AEW Dynamite Results
May 18, 2022
Houston, TX (Ferttita Center)
Report by: Josh Boutwell
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Quarterfinals
“Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe vs. Johnny Elite
Johnny Elite is the former John Morrison/Johnny Impact/Johnny Mundo. These two have never faced each other. Elite frustrates Joe by avoiding his lockups and actually gets a single leg takedown on Joe to further frustrate him. Joe gets pissed and just starts kicking the hell out of Elite’s legs and then lights him up with chops and body shots. Elite fights back with strikes of his own and takes Joe down again with a Front Chancery.
Elite hits a really awful Cartwheel Lariat that knocks Joe to the floor and then hits a 450 Plancha onto Joe on the floor.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Elite springboards off the ropes but eats a huge shoulder block in midair that Elite sold like death. Joe hits an Atomic Drop and a Mafia Kick followed by a Backsplash Senton for two. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster but Elite escapes and hits a Samoan Drop! Elite goes to the top and hits a 450 Splash! 1…2…NO Joe kicks out!
Elite hits a Shining Wizard and goes for Starship Pain but Joe gets his knees up and just starts slapping the shit out of him repeatedly before hitting the Muscle Buster for the pin!
Winner: Joe via pinfall (Muscle Buster)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: I was supremely disappointed in the Johnny Elite reveal. He had an excellent run in Impact before going back to the “Evil Empire” but he’s just sort of “meh” to me at this point. There are so many other great wrestlers on the roster that can easily fill his role. With that said, the match was really fun and Elite sold his ass off for Joe ***)
Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal attack Joe after the match and Satnam Singh walks down and they beat Joe down. Elite tries to stop the assault but they lay him out, too. Best Friends run down and chase the heels off with chairs.
In the back, Lexy Nair interviews the Hardyz. She says that Jeff has been medically cleared to continue competing in the Owen. The Bucks walk up and they ask Jeff why he keeps doing this sort of thing. They tell Jeff to take the night off tonight and he’s a shell of his former self and if he shows up, Adam Cole is going to kill him. Matt calls them “Hardy cosplayers” and they will never be better than them. Matt says if they interfere, Cole won’t be the only member of the Undisputed Elite to get his ass whipped.
CM Punk joins commentary.
Konosuke Takashita vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
Hangman knocks Takashita to the floor and then hits a Plancha only for Takashita to hit a big dive of his own as Page was playing to the crowd. In the ring, Takashita goes for a Backdrop but Page lands on his feet and then knocks Takashita off the top as he jumped to the top. Hangman hits a Sidewalk Slam on Takashita onto the apron. Page then hits a Golden Moonsault onto Takashita on the floor.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Takeshita speeds things up and hits a Flying Clothesline after Hangman missed a series of elbows. Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and then hits a Kenny Omega-like Somersault Plancha onto Page on the floor. Takeshita hits a Yakuza Kick in the corner but as he goes for another one Hangman meets him with a Cowboy King and then a German Suplex. Takeshita gets right back up and hits one of his own! Hangman and Takeshita collide with clotheslines at the same time!
Takeshita and Hangman exchange strikes and then Page hits a Tombstone Piledriver! 1…2..NO Takeshita kicks out! Page goes out to the apron and stares at Punk before going for the Buckshot Lariat allowing Takeshita to avoid it and go for a German Suplex. Page blocks it but then eats a Roaring Elbow from Takeshita followed by a Last Ride Powerbomb! 1…2…NO Hangman kicks out and then hits a Shining Wizard! 1…2..NO Page kicks out again!
Takeshita hits a Bridging German Suplex but injures his shoulder as he lands. Takeshita goes for a Flying Knee but Page blocks it only for Takeshita to hit a Forearm Smash. Takeshita hits the ropes and eats a Roaring Elbow in midair! Hangman lifts Takeshita up to the top rope but Takeshita hits a huge Super Lariat off the top! Hangman pops right back up and hits the Buckshot Lariat followed by the Go 2 Sleep for the pin!
