SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
JULY 17, 2024
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. AT SIMMONS BANK ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TBS
REPORT BY AMIN AJANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 2,603 tickets had been distributed so far; arena is set up for 3,249. More tickets have been sold since then. Subscribe to WrestleTix on Patreon for detailed up-to-date information.
WATCH OUR YOUTUBE POST-SHOW ON THIS EPISODE
[HOUR ONE]
—AEW Dynamite 250 opened with MJF’s theme song playing. MJF came out to a strong heel reaction to start the show. Will Ospreay received a great babyface reaction from the crowd. Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz were on commentary.
(1) MJF vs. WILL OSPREAY — AEW International Title Match
The match got a big reaction as the bell rang. MJF immediately left the ring and taunted the crowd at ringside. The match got underway as MJF and Ospreay began with a tremendous counter exchange to a big reaction. Ospreay shined early, catching MJF with a flying cannonball to the floor. Ospreay planted MJF with a backdrop suplex for an early near fall. Ospreay teased the Hidden Blade but MJF grabbed hold of the turnbuckle. MJF took control sending Ospreay crashing into the turnbuckle. MJF caught Ospreay with a stunner for two. MJF called for the Heat Seeker but Ospreay blocked. MJF changed direction, catching Ospreay with a cutter for two. MJF teased another Heat Seeker but Ospreay blocked. Ospreay rocked MJF with a springboard forearm for a double down. Ospreay took the lead hitting a Fosbury Flop to MJF on the floor. Ospreay went for a dive but MJF moved out of the way. Ospreay caught MJF with a standing Shooting Star Press for two. Ospreay connected with a Sky Twister Press for another two count.
Ospreay called for the Hidden Blade but MJF rolled out of the ring. Ospreay caught MJF with a slingshot plancha to the floor. The crowd cheered as Ospreay grabbed a table. MJF responded by catching Ospreay with a corner superkick. MJF took back control hitting a piledriver for a two count. The crowd booed as MJF mocked Daniel Garcia’s dance. MJF applied a Figure-4-Leg Lock but Ospreay countered, reversing the hold. MJF reversed back into the Figure-4-Leg Lock. Ospreay grabbed the ropes to force a break. MJF delivered an Irish Whip as Ospreay’s leg gave out. MJF caught Ospreay with a diving chop block for a near fall. MJF and Ospreay connected with a double clothesline for a double down. MJF called for the Brainbuster but Ospreay countered into a Stundog Stunner. Ospreay battled back, hitting an OzCutter. MJF rolled to the floor as Ospreay went for a cover. Ospreay went for an apron OzCutter but MJF moved out of the way. Ospreay crashed onto the ring apron as they went to commercial break. [c]
MJF caught Ospreay with Made in Japan for a two count as they returned from break. Ospreay responded by nailing MJF with a handspring kick. Ospreay made a comeback planting MJF with a torture rack bomb for two. The crowd chanted “Fight Forever!” MJF rolled to the floor and went through the crowd. Ospreay followed MJF into the crowd. The crowd cheered as a little girl attacked MJF in a funny spot. They made their way back ringside. The crowd cheered as Ospreay placed MJF on the table. The crowd booed as MJF rolled off the table. MJF and Ospreay exchanged rollups for near fall. Ospreay caught MJF with a Poisonrana. MJF responded by catching Ospreay with a corner superkick. MJF followed by hitting a Panama Sunrise. Ospreay rolled to the floor. MJF placed Ospreay on the floor. The crowd booed as Ospreay rolled off the table.
