Nicholas fined Schiavone a $1,000 fine. Nicholas asked Schiavone if he had a problem with the fine. Nicholas shoved Schiavone who fell to the mat. The crowd booed. Matthew offered to help Schiavone up. Matthew offered his hand. Schiavone accepted. Nicholas grabbed Schiavone’s other hand. Matthew and Nicholas teased giving Schiavone the EVP Trigger.
The crowd cheered as Darby Allin ran down carrying a baseball bat to make the save. He told Matthew and Nicholas to remind everyone of the original mission statement of AEW. Darby said “Change The World!” He said he begged them for a job. He said he had to sit by and watch all your sh*t friends get hired.” He referred to them as the “California Crew.” He said Thank God there was one EVP with a sense of brains and said “he wasn’t talking about Kenny Omega.” This led to the crowd chanting “Cody! Cody! Cody!”
He recalled an interview The Young Bucks did after they re-signed with AEW. He said they re-signed because the travel was light and money was good. He said AEW’s original mission statement is dead. He thought this was All Elite Wrestling, but it looks like All Friendship Wrestling. He recalled not being on the Dynamite debut episode. He said Brandon Cutler was.. He said “What the …” without saying the last word. He said The Bucks don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into. He accepted the tag team match for Revolution.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a solid tag team match. I liked how they kept the high flying to a bare minimum to get over Matthew & Nicholas’ new heel act as a team. Darby’s delivery on the mic was great. They were leaning really heavily with the inside references which isn’t going to work for everyone. This was good as they did what’s needed to announce the tag title match for Revolution.)
—Renee was backstage with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang. Antony Bowens gave Renee a rose for Valentine’s Day. Jay White said they all have the gold but need to work on cohesiveness. Billy Gunn suggested a 12-man tag for Rampage. Austin cut Billy off. Austin suggested the 12-man tag. Billy agreed saying should have a tag on Rampage. They all did their catchphrases.
(Amin’s Thoughts: I’m sure they are building a split between Bullet Club Gold and The Acclaimed to possibly unify the AEW Trios and ROH Six-Man Titles. Jay White is one of the most talented wrestlers on the AEW roster. White was challenging for the AEW World Title at the Full Gear PPV just last November. I would just like to see White do something better on the show.)
(6) WILLOW NIGHTINGALE (w/Stokely Hathaway) vs. SKYE BLUE
Nightingale came out with Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway. Statlander went to the back. Hathaway joined commentary. Willow got a really nice reaction from the crowd. Skye Blue came out with TBS Champion Julia Hart. Hart went to the back. Blue started quickly catching Nightingale with a woo dropkick. Blue went for a dragon sleeper but Nightingale broke free. Nightingale battled back, running Blue into the turnbuckle. Nightingale sent Blue flying with a pounce. [c]
Blue rocked Nightingale exchanged strikes as they returned from break. Nightingale made a comeback planting Blue with a spinebuster for a two count. Nightingale went for a Dr. Bomb but Blue broke free. Blue caught Nightingale with a snap DDT for a two count. Blue went for a dragon sleeper but Nightingale broke free. Blue caught Nightingale with a corner superkick. Blue planted Nightingale with a corner powerbomb for a two count. Hathaway left the commentary table. Blue caught Nightingale with Code Blue. Blue had a visual pin. Hathaway distracted the referee. Aubrey Edwards finally counted but Willow kicked out. Nightingale caught Blue with a mid kick. Nightingale delivered the Dr. Bomb for the win.
WINNER: Willow Nightingale in 8:50
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a solid match as both Blue and Nightingale worked well together. I’m not really sure where this story with Hathaway/Nightingale/Statlander is going. I hope it’s not leading to Nightingale turning heel after Hathaway’s involvement.)
(7) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. MATT TAVEN — Texas Death Match
Orange Cassidy got a strong babyface reaction. Orange and Taven began exchanging strikes. Taven took control planting Orange with a Blue Thunder Bomb. The action moved to the floor as Orange launched Taven into the barricade. Orange and Taven brawl into the crowd. [c]
Taven delivered a flying elbow drop off the entrance stage as Orange went crashing onto the table as they returned from break. Taven delivered a suplex sending Orange crashing through the table. Orange was busted open. Taven planted Orange with a DDT inside the ring. Taven leaned the table against the commentators table. Orange caught Taven with a tope on the floor. Taven responded nailing Orange with a springboard kick. Taven went for a plancha but Orange moved out the way. Taven went crashing through the table on the floor. This dive looked crazy. The crowd chanted “Holy S*it!” Taven was busted open. The crowd chanted “This Is Awesome!”
Orange grabbed a box of chocolates. The box had thumb tacks inside which Orange placed inside the ring. Taven shoved Orange onto the thumb tacks. Taven went for a dive but Orange moved out of the way. Taven landed onto the thumb tacks. Orange delivered a Satellite DDT to Taven onto the thumb tacks. Orange grabbed a chair. Mike Bennett appeared attacking Orange ringside. Bennett smashed a gimmick heart over Orange’s head. Trent Barrett came out with pipe in hand. Beretta swung a pipe as the chair went into Bennett’s face. Taven tossed a chair right into Bennett’s face. This is the second straight week we’ve now seen an unprotected chair shot. Taz on commentary said “Ohhh, that was a bad one.” Trent planted Beretta with a hangman DDT onto the chair. Orange delivered Beach Break to Taven onto a chair. Taven ripped off Orange’s pants. Orange grabbed a chain nailing Taven with an Orange Punch. Roderick Strong ran down. Beretta took a knee strike from Strong. Orange tossed Strong to the floor. Taven was out after the Orange Punch. Orange won the match.
WINNER: Orange Cassidy in 13:25.
(Amin’s Thoughts: The action itself was really good as both Orange and Taven worked hard. Taven’s dive where he went crashing through the table looked insane. I’m not really sure why this was a Texas Death Match? This felt like they had a Texas Death Match for the crowd attending the show. The Orange and Strong program feels ice cold.)
OVERALL THOUGHTS: There were some good wrestling matches. There were also some strong promo segments as the Revolution card is coming along well. Overall, this was a fine episode of Dynamite.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW DYNAMITE RESULTS (2/14): Keller’s report on Copeland vs. Garcia, Moxley vs. Dax, Young Bucks vs. Top Flight, Toni Storm’s latest film masterpiece
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: AEW Dynamite results (2/14): Powell’s live review of Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Taven in a Texas Death Match, Adam Copeland vs. Daniel Garcia for a shot at the TNT Title, Young Bucks vs. Top Flight
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