Winner: Page via pinfall (GTS)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That match was unbelievable! Takeshita came out to pretty much crickets but had the fans on the edge of their seats five minutes into the match. Hangman deserves the credit for giving him a ton of offense, too. Great stuff and the mind games between Punk and Page continue. ****)
Punk and Hangman taunt each other and play to the crowd after the match. They stare each other down as the fans chant for Punk. Page shoves him aside and walks to the back.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
The Dark Order and Fuego del Sol challenge the House of Black to a trios match for Rampage.
“The Realest” Swerve Strickland & “Limitless” Keith Lee vs. The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
Drake slaps Lee as he was playing to the crowd, so Lee caves his chest in with a pair of chops. Swerve and Henry tag in and speed things up. Swerve hits a Leaping Back Kick that knocks Henry into the corner. Swerve hits a Flying Back Elbow and then springs off the middle rope with another one. Swerve hits a Rolling Flatliner. Drake comes in and tries to Back Suplex Swerve but he lands on his feet and tags Lee.
Lee hits a Slingshot Cross Body onto Drake and then FLATTENS Henry with a Pounce! Lee and Swerve hti the Fall From Glory for the pin!
Winners: Lee & Swerve via pinfall (Fall From Glory)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Swerve and Lee continue to impress as a team. This wasn’t much more than a squash but an entertaining one nonetheless. **)
After the match, Lee says they’re now a Top 5 ranked team and they want to challenge… but before he can say anything else Team Taz walks out. Ricky Starks calls them selfish and says that if they think they deserve a shot ahead of them at the tag titles they’re insane. Swerve says he’s dressed like a bar of soap with a pearl necklace on but before anything else can be said, Jurassic Express walks out.
Christian says Starks should learn when to shut the hell up and he says Starks thinks he’s ready for a “real championship” but neither team are ready for JE. He says they’re not going to wait for a challenge, because they challenge Team Taz and Lee/Swerve for a match at Double or Nothing. Christian then issues a challenge for Jungle Boy to face Swerve and Starks in a 3-Way next week.
Backstage, Kris Statlander – replacing Shida in the Owen Hart Cup – and Red Velvet cut promos on each other.
MJF walks out to give Wardlow the 10 lashes he must take to get his match with MJF. MJF taunts the Texas crowd and says that if Wardlow so much as lifts a finger against him tonight he won’t get his match with MJF at Double or Nothing. MJF spits in Wardlow’s face and whips the shit out of him with the strap but Wradlow never even winced or blinked throughout the entire time. Spears takes the strap and gets a running start before nailing Wardlow but he still just stares at MJF. MJF kicks Wardlow in the balls before giving him the last lashes.
Spears and MJF choke Wardlow with the strap and then MJF puts the diamond ring on and blasts Wardlow with it. Spears hits the C4 on Wardlow and MJF counts a three for him.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Excellent segment with MJF getting a ton of heat. The visual of the welts on Wardlow’s back was unreal.)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Backstage, Roppongi Vice says they are back together full time and they say they are going to go after the ROH Tag Team Titles, IWGP Tag Titles and AEW Tag Titles. They challenge FTR to defend the ROH Tag Titles against them.
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Quarterfinals
“Animo” Rey Fenix w/Alex Abrahantes vs. Kyle O’Reilly
O’Reilly takes Fenix down immediately and puts him in a side headlock. Every time Fenix tries to speak things up, O’Reilly immediately grounds him with a submission. Fenix and O’Reilly exchange strikes but O’Reilly goes after Fenix’s arm. Fenix goes to the top but O’Reilly hits a Leaping Forearm. He tries to pull Fenix off the top but Fenix kicks him and then hangs O’Reilly’s arms up in the ropes and hits a Springboard Dropkick knocking him to the floor. Fenix hits a Tope con Giro onto O’Reilly on the floor!
