AEW Dynamite Results
May 25, 2022
Las Vegas, NV (Michelob ULTRA Arena)
Report by: Josh Boutwell
The go-home episode of Dynamite opens with the Steel Cage already surrounding the ring. This is the Third Anniversary of Dynamite and I’ve been here covering almost every episode of that run.
Steel Cage Match
Special Referee: MJF
“Mr. Mayhem” Wardlow vs. “The Chairman” Shawn Spears
Spears attacks Wardlow as he’s still handcuff until MJF backs him away only for MJF to attack Wardlow, as well. MJF and Spears throw Wardlow into the side of the cage but Wardlow comes back with a backdrop to Spears and a Big Boot. MJF gets in Wardlow’s face and Excalibur reminds us that if Wardlow touches MJF he won’t get the match at DON. MJF spits on Wardlow and he gets pissed and breaks the cuffs.
Wardlow clotheslines Spears repeatedly and then starts throwing him into the cage over and over. Spears rakes Wardlow’s eyes and tries to climb up the cage but Wardlow climbs up with him and tosses Spears off the top rope. Wardlow hits the Senton Bomb but MJF refuses to make the pin. MJF dares Wardlow to hit him but Wardlow grabs Spears and goes for the Powerbomb only for MJF to send him to Dick Kick City. Spears hits the C4 and MJF does a fast count but Wardlow still kicks out!
Spears grabs his chair and MJF holds Wardlow but Wardlow moves and Spears brains MJF with the chair! Spears can’t believe what he just did. Wardlow hits the Powerbomb Symphony onto the chair and another referee runs out and makes the three-count!
Winner: Wardlow via pinfall (Powerbomb Symphony)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Not much of a match but the crowd was super hot for it and it was entertaining as hell. Spears’ facial expressions were great, too. **)
Security runs out and Wardlow destroys each and every one of them. He Powerbombs one of them into the side of the cage.
The camera pans to a somber announce crew as they shift focus. “Our hearts go out with the families in Texas,” Jim Ross said. “There is nothing more we can say other than pray, understand what they are going through and love them. Love them all you can. Something has to stop. Something’s got to stop, can you make it happen?”
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Backstage, JAS says they are going to show BCC and Kingston’s crew how violent sports entertainment can be. They walk up on a crew member wearing a Jon Moxley shirt and start taunting him. Jericho throws a fire ball in his face.
Tony Schiavone welcomes CM Punk and Hangman Page to the ring. Punk is wearing all black. Punk simply says he plans on walking out of DON on Sunday as AEW World Champion, but Hangman says he already told Punk what he would do to him. He says there is nothing that Punk could do to him to be able to take the title away from him.
Punk says he doesn’t know why Hangman is taking this whole thing so personally and calls him “possibly the toughest son of a bitch” on AEW’s roster and tells him that this is just business, not personal. Page takes the microphone away from Tony and reminds Punk that he said he would embarrass and destroy Punk. He says he didn’t mean he would do that on DON, he meant he would do it right now. Page says he has been waiting for this moment for months, he said he imagined this for months. He said he thought about lighting his own “pipe bomb” and throwing it at Punk’s face and says that would be “full circle” with them in Vegas tonight.
Page says he realizes he can’t do that, though, because that is exactly what Punk would do. He says fighting Punk’s own pettiness isn’t the right thing to do. He says he doesn’t hate Punk, he almost pities him and he doesn’t respect Punk or anything he’s done in AEW. Page says Punk doesn’t understand what being champion means even after all these years. He says the things that a champion does when the light is turned off is what makes him a champion.
