Tonight’s Dynamite is episode 289, which means it surpasses WCW Monday Nitro for the longest-running professional wresting program on the Turner family of networks! This is a huge accomplishment, that Tony Khan is definitely celebrating only for the right reasons and not because he and Eric Bischoff have gaping hate-boners for each other! Tonight, we’ll see The Opps challenge for the Trios Championships, with Jon Moxley subbing for an injured PAC on the champions’ side. We’ll also see a Champion vs. Champion match, as TBS Champion Mercedes Mone faces ROH Women’s World Champion Athena in a semi-final match in the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament!
Dynamite opens with the revelation that Hook was taken out by the Death Riders, but Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata have vowed to challenge anyway.
Match One: Owen Hart Memorial Tournament: Semi-Finals: TBS Champion Mercedes Mone vs. ROH Women’s World Champion Athena (Non-Title)
Staredown, circling, lockup, break, lockup, tumble to the ramp, up to the stage, break, jawing, Athena with a shove, Mone with a rear waistlock, tumble into the ring, Athena with a side headlock, Mone whips out, mutual tackle, Athena with an arm drag, jockeying, Mone with a cover for two, Athena with a rollup for one, Mone with a backslide for two, trading rollups, lockup, Athena gets Mone in the ropes, whip, Mone with a rollup for one, Athena with a boot, blocked, Mone with a kick to the face, sunset flip into the turnbuckle, Meteora for one, Athena with a rollup for two, series of kicks, somersault lariat for two, punch to the back, European uppercut, whip, misses a lariat, Mone locks in Statement Maker, Mone eventually gets to the rope, but they tumble to the floor, Mone keeps the hold locked in, the ref tells her to get back in the ring, Mone eventually breaks the hold, goes to roll Athena into the ring, reversed, Mone with a double knee, Athena hangs from the rope by her feet, Mone misses a double foot stomp, Athena hits a cutter, trading shots on the floor, back in the ring, Athena covers for two, forearms in the corner, whip, misses a lariat, Mone with a knee, goes up top, double knee with Athena sideways in the ropes, Mone covers for two, toss to the floor, reversed, Athena with a suicide dive, trading strikes in the ring, trading tombstone attempts, Mone ends up hitting a Tombstone Knees, covers for two, Tornado DDT, another for two, Three Amigos, goes for a fourth, blocked, Athena hits a trio of powerbombs, Canadian Backbreaker, reversed into a regular backbreaker, Mone with forearms, whip to the corner, reversed, Athena with an elbow, misses, Mone with a running double knee, both women to the apron, Mone goes for a German, blocked, punches to the arms, goes for another German, blocked, goes for a sunset bomb, blocked, goes for a Code Red, blocked with stomps, Athena goes for a German, blocked, Mone goes for Mone Maker, blocked, Athena with a kick, powerslam on the apron for two, locks in the crossface, Mone rolls it into the Statement Maker, Athena with a rollup for two, Canadian Backbreaker, blocked, Mone shoves her into the corner, tackle, Athena with a chop, Canadian Backbreaker into knees, Mone rolls to the floor, tosses Athena into the barricade, sets her up on top of the barricade, joins her up there, Athena with slaps, suplex, blocked, both women drop to the floor, Athena dropkicks Mone into the barricade, rolls her into the ring, goes up top, O-Face, blocked, Mone with a rollup for three.
Winner: Mercedes Mone
Toni Storm stares down Mone from the balcony.
Renee asks Hangman about tonight’s match against the wild card. He starts to say you can’t prepare for a wild card, but the Bucks walk in, say they accept Hangman’s apology, say he’s welcome for costing Swerve the title, and says they can patch up the rift with Death Riders. Okada also tells him to smile, then calls him a bitch when he walks off angrily, prompting Hangman to get in his face.
They bring out Tuukka Rask, which as a Habs fan angers me greatly.
Match Two: Owen Hart Cup Tournament: First Round: Hangman Page vs. Josh Alexander
That’s right, the Walking Weapon is the wild card! Arguably the best technical wrestler currently going (don’t come for me, I said “arguably”) is now a part of AEW.
