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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
JULY 24, 2024
NASHVILLE, TENN. AT BRIDGESTONE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TBS
REPORT BY AMIN AJANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
CHECK OUT OUR AEW DYNAMITE POST-SHOW ON YOUTUBE INCLUDING LIVE VIDEO CALLERS AND AN ON-SITE REPORT…
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today that 4,259 tickets had been distributed so far; arena is set up for 5,307. More tickets have been sold since then. Subscribe to WrestleTix on Patreon for detailed up-to-date information.
—AEW Dynamite opened with Alex Marvez in the parking lot area. Will Ospreay was shown running by Marvez. Ospreay said he will give comments once he gets to the arena. Ospreay noticed someone punctured his car tire. Ospreay told Marvez to give him his car keys to his SUV. Marvez sat in the passenger seat. Marvez asked Ospreay if he ever drove in America? Ospreay drove the car off.
—They showed highlights of MJF winning the AEW International Title last week on AEW Dynamite 250.
—There were cheerleaders dancing on the entrance stage. The new AEW International Champion MJF made his way to the ring. MJF told them to cut his music. He said Ospreay didn’t hit the Tiger Driver 91’ because he’s a gutless coward. He said it’s laughable because people thought Ospreay could beat him when he couldn’t beat “Swerve” Strickland. He looked into the camera saying he hasn’t forgotten about his world champion. The crowd chanted “Shut The F Up!” He said he’s ready for the right moment to pounce. He said he shines like a bright diamond when the spotlight is on. He said Ospreay melts when the spotlight is on him. He said he beat Ospreay without breaking a sweat. He told Ospreay to take a long walk off a short pear. He brought up Ospreay’s grandma passing away recently. He said Ospreay can dig himself a grave next to her. He said to build his grave one foot away and then took a dig at his grandma again. He challenged Ospreay to face him like a man.
He called the AEW International Title worthless. He said the fans loved the title because wrestlers would come out here working hard. He said that was a joke. The crowd chanted “A—hole!” He said the fans like the belt because it was held by international talent. He called the fans unpatriotic. He called out Daniel Garcia and Ospreay. He said the AEW International Title is nothing more than garbage. He dumped the title into a garbage can. He said he deserves a title that symbolizes the best wrestler and country in the world. He made fun of the United Kingdom. He revealed the AEW American Championship. The crowd chanted “USA!”
He said he wasn’t talking about Nashville. The crowd booed. He said he was talking about Long Island, New York. There was a confetti celebration. The USA Flag dropped from the banner. The 50 stars were replaced with 50 pictures of MJF’s face. The crowd cheered as Will Ospreay came from the crowd. MJF left. Ospreay said MJF can feed the crowd “Horses*it” which was censored. He said they aren’t eating it. He said he knew MJF couldn’t beat him at the 59 minute mark. He said MJF grabbed into his trunks, past his tiny little *d**k” which was censored as well. He said MJF needed the Dynamite Diamond Ring to win. He said he spoke to Tony Khan and Christoper Daniels. He said he got his rematch for the title at All In.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a tremendous heel promo from MJF putting all the attention on himself and not giving Ospreay any credit for taking him to the distance in their match. The idea of MJF replacing the International Title was a great way to get heat on MJF when he goes to Mexico in the coming week to defend the title. A really strong comeback promo from Ospreay after losing the title. This was good stuff as they got me interested in wanting to see the rematch at All In at London.)
—AEW referee Bryce Remsberg backstage to officiate the coin toss. The Elite were backstage standing over Christopher Daniels. They said Daniels was taking a nap. Matthew Jackson said they brought their own coin. Matthew flipped a coin and it landed for The Elite’s advantage. The Elite will have the advantage in Blood & Guts. They wondered where “Hangman” Adam Page was. Matthew said he will be there.
(1) CHRIS JERICHO vs. MINORU SUZUKI — FTW Title Match
The crowd gave Suzuki a solid reaction. Jericho and Suzuki began exchanging big chops to start the match. Suzuki took control rocking Jericho with huge chops. Suzuki no-sold Jericho’s chops. Jericho’s chest was bleeding from Suzuki’s chops. The crowd chanted “chop forever.” Suzuki rocked Jericho with a chop as he fell to the mat. [c]
Jericho and Suzuki continued to exchange more chops as they returned from break. Jericho rocked Suzuki with a running clothesline. There was a miss-communication spot when Jericho went for a springboard. The action moved to the floor as Suzuki whacked Jericho with a chair. Suzuki wrapped Jericho’s hand in a chair. Suzuki smashed Jericho’s hand with another chair. Suzuki went for a Fujiwara Armbar but Jericho broke free.