MJF rocked Ospreay with a running boot against the barricade. MJF launched Ospreay into the barricade. There was a cool spot as Ospreay leaped off the barricade catching MJF with an OzCutter on the floor. They made their way back into the ring. MJF teased hitting the Cross Rhodes. Ospreay countered by hitting a Cross Rhodes for two. MJF placed the referee in Ospreay’s way. MJF took advantage by poking Ospreay in the eyes. MJF connected with a Hammerlock DDT for two. MJF teased a Heat Seeker but Ospreay blocked. MJF rocked Ospreay with a flying clothesline for two. MJF teased a Tombstone Piledriver on the ring apron but Ospreay blocked. Ospreay planted MJF with a Styles Clash on the ring apron in a crazy spot. The crowd chanted “Holy S*it!” Ospreay covered MJF for two. Ospreay planted MJF with a one-arm powerbomb for two. [c]
Ospreay rocked MJF with a jumping elbow drop for two as they returned from break. Ospreay called for the OzCutter but MJF countered into a Tombstone Piledriver for two. Ospreay caught MJF charging, sending him to the floor. Ospreay went for a springboard but MJF yanked him off the ropes. MJF had his back turned, calling himself the smartest wrestler. This led to another cool spot with Ospreay nailing MJF with a Hidden Blade through the ropes. Ospreay took the lead hitting a flying forearm to the back of MJF for two. Ospreay went for a dive but MJF crotched him on the ropes. MJF teased a Super Hurricanrana but Ospreay blocked. The crowd stood on their feet as Ospreay delivered a Super Styles Clash from the ropes to a huge reaction. Ospreay went for the pin but MJF grabbed the ropes. MJF battled back, yanking Ospreay’s arm against the ropes. MJF took control and delivered a Heat Seeker to Ospreay. MJF placed Ospreay on the table. MJF climbed the ropes delivering a flying elbow drop sending Ospreay crashing through a table on the floor. [c]
MJF placed Ospreay in an abdominal stretch as they returned from break. The referee caught MJF from grabbing the ropes for leverage. Ospreay caught MJF with a series of pinning combinations for near falls. MJF caught Ospreay with a shoulder breaker coming off the ropes for two. The crowd booed as MJF teased the Kangaroo Kick. Ospreay battled back catching MJF with a Cheeky Nando Kick. Ospreay went for a Super Poisionrana but MJF landed on his feet in an awesome spot. MJF went for a Super Hurricanrana but Ospreay landed on his feet in another tremendous spot. MJF and Ospreay exchanged huge strikes. MJF and Ospreay exchanged more rollups for near falls. Ospreay went for an OzCutter but MJF countered into a knee strike. MJF called for the Brainbuster but Ospreay countered into a Stundog Millionaire. Ospreay followed hitting a Poisonrana. Ospreay caught MJF coming off the ropes with a Spanish Fly for two. The crowd gave both MJF and Ospreay a deserved standing ovation. They battled for position on the ropes. MJF teased a Super Tombstone Piledriver but Ospreay blocked. Ospreay caught MJF with a springboard OzCutter. Ospreay rocked MJF with a Hidden Blade for a good two count. Ospreay went for a Hidden Blade but MJF fell to the mat. MJF spat in Ospreay’s face. Ospreay teased the Tiger Driver but hesitated. Ospreay smiled and placed MJF in position for the Tiger Driver. Ospreay refused to hit the move. MJF shoved Ospreay into referee Bryce Remsberg. MJF rocked Ospreay with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF covered Ospreay and won the AEW International Title with two seconds remaining in the match.
WINNER: MJF won the AEW International Title in 59:58.
—AEW officials appeared and placed an oxygen mask on MJF after the match. MJF posed with the AEW International Title.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was an excellent professional wrestling match. I give all the credit to both MJF and Ospreay for going almost the full hour to put on a wrestling classic for the fans in attendance and those watching at home. There will be debates where this match ranks amongst the best in Dynamite history. This will be no doubt in the running for best TV match of the year. There were just so many awesome sequences as both MJF and Ospreay worked tremendously together. I liked the closing sequence with Ospreay hesitating to use the Tiger Driver which ended up costing the title. MJF was great doing whatever it takes including using the Dynamite Diamond Ring to win the title. The finish also works to set up the rematch for All In at London. The question now is where does that leave Pac who on last week’s Dynamite called his shot at the International Title for All In. That will be interesting to see if they bring that up. There was no Pac on the show or mention by commentary that Pac called his shot at the International Title. Overall, a tremendous wrestling match. This was easily the highlight of the show.)
LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST REVIEWING THIS EPISODE…
—The Acclaimed and Mark Briscoe were backstage being interviewed by an unnamed reporter. The announcers didn’t mention who she was. Max Caster spoke about Briscoe being in Blood & Guts. He told Briscoe that The Acclaimed wanted to be part of the match as well. He spoke about beating The Young Bucks. Anthony Bowens spoke about being so close to winning the AEW Tag Team Titles. He told Briscoe they wanted in. Briscoe spoke about The Acclaimed having his back. He said they are in. He mentioned that he wasn’t the only one calling the shots. AEW World Champion “Swerve” Strickland appeared with Prince Nana. Strickland spoke about going through some problems with The Acclaimed and Briscoe. He put his fist out and asked The Acclaimed if they are ready to get violent? Briscoe and The Acclaimed both bumped fists. Briscoe cut an awesome wild promo on The Elite.
(Amin’s Thoughts: I’m totally fine with The Acclaimed joining Team AEW for Blood & Guts. They already have a win over The Young Bucks. The Acclaimed being part helps build up the upcoming title match with The Bucks.)
—There was a cardboard cutout of a tree inside the ring. There was also a podium and TV monitor as well. Big Bill was standing inside the ring. He called out FTW Champion Chris Jericho. Jericho came out with Bryan Keith. Jericho received an ice cold reaction from the crowd. He said Little Rock needs to take some lessons from The Learning Tree. He spoke about the crimes in the city. He spoke about being on the first AEW Dynamite show. He spoke about being on almost all of 250 episodes of Dynamite. Taz on commentary said “Shocking!” He said the branches were so angry with the episodes of Dynamite he missed. He said he’s never going to miss an episode of Dynamite again. He said good things happen when you listen to The Learning Tree. He showed clips of Hook, Katsuyori Shibata and Samoa Joe all getting hurt because they didn’t listen to The Learning Tree. He said this needs to stop. He wondered who would be crazy enough to not listen to The Learning Tree?
Minoru Suzuki’s music played. Suzuki received a solid reaction from the crowd. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand.. Suzuki grabbed hold of the mic Jericho was holding. He told Jericho, “next week.” Keith grabbed the paper from Suzuki’s hand. The paper read Suzuki will face Jericho for the FTW Title and everyone will be banned from ringside. Suzuki rocked Jericho with a head butt. He moved Jericho’s wave. Suzuki’s music played as he left the ring.
(Amin’s Thoughts: You can tell Jericho is going all the way with this new character. He’s purposely playing an over-the-top obnoxious heel on-screen character. This is just Jericho’s way of having fun at the online fans who made fun or took digs at him. The problem here is these talking segments are not good at all. This was mostly boring and went way too long. It was nice to see Minoru Suzuzki make an appearance on the show. The problem here is we get to watch Jericho have another likely long and dull match. Jericho has clearly slowed down when it comes to his in-ring wrestling and that has led to him having mostly standard and dull matches on AEW.)
—Kazuchika Okada was backstage with Matthew & Nicholas Jackson. Nicholas said he heard what The Acclaimed said and it pissed him off. He said The Acclaimed aren’t going to be 2x AEW World Tag Team Champions. Matthew said next week The Elite will have all the power and gold. Nicholas told Matthew not all the gold. (A tease) Matthew said the AEW World Title might become vacant after Blood & Guts. He put over the members of The Elite. He said “Hangman” Adam Page was making his return to The Elite. (Another tease.) TBS Champion Mercedes Mone walked by. Mercedes thanked the EVPs for banning Britt Baker from ringside for her match. Okada whispered something into Matthew’s ear. Matthew said Okada wanted to see Mercedes do her CEO dance. Mercedes began dancing. Okada began sweating and said it was getting hot.
(Amin’s Thoughts: I very much enjoyed this backstage skit. Matthew teasing Hangman returning to The Elite and them having all the gold was nicely done. I’m sticking with my prediction that Hangman gets the win in Blood & Guts and that’s how he gets added to the AEW World Title match at All In. The backstage involvement between Mercedes and The Bucks was great. I wouldn’t mind if this leads to Mercedes being the CEO of The Elite. I gotta say Okada is great at adding comedy to these skits. I’m not sure how it’s helping to portray The Elite as the top heels in the company. It’s been fun seeing Okada play heel.)
—Mercedes Mone received a very mild reaction from the crowd. Nyla Rose’s reaction from the crowd was a tiny bit better.