Lockup, break, circle, lockup, Page wrenches an arm, Alexander rolls through, overhead takedown, Page with a side headlock, Alexander whips his way out, mutual tackle, trading shots, Page gets the better of it, Alexander with a big boot, chop, chop in the corner, arm wrench, whip, reversed into a fallaway slam, Page kips up, misses a lariat, hits a discus lariat, Alexander whips him to the corner, Page presses Alexander to the apron, springboard lariat, misses a suicide dive, Alexander dumps him onto the apron, misses a boot, Page crotches him on the apron, leaping clothesline from the stage, trading shots back in the ring, Alexander with a Samoan Drop, leg drop to the back, stomps, laying dragon screw, cover for two, chinlock, fallaway slam for two, chops, lariat, trading lariats, both men to the apron, Page goes for Dead Eye, blocked, Alexander goes for a piledriver, blocked, Hangman with a back body drop, standing moonsault to the floor, rolls Alexander in the ring, pop-up sit-out powerbomb for two, body slam, reversed into a tombstone, blocked, Alexander with a rollup for two, trading shots, Alexander with a Burning Hammer for two, Page with an enziguri, Tombstone for two, Buckshot Lariat, blocked, fight to the floor, Alexander with a crossbody to the back, rolls Page into the ring, jockeying, Page with a rollup for three.
Winner: Hangman Page
Kyle Fletcher comes out and stares down Hangman. This leads to a brawl. Don Callis whispers in Alexander’s ear, and Alexander attacks Page. Fletcher then hits Page with a brainbuster.
Backstage, Nick Wayne is about to appoint himself the new head of the Patriarchy in Christian’s absence, but Christian intervenes. Wayne accuses him of cashing in early because he didn’t want to see Copeland win the championship first. Christian denies it, but says that he’s been impressed with what Wayne did in his absence, that’s why he got him a spot in BOSJ. He says that Wayne needs to keep his momentum up, starting with winning the ROH Television Championship on Collision.
Tony Schiavone reveals that FTR were suspended for a week without pay as a result of what happened on Collision.
Match Three: World Tag Team Championships: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. Gates of Agony
Toa Leona attacks at the bell, Benjamin ends up being legal by default, Benjamin hits a DDT, Toa with a headbutt, double team, Kaun with a suicide dive to Lashley, Toa with a cover for two, Kaun in, double team beatdown in the corner, Benjamin with a shot, Lashley in, beats down Kaun, Kaun with a chop, Lashley gets him with an STO, snap suplex, tackle, toss to the floor, toss into the barricade, Benjamin in, toss into the apron, then into the barricade, apron, barricade, into the ring, t-bone suplex, toss to the floor, Lashley in, tosses Kaun around on the floor, rolls him into the ring, powerslam for two, Benjamin in, Lashley with a punch, trading punches, mutual tackle, Toa in, elbows, Samoan Drop, superkick, running senton for two as Lashley breaks the count, tosses Toa’s head into the turnbuckle repeatedly, Toa responds with a chop in the corner, lariats, Kaun in, trading strikes while Toa and Lashley brawl on the floor, Benjamin with a German, another, drops Toa to the floor where Lashley spears him, Benjamin with a running knee to Kaun, Lashley with a spear, Lashley, who I swear wasn’t legal, covers for three.
Winners and STILL World Tag Team Champions: The Hurt Syndicate
MJF hits the ring and they have the most quintessential MJF-Hurt Business interaction of all time, until MJF offers them courtesans. And I could almost swear one of them is Isla Dawn. MVP again gives his thumbs up, Shelton tells MJF to throw in his watch, to which he agrees, but just when Shelton’s about to give a thumbs up, Lashley gives him a look, and Benjamin gives a thumbs down. MJF says he knows he’s growing on Shelton, and gives him the watch anyway, and sends him home with all seven sex workers. Also, I’m now a little more sure that that isn’t Isla Dawn. Before he leaves, MJF tells Lashley that he always gets what he wants.
After a commercial, the interviewer who’s not Lexi or Renee tries to interview Hurt Syndicate. MVP dismisses her, then tries to talk Lashley into letting MJF in.
