Tonight, it’s a three-hour block of solid AEW television, live from London (the one in Ontario, Canada, not the more famous one)! There will be multiple matches for multiple title shots at All Out, which is this Saturday! I’m just covering the first two hours!
Dynamite opens with a pyro display from the Canada Life Place. Oh, hey, that’s the company that does my benefits package!
Tony Schiavone welcomes Hangman and Fletcher to the ring for a contract signing.
Before either of the competitors can talk, Don Callis says he remembers when Hangman took the belt from him the first time, and now he’s finally found someone bigger, faster, and better than him or Kenny Omega. He says there’s nothing Hangman can do to stop Fletcher taking his championship. Hangman thanks Fletcher to agreeing to the no one at ringside stipulation, and says it’s not just because he’s sick of all the interference in title matches, it’s because he sees the potential in Fletcher, but he’ll never realize it if he doesn’t learn to do it on his own. He announces that there’s a clause in the contract that strips Fletcher of the TNT Championship if anyone interferes. Fletcher says he’ll sign the contract no matter what’s in it. He says he’s better than Hangman was in 2019, 2021, and right now. Then he signs the contract. Hangman says the one thing Fletcher doesn’t understand is what the morning after will feel like. He says he believes that Fletcher will bring everything he has, but it won’t be enough, and it’s what comes after that matters, so he needs Fletcher not to disappoint him. Then he signs the contract. Fletcher says there’s one more thing: He will keep his word, and there will be no physicality at the contract signing, and no interference at All Out, but he will win the championship on Saturday, and tonight he’s going to leave Hangman bloodied and beaten.
Match One: Jon Moxley vs. Roderick Strong
Strong hits Daniel Garcia with a baseball slide on the floor, brawls with Moxley on the floor, back in the ring, Mox with a whip to the corner, lariat, ten-punch, face wrench, chops, trading chops, Mox rolls to the floor, Roddy follows, staredown with Shafir, Kyle O’Reilly and Daniel Garcia also have a staredown, Mox jumps Strong, tosses him into the barricade, both men back in the ring, Mox with punches, foot choke, stomp to the gut, Boston Crab, toss to the floor, toss into the steel steps, stomps Strong’s hand on the steps, cover for two back in the ring, chinlock, Strong breaks with a Stunner, boot from the ropes, kick, chops, whip, reversed, Strong with a clothesline, dropkick, fireman’s carry, blocked, goes for it again and hits a gut breaker, running knee in the corner, slam for two, trading chops, Mox with a lariat, piledriver for two, trading forearms, Mox locks in a Bulldog Choke, Strong gets the ropes, high angle back suplex for two, sets Mox up top, superplex, blocked, Mox bites his hand, Strong with a kick, hits… I’m not sure what to call it, almost a high angle back superplex? Gets a two count, Mox goes for Paradigm Shift, blocked, both men tumble to the floor, Strong rolls Mox into the ring, Garcia grabs Strong’s leg, O’Reilly attacks Garcia, Mox with a rollup for two, Strong with a kick, Yuta runs out and trips him, Mox with a Paradigm Shift, Bulldog Choke for the tapout.
Winner: Jon Moxley
After a video package, they show MJF confronting Tony Khan, saying he screwed him by modifying the Casino Gauntlet cash-in rules, so he wants out of the match. Khan says MJF deserves worse after what he’s been doing lately, and MJF says Khan will be responsible when there’s a second dead Briscoe brother.
Match Two: Bobby Lashley vs. Toa Liona
Lockup, break, lockup, Toa gets Lashley to the corner, beats him down, beats him down in the adjacent corner, Lashley reverses position and starts beating Toa down, Toa with a boot, stomps, Lashley goes for a suplex on the apron, blocked, Toa with a headbutt, Samoan Drop, clotheslines across the barricade, Lashley tosses Toa into the barricade, then does it again, Toa tosses Lashley into the ring post, into the ring, avalanche, another, a third, ten-punch with Lashley face-first in the corner, Lashley with an Electric Chair, trading punches, trading lariats, Lashley with a belly to belly, spear in the corner, uranage, blocked with elbows, Lashley hits it, but it turns out to be more of an STO, spear, blocked when Toa rolls to the floor, so Lashley hits it on the floor instead, MVP goes after Ricochet and tosses him into the barricade, Kaun distracts Lashley, Shelton with a superkick to Kaun, Toa with a Pounce to Lashley for two, Lashley locks in the Hurt Lock, Toa reverses into a rollup for one, Lashley keeps the hold locked in, Toa goes out.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Full brawl between the teams breaks out after the bell, MVP breaks his cane on Ricochet’s back.
After a commercial, Tony Schiavone welcomes Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, and FTR to the ring. Tony Schiavone states that there will be heavy fines for physicality. Stoke adds that the match will also be cancelled. Cash talks about his history with Copeland, and promises to end his career on Saturday. Dax says E&C used to be the best team in the world, but only for lack of competition. He says they’re the greatest tag team of all time, and that’s why it’s not a dream match for anyone but Copeland and Christian. Copeland says he welcomed Cash into his home, and that, while FTR are in the conversation for greatest tag team of all time, E&C have been in that conversation for 20 years. Christian takes the mic and says they’re rich enough to afford the fines, then they attack FTR, sparking a brawl that encompasses security.
Backstage, Renee catches up with the Bucks, who say they’re back, they paid off production, then they give Renee a wad of cash.