Jericho poked Suzuki in the eyes. Jericho followed by catching Suzuki with a Codebreaker for a one count. Jericho and Suzuki had a strike exchange. Suzuki went for a sleeper but Jericho broke free. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho but Suzuki broke free. Suzuki went back for a sleeper hold. Suzuki called for the Gotch Piledriver but Jericho blocked. Jericho delivered a low blow. Jericho connected with the Judas Effect for the win.
WINNER: Chris Jericho in 13:55 to retain the FTW Title
—Chris Jericho posed with the FTW Title after the match. Minoru Suzuki got back up, placing Jericho in a sleeper hold. Suzuki planted Jericho with a Gotch Piledriver. Big Bill and Bryan Keith attacked Suzuki after the match. Katsuyori Shibata came from the crowd making the save for Suzuki.
(Amin’s Thoughts: I have mixed thoughts about the match. The chop exchange was fun to start but then started to get really ridiculous at a point. It seemed like they were just there to pop the crowd with the chops and not actually having a match. With that said, this was one of the better and more entertaining Jericho matches in quite some time. I give Jericho credit for wanting to work a strong style match with Suzuki. The post-match angle with Suzuki getting up right away as it seemed like he just blew off the loss wasn’t the way to go in order to set up a likely tag match.)
—Renee Paquette interviewed CMLL Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale backstage. Stokely Hataway appeared. Kris Statlander attacked Willow from behind. Statlander dropped Willow onto some crates. Statlander looked at the CMLL Women’s Title and dropped it onto Willow.
—They aired footage of Renee having a sit-down interview with Bryan Danielson from earlier in the day. Danielson spoke about Dr. Sampson telling him his next is fixable and can stay fixable. He said he’s going to work hard and do his best. He said he’s going to enjoy his moment. Jeff Jarrett appeared. He told Danielson he was crushed that he didn’t win the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. He spoke about Danielson overcoming the odds. He said he couldn’t have been more proud to raise Danielson’s hand in Calgary. He spoke about Danielson facing “Swerve” Strickland who’s focused on his championship. He said Danielson sounds like someone who has one foot out of the door. He said Danielson might be making an excuse. He told Danielson to go All In. He said lots of people believe in Danielson. Jarrett said he was on top of that list. Jarrett left. Danielson said he has lots of work to do.
(Amin’s Thoughts: I really didn’t like how AEW took so long to tell Jarrett’s emotional story with his friend Owen Hart especially when they knew the tournament was coming up. I gotta give AEW credit as they have done a great job making Jarrett feel like an emotional but strong babyface character who the fans are getting behind. This was good stuff.)
(2) DR. BRITT BAKER vs. HIKARU SHIDA
Britt Baker received a strong reaction from the crowd. Hikaru Shida got a solid heel reaction. They showed clips recapping Baker and Shida’s previous matches. Baker and Shida were evenly matched to start the match. The action quickly spilled to the floor with Baker and Shida exchanging strikes. Shida took control rocking Baker with a running knee strike. [c]
Baker caught Shida with a neck breaker as they returned from break. Baker made a comeback catching Shida with a sling blade. Baker grabbed her Lockjaw glove. Shida responded by planting Baker with a German Suplex. Shida placed Baker in a Dragon Sleeper. Shida went for a dive but Baker moved out of the way. Shida caught Baker coming off the ropes with a superkick. Baker and Shida exchanged pinning combinations for near fall. Shida went for a Falcon Arrow but Baker blocked. Baker went for the Lockjaw but Shida grabbed the ropes. Shida went to grab her kendo stick but Baker stopped her. Baker connected with a swinging neck breaker for two. Baker went for a super kick but Shida blocked. Shida delivered a Falcon Arrow. Shida called for the Katana but Baker countered into the Lockjaw for the submission win.
WINNER: Dr. Britt Baker via submission in 10:15.
(Amin’s Thoughts: Baker and Shida both had much better matches together in the past. This was still an enjoyable match as both Baker and Shida work really well together. A good win for Baker, building her up as Mercedes Mone’s next title challenger for All In.)