Match Four: Owen Hart Memorial Tournament: Semi-Final: Will Ospreay vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Jockeying for position, trading covers for one, continue trying to get a hold, lockup, Takeshita gets Ospreay to the rope, Ospreay switches position, chop, lockup, Takeshita with a side headlock, Ospreay whips out, Takeshita with a shoulder tackle, throw down, Ospreay with an arm drag, hurricanrana, chop in the corner, snapmare, springboard senton, Takeshita with a whip, lariat, Ospreay with a boot, Takeshita with an F5, running dropkick, suicide dive, toss into the barricade, rolls Ospreay back in the ring, cover for one, chinlock, slam into the mat, locks the hold back in, Ospreay powers out, Takeshita with a takedown, back suplex, blocked with an elbow, hits an elbow of his own, whip, Ospreay with a springboard kick, jumps to the apron, springboard elbow, trading strikes, Takeshita with a lariat, Ospreay with a series of kicks, Takeshita with another lariat, goes up top, Ospreay with strikes, Takeshita trips him, Raging Fire, reversed into Stundog Millionaire, Os Cutter on the ramp, missile dropkick, Sky Twister for two, Os Cutter, reversed into Blue Thunder Bomb, reversed into Tijeras, Os Cutter for two, Storm Breaker, blocked, hits an arm drag instead, trading rollups for two until Takeshita hits a wheelbarrow German for two, trading forearms, Takeshita tosses Ospreay to the corner, punches, forearm, ref forces a break, Ospreay with a big boot, another, a third blocked, Takeshita with a forearm, Raging Fire, blocked, Ospreay with a trio of kicks to the face, misses Hidden Blade, Takeshita with a forearm, Blue Thunder Bomb for two, Ospreay goes for an Os Cutter, misses, Takeshita gets him with a forearm for one, Ospreay hits Hidden Blade for one, mutual clothesline, Ospreay goes down way harder, Takeshita goes for a powerbomb, Ospreay hits a leg trap tombstone into a German, Takeshita hits Hidden Blade, knee, goes up top, Ospreay crotches him, slips on the rope, Takeshita with forearms, Ospreay with a headbutt, Takeshita with punches, top rope lariat, Ospreay lands on his feet and hits Hidden Blade for two, goes for another, Takeshita with a knee, Raring Fire, reversed into a hurricanrana, Styles Clash for two, Takeshita with a backslide for two, knee, lariat, reversed into Storm Breaker for three.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Main Event: AEW Trios Championships: Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta and Jon Moxley subbing for PAC) (c) vs. The Opps (Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata) and Powerhouse Hobbs
Looks like Hobbs is the sub for the Opps. Match starts as a brawl, Hobbs and Yuta start off in the ring, Hobbs beats down Yuta, Moxley tries to interject, ends up with Hobbs’ undivided attention, Yuta with a strike to the back, Hobbs hits him with a running powerslam, Joe in, punches, body slam, chop in the corner, Shibata in, mixed strikes in the corner, snapmare, boot to Mox, side headlock, Yuta tosses him to the floor, Claudio tosses him into the barricade, Yuta rolls him back into the ring, Mox in, Claudio in, knocks Shibata around, Mox in, lariats in the corner, Claudio in, stomps, Yuta in, stomps, fisherman suplex for two, Mox in, stomp, back rake, Claudio in, suplex for two, keylock with knees, toss to the floor, Shafir with a kick, Shibata and Claudio trade shots in the ring, Claudio with a sleeper, reversed in kind, Claudio with a jaw breaker, toss to the corner, Shibata boots Moxley, trades forearms with Claudio, boots Yuta, trip to Claudio, Yuta in, Joe in, Joe with strikes, running senton for two, Yuta with an eye gouge, Joe with a powerslam for two as Mox breaks it up, tags in, grabs a chair, Willow Nightingale runs in and pulls it out of his hand, this sparks a brawl between all six competitors, The Bucks make their way out, Swerve attacks them and clears them from the arena, back in the ring Joe hits Mox with an uranage from the corner, the brawl resumes, Shibata hits Claudio with a PK on the ramp, Joe goes for a muscle buster on Mox, Yuta breaks it up, skirmishes with Joe but ends up getting tossed onto the announce table by Hobbs, Shafir hits Hobbs with a chair, Willow tackles Shafir, Mox goes for Death Rider on Joe, reversed into a Coquina Clutch for the knockout.
Winners and NEW Trios Champions: Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs
Will Ospreay carries a bottle of champagne to the ring, bringing with him a big chunk of the locker room to celebrate as Dynamite goes off the air.