Fenix rolls O’Reilly into the ring and goes for a Frog Splash but O’Reilly catches him in midair with a Triangle! Fenix rolls O’Reilly over into a nearfall but O’Reilly transitions right into a Fujiwara Armbar. Fenix gets his foot on the ropes and rolls to the floor. Excalibur points out that O’Reilly is targeting the arm that Fenix previously injured. O’Reilly throws Fenix’s arm into the ring post.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
O’Reilly continued to attack Fenix’s arm throughout the break. O’Reilly strings together strikes but Fenix explodes with some of his own. Fenix tries to do his Tiger Feint Hook Kick but his arm causes him to fall. He kicks O’Reilly away and then hits a Springboard Back Kick! Fenix hits a Alabama Slam into a Powerbomb for two. Fenix goes for the Fenix Driver but O’Reilly blocks it only for Fenix to hit a Rolling Rana for two! Fenix immediately starts grabbing his injured arm after the pin attempt. Fenix hits the ropes but eats a series of kicks from O’Reilly.
O’Reilly tries to sweep Fenix’s legs but he leaps over it and hits a Roundhouse Kick. Fenix dives off the top but O’Reilly catches him in midair and hits a DDT followed by Rolling Tiger Suplexes. Fenix comes back with a Springboard Spinning Back Kick after backing O’Reilly into the corner on another suplex attempt. Fenix hits a Half Nelson Suplex and hits the Hook Kick but O’Reilly comes back with a Rebound Lariat!
O’Reilly and Fenix kick each other at the same time and then slap each other at the same time and they both collapse on the match. O’Reilly goes after the arm again and locks him in a Kimura but Fenix rolls out and hits a Leaping Enziguri! O’Reilly answers with a Roaring Elbow but Fenix answers with a Superkick and both men collapse again. Fenix leaps to the top and hits a Rope-Walk Rana to the outside! In the ring, Fenix goes for the Rolling Cutter but O’Reilly catches him in a Fujiwara Armbar in midair! Fenix taps.
Winner: O’Reilly via submission (Fujiwara Armbar)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Matches with a clash of style usually go one of two ways, either it’s just a clunky mess or it’s awesome as hell. This one was awesome as hell. O’Reilly relentlessly going after Fenix’s arm and Fenix just wanting to kick O’Reilly’s face off and fly all over the place made for a hell of a match. I really wanted to see Joe vs. Fenix but I guess that will have to wait. ****)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
William Regal and Bryan Danielson come out together and Eddie Kingston and PNP come out with Jon Moxley. They are all followed by the JAS who scream at the fans and cut off the music so they can’t sing along with it.
Chris Jericho says he knows that Regal orchestrated the entire “assault” on JAS last week and he says it’s good to see Regal since he thought he’d be dead by now. Jericho taunts Regal about the “abuse” he’s put himself through over the years and says it’s a miracle his brain still works. He calls him “wasted potential” and says he could have been one of the greatest of all time – like Jericho – and he should have been a World Champion 10 times over but instead he ended up as nothing more than a world class addict.
Jericho says Regal has been fired from every company he has ever worked for until he finally weaseled his way into AEW on the coattails of Moxley and Danielson. He taunts Regal for his “new” protégés in Kingston and PNP. He says Santana and Ortiz are too stupid to understand that everything they’ve ever had in AEW is because of him and Kingston is too stupid to stay home after he burned his face off. Jericho calls Danielson “possibly the greatest wrestler in the world” but he’s just a nerd and says that even if he has never done drugs or alcohol in his life, if he sticks around with Regal and Moxley for much longer he’ll have to join “the program” with Moxley.
Jericho gives Regal the advice to just go home or he’ll throw a fireball in his face or maybe just piss in his tea again. Regal says that he has had to listen to Jericho’s whiny, pathetic voice since he first met him in 1997 and the only thing that could make him more sick to his stomach would be the sound of the screams coming from a burning orphanage. Regal says he might be right about his past but the one thing that has kept him going is that for every single time he was on the same show as Jericho he would go to Jericho’s locker room and still his toothbrush up his ass while Jericho was wrestling. Regal says he did it to Garcia’s toothbrush last week, too.
Jericho says they want a fight, so they’ll have Stadium Stampede but Moxley says he “ain’t doing that shit.” Moxley wants an Anything Goes Match instead. Jericho says they are a well-oiled machine and then starts talking about all the issues BCC and Kingston have had. Kingston tells Jericho and his crew to get in the ring and fight. Kingston and Danielson start shoving each other and arguing.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Jericho went completely “scorched earth” in his promo and it was excellent but it blows my mind how badly AEW could screw this up. You have the PERFECT setup for Blood and Guts and just blow it. The Anything Goes match will surely be a spectacle but I just do not understand how you f*ck that up.)