Page says he loves AEW and he cares about AEW and he will not be defending the title against Punk, he will be defending AEW from Page. Punk says he still doesn’t know why Page is taking this so personally but if he wants him gone so bad he will have to do it himself at DON. Punk says that the house of AEW was built with lumber that Punk cut. He says he paved the way for Page and AEW. He demands Page shake his hand but Page refuses and Punk shoves him. Page decks Punk and Punk just starts smiling.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Hangman alluded to a lot of criticisms that have been thrown at Punk over the year without explicitly saying anything. He did a good job of pushing that it’s personal to him, while Punk continues to be business as usual and playing mind games with Page. He seems to almost be trolling Page with the more mad he gets, the calmer Punk is.)
Anna Jay and Jade Cargill cut dueling promos about their match at DON. William Regal and Chris Jericho join commentary next.
Private Party vs. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston
Moxley and Kingston attack Private Party as they come to the ring. Quen manages to catch Moxley with a Moonsault out of the corner but Moxley and Kingston double team him in the corner. Kingston hits a Butterfly Suplex on Quen and tags Moxley. Moxley whips Kingston into a Splash on Quen in the corner and then Moxley hits a Corner Clothesline. Moxley goes for a Powerslam but Quen escape and hits a Pele Kick. Kassidy tags in and hits a Spinning Enziguri on Moxley.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Kassidy hits another Spinning Enziguri and Quen tags in hitting a Flying Cross Body. Quen knocks both Moxley and Kingston the floor and then hits a Somersault Plancha onto Kingston followed by a Tornillo onto Moxley on the floor from Kassidy. Kassidy hits a Diving Stunner on Moxley in the ring followed by a Shooting Star Press from Quen for two. Kassidy tags in and Private Party goes for Silly String only for Moxley to block it and commit a homicide with a Lariat on Kassidy. Kingston puts Quen in the Stretch Plum and Moxley elbows Kassidy repeatedly before hitting the Paradigm Shift for the pin.
Winner: Moxley & Kingston via pinfall (Paradigm Shift)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: The match was relatively short but entertaining while it lasted. **)
JAS attack Kingston and Moxley but Santana, Ortiz and Bryan Danielson run down and a huge brawl ensues. Danielson and Jericho square off in the ring as the fans go nuts.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
A vignette highlights the Owen Hart Cup with highlights of Owen Hart wrestling in Japan along with Mark Henry talking about Hart. All of the semifinalists cut promos, as well.
ROH Tag Team Championships
FTR (c) vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta)
ROH’s Caprice Coleman joins commentary for this next match. They mat wrestle for the first several minutes with neither team getting the advantage. Roppongi Vice break out a series of a double team moves for the first nearfall, however.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Beretta throws Dax hard into the turnbuckles and follows up with a series of Rolling German Suplexes. Dax manages to counter the last one with a Rolling German Suplex of his own. Trent grabs the top rope to block the third suplex but Dax hits it anyway for a nearfall until Romero broke it up with a stomp. Romero goes for a Suplex but Dax counters into an Atomic Drop. Trent and Rocky hit a Double Flying Knee together.
Trent hangs Dax up in the ropes and Romero hits a Springboard Missile Dropkick for two. Trent and Romero go for Strong Zero but Cash crotches Romero on the top and Dax rolls Trent up for two. Dax goes for an Electric Chair btu Trent counters with a Victory Roll for two. Dax goes for a PIledriver but Trent blocks it and Roppongi Vice hits Strong Zero! 1…2…NO Cash shoves Romero to break up the pin!
JEFF COBB and GREAT-O-KHAN of The United Empire in NJPW run out and attack both teams!
Winners: NO CONTEST
(That was a great match until the non-finish. It was awesome to see Jeff Cobb back in AEW, though. United Empire vs. FTR at Forbidden Door. ***)
Cobb puts Dax through a table with a Doctor Bomb and Great-O-Khan puts Trent through a table, as well. United Empire poses with the ROH Tag Titles.