—TBS Champion Mercedes Mone came out after the match. Mone sarcastically applauded Baker for her win. She said Baker still isn’t getting a TBS Title match. Kamille appeared from behind. Kamille rocked Baker with a running boot. Mone was laughing outside the ring. Kamille planted Baker with a Torture Rack Bomb. Mone entered the ring. Kamille raised Mone’s hand.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a good impactful debut for Kamille and being aligned with Mercedes Mone is great for her. I could see this leading to Jamie Hayer making her return at All In to help Baker even the odds at All In.) [c]
—The new AEW World Trios Champions The Patriarchy were backstage. Christian Cage was holding all three titles. Cage said the fans haven’t earned the right to see him in person. He hyped winning the AEW Trios Titles last week on Collision. He hyped Nick Wayne’s appearance in the Royal Rampage battle royal. He said Nick had the right to speak for himself. He got distracted seeing Kip Sabian in the hall. He wondered what Sabian’s deal was? He said he’s going to eliminate Sabian in the battle royal. He said nobody cared that Sabian’s dad passed away. He told him to suck it up.
(3) PAC vs. BOULDER
Pac started quickly rocking Boulder with a running boot. Boulder responded by catching Pac with a shoulder tackle. Boulder went for a flying moonsault but Pac moved out of the way. Pac made a comeback rocking Boulder with a corner dropkick. Pac rocked Boulder with a missile dropkick. Pac planted Boulder with a Brainbuster for the win.
WINNER: Pac in 1:45.
(Amin’s Thoughts: A quick showcase squash match as Pac looked great in the win.)
—Team AEW were backstage. “Swerve” Strickland spoke about the spirit of AEW being on the line. He said they are going to show The Elite what violence is all about. He hyped up being the leader. Darby Allin told Strickland to shut up. He said Strickland isn’t leading anything. Strickland said he would get violent with Darby after. Max Castor spoke about and brought up what Strickland did to them. Castor said he didn’t like Darby either. Anthony Bowens hyped up The Acclaimed getting back the AEW World Tag Team Titles. Bowens and Strickland began arguing. Mark Briscoe stepped between them. He said they are putting everything aside. He said tonight they stand united. He hyped the match.
Check out the latest episode of “The All Elite Conversation Club” with Joel Dehnel & Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up, discussing this episode of Dynamite and all the latest AEW news. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN or click the player below or search “pwtorch” and subscribe to the PWTorch Dailycast line-up.
(4) MARIAH MAY vs. KAITLAND ALEXIS
May rocked Alexis with a Woo Dropkick as the match began. May took control connecting with a missile dropkick. May rocked Alexis with a running knee strike. May delivered the May Day. May delivered a running hip attack. May connected with Storm Zero for the win.
WINNER: Mariah May in 1:25.
—Someone in disguise entered the ring. The crowd cheered as it was revealed as “Timeless” Toni Storm. May and Storm exchanged big strikes. Security appeared to pull May and Storm apart.
(Amin’s Thoughts: A quick showcase win for May showing a more aggressive side in her matches. I was kinda surprised they brought Toni Storm so quickly back to TV. The angles following May’s attack on Storm have been pretty underwhelming to say the least.)
—They aired a highlight package hyping the Blood & Guts match.
(5) TEAM ELITE (“Hangman” Adam Page, Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry, Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. TEAM AEW (“Swerve” Strickland, Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe, Max Castor & Anthony Bowens) — Blood & Guts Match
Darby Allin and Jack Perry started the match. Perry whacked Darby with a chair before the match began. Perry launched Darby into the cage. Perry launched Darby over the ring steps as he went flying into the barricade. They brawled into the crowd and made their way into the cage. Perry whacked Darby with a trash can lid. Perry long darted Darby into a corner trash can. Nicholas Jackson came out next carrying a suitcase and chair into the cage. Nicholas rocked Darby with a super kick into the cage. [c]
Mark Briscoe came out next as they returned from break. Briscoe rocked Perry with a Cactus Clothesline. The crowd chanted “Dem Boyz!” Briscoe connected with a flying cannonball to Nicholas onto a ladder. Matthew Jackson came out next as he brought a case to the ring. Matthew planted Darby with a DDT onto a case. Briscoe was busted open. Matthew catapulted Darby as Perry swung a case into his face. Anthony Bowens came out next rocking Matthew and Nicholas with strikes. Matthew tossed a case into Bowens face. Brisoce caught Nicholas with a flying cutter. Darby used his skateboard delivering a flying double stomp to Matthew’s arm. It was revealed there were thumbtacks under the skateboard. Bowens stepped Perry with scissors. Kazuchika Okada came out next to a big reaction.Okada brought a Rainmaker drive sign to the ring. Okada drop kicked a chair into Briscoe’s face. [c]