(2) MERCEDES MONE vs. NYLA ROSE – TBS Title Match
Rose overpowered Mercedes in the early going of the match. Mercedes responded by sending Rose into the ropes. Mercedes took control rocking Rose with corner strikes. Rose responded by catching Mercedes coming off the ropes. Rose went for a stalling suplex but Mercedes countered into a chop block. Mercedes went for a DDT but Rose blocked.Rose draped Mercedes on the ropes. Rose took control rocking Mercedes with a flying knee drop for two. [c]
Mercedes caught Rose in a sleeper returning from commercial break. Rose broke free planting Mercedes with a snap suplex. Rose made a comeback rocking Mercedes with a corner splash. Rose followed by hitting a corner cannonball for two. Mercedes responded by kicking Rose off the ropes. Mercedes took control rocking Rose with a running double knee. Mercedes connected with a flying Meteora for two. Mercedes called for the Mone Maker but Rose blocked. Rose carried Mercedes to the top turnbuckle. Mercedes responded by catching Rose with a flying bulldog for two. The crowd booed as Mercedes pulled out a “CEO” glove mocking Britt Baker. Mercedes went for the Lockjaw but Rose bit her hand. Mercedes placed Rose in the Statement Maker for the submission win.
WINNER: Mercedes Mone via submission in 9:18 to retain the TBS Title.
—Mercedes Mone left the ring. She spotted a fan wearing a Sting mask ringside. The fan was holding a sign that read “DMD > CEO” Mercedes tore up the sign and yelled at the fan. The fan showed Mercedes to the mat. The crowd cheered as the fan removed the Sting mask. It was revealed as Britt Baker who chased Mercedes around the ring. Security appeared at ringside right away holding Baker away from Mercedes.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a fine match for the time given as Mercedes and Rose worked well together. A strong win for Mercedes showcasing her as the top women’s champion in AEW. The post-match angle was simple but worked building up the Mercedes and Baker match for All In. I gotta say Mercedes facial reactions have been great showing that she wants no part of Baker. Mercedes has done a stellar job making Baker feel up to her level without having any big physical interaction.)
—They aired a highlight package of Mariah May winning the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament last week on Dynamite. This led to May viciously attacking Toni Storm from last week’s awesome closing angle on Dynamite. [c]
—Jack Perry was backstage and told Darby Allin that he’s got his attention now. He said Darby just needed to ask. He asked why he needed to hurt Brandon Cutler? He said he doesn’t care about Cutler either. The camera panned and Cutler was laying down on the floor. Perry tossed Cutler through a door. He told Darby to come find him tonight.
—The screen turned black and white as Mariah May came out dressed as “Timeless” Toni Storm. Tony Schiavone on commentary said “Speak b**** come on now.” Excalibur and Taz were both taken aback. She said everybody saw it coming except Toni Storm. She said Storm was so desperate for the spotlight. She said Storm didn’t realize she was giving it all away. She said the question shouldn’t be why? She said the question should be what took her so long? She honestly thought it wouldn’t last this long either. She said it was so easy and was having so much fun. The crowd began chanting “what.” She said she saw Wembley. She said why take the horse out back, when she can kill it in front of as many people as possible. She said she was Storm. She said she can be so much more. She said she still loves Storm. There was a light chant of “We want Toni.” She said she never loved Toni more when she was on her knees bleeding, screaming her name. She said that was Storm’s greatest performance. She said her greatest performance will be at All In. She said, “All Elite Wrestling is now, All About Mariah!”
(Amin’s Thoughts: I’m really not sure what to make of this promo or the thought process here. Mariah May and Toni Storm were coming off one of the most incredible angles in Dynamite. They followed by bringing May out right before the main event match on the show. This has been my complaint for a long time about AEW’s booking of the women division. The placement of women’s matches and segments before the main event. I also wasn’t a fan of May coming out cosplaying Storm. I would’ve rather preferred she came as Mariah May looking like a top star in the division. I didn’t actually mind the slow delivery as they wanted to make last week’s angle feel more impactful. This segment was already filled with problem before May began her promo. The highlight of this segment was Schiavone’s line of commentary. I’m still looking forward to seeing the title match at All In. This was a swinging strike following last week’s tremendous angle.)