The Hardyz talk about their history and says that The Bucks wouldn’t have been able to survive coming up during their era when they first started. He calls the Bucks “Hardyz cosplayers” and says they are in AEW to cement their legacy as the GOAT tag team. Jeff literally bahs like a goat weirdly. Jeff says the Bucks are nothing but stepping stones on their way to another tag team title. Matt says they are “middle aged and extreme.” Hardyz says the old saying is “never meet your heroes” because they will disappoint you, but the Bucks are going to be disappointed because they can never BEAT their heroes.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
3-Way Match
“Absolute” Ricky Starks vs. Jungle Boy vs. Swerve Strickland
Starks shoves Swerve into Jungle Boy and rolls him up but Jungle Boy rolls Starks up and they all start exchanging rollups and nearfalls. Swerve hits a Headstand into a Headscissors on Starks but Jungle Boy goes to the top only for Swerve to pull him down. Swerve lifts Jungle Boy up onto his shoulders and then throws him forward and Jungle Boy lands on Starks and hits a Rana! Starks trips Jungle Boy and pulls him to the floor. He clotheslines Jungle Boy and then Swerve goes for a dive but Starks moves and Swerve lands on his feet only for Starks to shove him into the barricade.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Jungle Boy leaps over the top rope into a Rana on Swerve off the apron! Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hits a Sliding Lariat for two before Starks breaks it up. Swerve lifts Jungle Boy up to the top rope but Starks climbs up with them only for them both to knock Starks off the top to the floor. Jungle Boy hits a Reverse Super Poison Rana only for Swerve to land on his damn feet! Starks hits a Mafia Kick on Swerve but then eats a Superkick from Jungle Boy. Swerve picks up Jungle Boy for a Brainbuster but Starks Spears him! Starks hits the Michinoku Driver on Jungle Boy! 1…2…NO Swerve breaks it up!
Starks goes for his finish but Swerve escapes and goes for a Half Nelson Suplex only for Starks to counter with an Armdrag. Starks pokes Swerve in the eyes and hits Roshambo but Jungle Boy comes in and locks Starks in the Snare Trap! Starks reaches the ropes but Jungle Boy pulls him to the center of the ring! Swerve comes flying in with a Missile Dropkick to break it up! Swerve hits the Swerve Stomp off the top on Starks for the pin!
Winner: Swerve via pinfall (Swerve Stomp)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That match was absolutely out of this world insane. Some of the spots they pulled off was just unreal. I have a feeling the Tag Title Match is going to be what that was times 10. Great stuff. ***1/2)
Powerhouse Hobbs runs out and runs Swerve over with a clothesline and starts tossing Jungle Boy around. Luchasaurus runs out and goes for a Chokeslam but Hobbs blocks it as Keith Lee walks out. The three behemoths square off and start trading strikes. Lucha hits a Tail Whip on Hobbs knocking him to the floor. Lucha follows Hobbs out but then eats a Tornillo from Lee!
Dan Lambert and Men of the Year cut a promo backstage and he says that Sky’s brand new custom made TNT Title will be presented to him on Friday.
Thunder Rosa comes out without her face paint on and says she wants everyone to see the real her because she has worked her ass off to get where she has and has never complained or bitched about her spot on the card. She says that Serena Deeb is not a champion and she is a petty person. She says she points her finger at everyone for her past and her “questionable cosmetic choices” when she should blame herself. She says she used to look up to Deeb but not anymore. She says on Sunday the war paint comes on and the warrior inside her will take over and she will teach Deeb a lesson.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That was easily Thunder Rosa’s best promo. She has struggled with carrying programs with her talking but she did a good job there and the match on Sunday should be excellent.)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Red Velvet gives Ruby Soho notes on how to beat Kris Statlander but Soho throws them away. Velvet tells her about an injury Statlander has and Soho says she’ll keep that in mind.