Owen Hart Cup Women’s Quarterfinals
Maki Itoh vs. Dr. Britt Baker w/Rebel
Itoh and Baker teamed together at Revolution last year. Itoh is the “Joker” in the women’s bracket. Itoh offers to lay down for Baker but then rolls her up when Baker goes to cover her for a nearfall. Itoh stomps on Baker’s foot and flips her off. Itoh runs over Baker and goes for the Diving Headbutt but Baker moves and goes for the Lockjaw. Itoh rolls her up for two. Baker hits Itoh with a series of elbows and then a Slingblade for two.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Itoh hits a Snap Suplex but Baker slams her into the top turnbuckles. Itoh just shrugs it off and starts slamming her own head into the turnbuckle. She headbutts Baker hits a Tornado DDT for two. Itoh goes for the Diving Headbutt but Baker rolls out of the way only for Itoh to follow her and hit the headbutt ofr two. Baker kicks Itoh in the face and puts her in the Lockjaw for the submission.
Winner: Baker via submission (Lockjaw)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: I do not understand the appeal of Itoh. Her gimmick is just bizarre and she isn’t good in the ring. This sucked. *)
Tony Schiavone tries to plug AEW’s three-year anniversary but Serena Deeb walks out and says she is so sick of hearing him talk. Deeb says she heard Tony say that she couldn’t beat Rosa and Tony made himself a complete idiot by saying that. Deeb calls out Dustin Rhodes for what he said about her, too. Dustin walks out and Deeb taunts him about calling Rosa his protégé and calls her a teacher’s pet. Deeb says that Dustin knows how hard it was for her and others to be in the business during the era she came up. She talks about how she put breast implants to “satisfy some old perverts” and she shaved her head to show how much she wants it. She asks Rhodes why he said she couldn’t beat Rosa but he doesn’t say anything. Deeb says he doesn’t have the balls to say it to her face and says when she beats Rosa he will respect her.
Rosa walks out as Deeb slaps Dustin. Rosa goes after Deeb but Rhodes holds her back causing Rosa to elbow her in the face by accident. As Rosa checks on Rhodes, Deeb grabs the title and smacks Rosa with it before walking off with it.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Main Event
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Semifinals
“Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy w/Matt Hardy vs. Adam Cole
Cole attacks Hardy during his entrance and throws him into the ring steps.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Jeff hits the Leg Drop pin to trap Cole’s legs for a nearfall. Cole and Jeff exchange slaps and punches until Jeff hits a Leaping Back Kick. Cole answers with a Leaping Enziguri only for Hardy to come back with a Sitout Suplex for two. Hardy goes for Whisper In The Wind but Cole kicks him in midair for two. Cole goes for BOOM but Hardy ducks and hits Twist of Hate and then a Reverse Twist of Fate! Hardy goes for the Swanton but Cole moves and hits BOOM for the pin.
Winner: Cole via pinfall (BOOM)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That was fine while it lasted but it felt extremely rushed and there was no way it was going to be as good as it could have been with the time it got. **)
The Bucks run out and are going to attack The Hardyz but they catch them only for Cole to attack them from behind. The Bucks hit the BTE Trigger on Matt. Darby Allin and Sting run out and clean house! reDRagon runs out and hits Total Elimination on Allin on the ramp. They attack Sting with a chair and the Bucks Superkick him. They trap Sting’s leg in a chair and O’Reilly dives off the top rope onto it.
Quick Results
1) Owen Hart Cup (Men’s) Quarterfinals: Samoa Joe def. Johnny Elite
2) Hangman Page def. Konosuke Takeshita
3) Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee def. The Workhorsemen
4) Owen Hart Cup (Men’s) Quarterfinals: Kyle O’Reilly def. Rey Fenix
5) Owen Hart Cup (Women’s) Quarterfinals: Dr. Britt Baker def. Maki Itoh
6) Owen Hart Cup (Men’s) Semifinals: Adam Cole def. Jeff Hardy