Match Three: Tag Title Match Qualifier: The Young Bucks vs. The Bang Bang Gang
The Bucks have their old entrance back.
Matt and Juice start off, Matt with a tackle, kick, arm drag, armbar, Nick in, double arm wrench, chop, elbow, Juice tackles both of them, Austin in, Nick knocks him around, Austin with a trip, punches for two, Bucks with a double team, cover for two, sparks a brawl, Matthew in, DDT for two, avalanche, Superkick Party, blocked, Austin fights his way out of the corner, goes for a tag, Matt pulls Juice off the apron at the last second, double team beatdown to Austin, Nick covers for two, bribes the ref, the ref tosses the cash in the air, Austin with a rollup for two, Matt in, Austin with a slam, Juice in, cleans house, Austin in, continues cleaning house, covers for two, Juice in, Nick tosses Austin to the floor, shoulder tackle to Juice, face buster, goes for a moonsault to Austin, Austin dodges, Fameasser, brawl breaks out, Juice hits a Blade Runner for two, brawl on the top rope, ends with trading rollups for two, which sparks a brawl, Bucks end up hitting the TK Driver for three.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Match Four: Unified Championship Qualifier Match: The Beast Mortos vs. Mascara Dorada
Lockup, Mortos tosses Dorada aside, does it again, Dorada with a hurricanrana, trading arm drags, staredown, trading shots, Dorada ends up on the floor, Mortos with a suicide dive, toss into the barricade, rolls Dorada into the ring to break the count, then into the barricade, chop, punch, another, rolls Dorada into the ring, chop, rollup for two, punch, pulls at the mask, punch for two, jockeying, Dorada with an arm drag, tijeras, pump kick on the apron, hurricanrana, blocked, hits a Destroyer instead, suicide dive, rolls Mortos into the ring, goes up top, misses a 450, Mortos with a backbreaker, whip, Dorada hits a Destroyer, springboard, reversed into a piledriver, Mortos covers for two, Dorada goes up top, Mortos with a chop, cover for two, goes up top, Dorada with a kick, super hurricanrana, backbreaker, shooting star press for three.
Winner: Mascara Dorada
Okada comes out, but before he reaches the ring, Takeshita comes out too, and stares down Okada. Don Callis tries to make peace, Dorada hits Okada with a springboard dive, then stares down Takeshita.
After a commercial, Toni Storm comes out. She admits she doesn’t know how much longer she’ll hold the title, but it’s worth it. She says that, if Sunday is the end, it’s been the honour of her life. She says the only way anyone is taking her title is if they burn her to the ground, cram her ashes into a pipe, and smoke it. Jamie Hayter takes the mic and says she’s not a fan of the spotlight, and reminds Storm of their history together. Kris Statlander runs in and says she’s not sure she really has a claim, because she hasn’t wrestled for the championship for four years, but suggests maybe that’s been because of fear by current and former champions. Thekla then makes a proper entrance, turning the lights on in the process, but refs hold Storm back.
Main Event: No Holds Barred: Thekla vs. Queen Aminata
Aminata pulls Thekla to the floor, hockey fight (Go Knights?), Aminata tosses Thekla into the apron, tosses a couple chairs into the ring after the trash can she brought with her on her entrance, jockeying for a hold, Aminata with a suplex, tosses some kendo sticks and a trash can lid into the ring, rolls Thekla, Thekla hits her with a kendo stick, Aminata to the floor, Thekla throws it at her, tosses her over the barricade, follows with the trash can lid, leaps off the barricade and hits Aminata with the lid, brawl, Thekla tosses Aminata over the barricade, Aminata grabs a kendo stick, Thekla leaps, Aminata hits her with a kendo stick, then with a trash can lid, Thekla hits her with what I’m pretty sure is a different trash can lid, Bryan Danielson then confirms it’s another lid but asks why there are so many lids around, Thekla throws more plunder into the ring, beats Aminata down in the ring with a belt, wraps it around Aminata’s jaw, throw down, cover for one, punch, DDT onto the trash can, reversed into a dump to the apron, Aminata with a forearm, trash can shot, hangman’s Twist of Fate onto the trash can, sets up a chair in the ring, Thekla hits her in the gut with a different chair, then the back, spear onto the set-up chair, cover for two, Aminata with a beatdown, stomp.
It’s now technically Collision but I feel like I can’t stop my recap mid-match.
Thekla with a trash can shot on the top rope, Aminata knocks her down, Thekla bounces back up with a trash can lid shot, spider superplex, goes for a spear, Aminata throws a chair at her, fisherman buster onto the chair for two, lays a chair across Thekla, goes up top, leg drop, misses, Thekla with a stomp onto the pile of chairs for an incredibly sloppy three count.
Winner: Thekla
Thekla grabs a mic, and says Toni Storm can stop looking, because her end is right here. Storm then comes out, double-leg, mounted punches, stomps, Jamie Hayter runs out, but before she can do anything, Stat pulls her off the apron and they brawl. The rest of Triangle of Madness attack Storm, while Shafir and Yuta try to get Stat’s attention, and she tells them to fuck off. Storm starts to rebound against Triangle of Madness, and grabs a chair, prompting them to retreat. Hayter gets caught looking, and they stare each other down until the refs pull them apart.
They then cut to the commentators, which feels like a good place to leave this.