Owen Hart Cup Women’s Semifinals
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Toni Storm
Storm and Baker start things off with some chain wrestling until Storm takes control. She hits a dropkick knocking Baker to the floor and throws her into the ring post. Baker rakes Storm’s eyes and slams her into the ring steps.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Baker and Storm exchange strikes with Baker getting the better of it with a Superkick. Baker goes for the Pittsburgh Sunrise but Storm blocks it and hits a Swinging DDT. Storm hits a Flying Ass Attack in the corner and then an Alabama Slam. She goes for Storm Zero counters with a Kryptonite Krunch for two. Jamie Hayter walks out and Storm rolls Baker up for two. Baker comes back with a Swinging Neckbreaker for two.
Baker goes for the Ripcord Lariat but Storm counters into a German Suplex. Baker rolls to the floor only for Storm to slide into a Tornado DDT on the floor. Her nose is busted as she knocks Hayter off the apron. Baker goes for a Superkick but Storm blocks it and goes for Storm Zero. Baker counters with a rollup and grabs the ropes for the pin.
Winner: Baker via pinfall (rollup)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: They seemed to work together okay for the most part but it was super clunky at spots and there was some timing issues. It was definitely not the match I expected. **)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—–
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Semifinals
“Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe vs. Kyle O’Reilly
These two wrestled one time in ROH way back in 2015. They mat wrestle to start with both men going for submissions. Finally, Joe gets pissed and just starts lighting O’Reilly up with chops and strikes. Joe picks Kyle up and dumps him with a nasty slam before hitting a series of chops and kicks for a nearfall. O’Reilly starts attacking Joe’s arm slamming it into the mat and kneeing him in the knees repeatedly. Excalibur points out that the shoulder is what Jay Lethal and his crew attacked with a pipe last week. He hits a Flying Knee Drop off the top to Joe’s arm and then puts him in a Cross Armbreaker.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
O’Reilly is attacking Joe with strikes until Joe quite literally just throws his full body at O’Reilly’s legs to take him out. Joe hits an Atomic Drop and a Mafia Kick followed by a Backsplash Senton for two. O’Reilly attacks Joe’s arm again but Joe destroys him with a Lariat with the other arm! Joe lifts Kyle up to the top roe and goes for the Muscle Buster but O’Reilly counters it into a Fujiwara Armbar! Joe manages to grab the bottom rope with his other arm to break the hold.
O’Reilly pulls the wrap off Joe’s arm and starts kicking at his injured arm again. Joe tries fighting back with his other arm and hits a Leaping Enziguri! O’Reilly blocks an STO and rolls Joe up but Joe counters into the Coquina Clutch and O’Reilly passes out!
Winner: Joe via KO (Coquina Clutch)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That match was excellent. Kyle O’Reilly has been stupendous during this tournament and the story they told with him going after Joe’s injured arm but Joe fighting it off was perfect. Great stuff from both guys. ***1/2)
Adam Cole comes out and stares Joe down as we go off the air.
Quick Results
1) Steel Cage Match: Wardlow def. Shawn Spears
2) Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston def. Private Party
3) ROH Tag Team Titles: FTR (c) fought Roppongi Vice to a NO CONTEST
4) 3-Way Match: Swerve Strickland def. Jungle Boy & Ricky Starks
5) Owen Hart Cup Women’s Semifinals: Dr. Britt Baker def. Toni Storm
6) Owen Hart Cup Men’s Semifinals: Samoa Joe def. Kyle O’Reilly
Double or Nothing Lineup:
- Buy-In Match: HOOK & Danhausen vs. Tony Nese & Smart Mark Sterling
- MJF vs. Wardlow
- Death Triangle vs. House of Black
- The Hardyz vs. The Young Bucks
- Anarchy In The Arena: The Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz
- Owen Hart Cup Women’s Finals: Dr. Britt Baker vs. Soho/Statlander winner
- Owen Hart Cup Men’s Finals: Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe
- TBS Title: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Anna Jay
- AEW World Team Titles 3-Way: Jurassic Express (c) vs. Team Taz vs. Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee
- AEW World Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Serena Deeb
- AEW World Heavyweight Title: Hangman Page (c) vs. CM Punk