—They aired a backstage clip after AEW Collision of Bullet Club Gold walking through the curtains after being stripped of the AEW Unified Trios Titles. Juice Robinson, Austin and Colten Gunn told Lexi Nair they aren’t handing the belts over. Christopher Daniels appeared with AEW referees. Daniels said this is an unpopular decision but they have to hand the belts over. They refused. Daniels said Bullet Club Gold would be suspended if they don’t have the belts over. They just handed the belts over to Daniels like they meant nothing. They cut a promo on The Patriarchy vowing to win the belts back on Collision.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was not good. They are just overcomplicating things for no reason whatsoever. Bullet Club Gold didn’t look good just backing down to Daniels after mentioning they might get suspended. They also just handed the titles over like it meant nothing at all. This was no good.)
—Kazuchika Okada received a solid reaction from the crowd. “Swerve” Strickland received a strong babyface reaction. Prince Nana accompanied Strickland to the ring. Nana did his signature dance.
(3) “SWERVE” STRICKLAND vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA — Non-Title Champion vs. Champion Match
Okada and Strickland were evenly matched starting with a great counter exchange. Prince Nana led the crowd in “Swerve’s House” chants. Strickland took the early lead catching Okada with a handstand head scissors. Strickland followed by hitting a flying uppercut. Okada responded by catching Strickland with an elevated flapjack. Okada took control planting Strickland with a DDT on the floor. [c]
Strickland caught Okada with a leaping head butt as they returned from break. Okada stopped Strickland from climbing the ropes with a standing dropkick. Strickland responded by catching Okada on the ropes. Strickland made a comeback planting Okada with a rolling flatliner. Strickland maintained control hitting a suplex for two. Okada stopped Strickland from climbing the ropes. Okada took back control, planting Strickland with an air raid crash neck breaker for two.
Okada connected with his signature flying elbow drop. Okada teased the Rainmaker pose but instead gave the crowd and Strickland the finger. Strickland caught Okada with a victory roll for two. Okada nailed Strickland with a standing dropkick. Strickland responded by catching Okada with a pump handle backbreaker. Strickland followed by hitting a power slam. Strickland called for the Swerve Stomp but Okada moved. Okada caught Strickland with a Tombstone Piledriver. Okada called for the Rainmaker but Strickland countered into a leaping Swerve Stomp. Strickland went to climb the ropes. Matthew & Nicholas Jackson entered the ring and attacked Strickland for the DQ finish.
WINNER: “Swerve” Strickland via DQ in 11:30
(Amin’s Thoughts: I gotta be completely honest. I wasn’t a fan when they announced this match with no build. I was even more disappointed after watching the match. I went in expecting to see a PPV quality level between two top champions in AEW. This ended up being a basic three star AEW television match with a lame finish. I was fine with neither Okada or Strickland losing clean. I would’ve rather seen Okada and Strickland put on a PPV calibre match that ends in a time-limit draw which we have seen in AEW.)
—The Bucks attacked Strickland after the match. The Acclaimed ran down to make the save. Jack Perry ran down to give the odds back to The Elite. Mark Briscoe ran down to make the save. Briscoe caught The Bucks with a cannonball dive on the floor. Perry caught Briscoe with a draping DDT. Strickland nailed Perry with a House Call kick. “Hangman” Adam Page stormed to the ring. Okada yanked Strickland to the floor. The Bucks stood behind security. Darby Allin’s music played to a big reaction. Darby came from the rafters just like Sting. A huge brawl broke out to close the show.
(Amin’s Thoughts: The visual of seeing Darby Allin coming from the rafter like Sting was pretty cool to see. Some people may still find it uncomfortable after what happened with Owen Hart. That is perfectly reasonable. I trust AEW would completely protect and make sure Darby is fine doing the stunt. The closing brawl was a solid way to build up Blood & Guts for next week. This whole AEW vs. The Elite storyline doesn’t interest me at all. The Blood & Guts match itself should be very good and something to look forward to on next week’s episode of Dynamite.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was two different episodes of Dynamite that were spliced into one show. MJF and Ospreay delivered one of the best Dynamite TV matches in history. The second hour of the show was mostly skippable and pretty forgettable. I would highly recommend watching the MJF and Ospreay. Skip the rest of the show. Overall, this Dynamite was the perfect example of a one match show.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.