Max Caster came out next as they returned from break. Castor whacked everyone with a microphone. Castor brought a barbed wire board into the ring. The Bucks hip tossed Bowens onto the barbed wire board. The Bucks sandwiched Bowens in a barbed wire board. Nicholas delivered a flying Swanton Bomb to Bowens on a barbed wire board. The Elite placed thumbtacks into Bowens mouth. The Bucks rocked Bowens with a double super kick “Hangman” Adam Page music played. Hangman didn’t come out. Bowens delivers Scissors Me Timbers to Nicholas with barbed wire on his boot. AEW World Champion “Swerve” Strickland came out to a big reaction. Hangman attacked Strickland from behind. Hangman handcuffed Strickland against the cage. Matthew asked Hangman what he’s doing? Matthew said if Hangman doesn’t enter the ring he’s fired. He told Bryce Remsberg to ring the bell. Hangman and Okada had a stare down. The match officially got underway. [c]
Jeff Jarrett came out carrying a guitar to the ring. Jarrett smashed Brandon Cutler with his guitar. Billy Gunn and Jarrett freed Strickland from the handcuffs. Strickland used bull cutters to get inside the cage. Strickland attacked all members of The Elite except for Hangman. The crowd chanted “Holy S*it” as Hangman and Strickland had a stare down. Hangman and Strickland exchanged big strikes. Hangman raked Strickland’s face with a barbed wire board. Darby caught Hangman with a Code Red. The action broke down with everyone hitting big moves. Strickland grabbed the staple gun. Matthew nailed Strickland with a low blow. Matthew opened a case which had multiple staple guns inside. They all stapled Strickland. There was a cool moment as Strickland began laughing. Strickland began stapling all members of The Elite. Okada gave Strickland the finger. Strickland then stapled Okada’s finger. Strickland ducked as Hangman rocked Okada with a Buckshot Lariat. Strickland stapled Hangman’s jaw. Strickland nailed Hangman with House Call. [c]
Nicholas was climbing the cage as they returned from break. There were tables stacked on the floor. Nicholas slammed Bowens against the cage as he went crashing through a stack of tables on the floor. Briscoe ran wild delivering Jay Driller to members of The Elite. Briscoe delivered the Froggy Bow, sending Matthew crashing through a table. There was an awesome moment as Darby climbed across the cage delivering a flying Coffin Drop sending Perry crashing through the table. This looked incredible. Briscoe handcuffed Perry against the cage. Briscoe whacked Perry with kendo sticks. Perry refused to quit. Darby said to get the party started. Briscoe whacked Perry with a completely disgusting unprotected chair shot at Perry’s face. Tony Schiavone on commentary said “That’s not good!” Darby sprayed gasoline onto Perry. Darby told Perry to quit or he would place him on fire. Darby also wanted a TNT Title match. Perry spat at Darby. Matthew gave Darby the match. Matthew gave up for The Elite. Team AEW won.
WINNERS: “Swerve” Strickland, Darby Allin, Mark Briscoe, Anthony Bowens & Max Castor in 48:40.
(Amin’s Thoughts: The sickening unprotected chair shot to Perry’s face wasn’t needed at all. This was a pretty wild and entertaining match as everyone worked hard. I liked how they took Hangman and Strickland out of the picture to keep their rivalry going. They actually kinda portrayed The Elite as babyface with Perry refusing to quit for his team. Matthew quitting for his team to not see Perry get more hurt was the action of a babyface. Overall, this was a solid WarGames match for a program that just completely sucked.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: MJF’s opening promo was great. I liked the debut of Kamille, adding another star to the AEW Women’s Division. People’s liking of the show will mostly depend on their taste of the WarGames match. The unprotected chair shot wasn’t needed at all. I don’t care if it was a gimmicked chair. The build completely sucked but I enjoyed watching the Blood & Guts match. There was some good build towards AEW All In. Overall, a solid episode of Dynamite.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES (7/24): MJF and Ospreay follow-up, Suzuki vs. Jericho chopfest, Blood & Guts match, Unprotected Chairshot to Head, Stokely’s challenge
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Tony’s Takes: AEW power dynamic, AEW Blood & Guts, Drew McIntyre and CM Punk, Gunther and Damian Priest, Jade Cargill
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