4/24/24 AEW Dynamite Recap
The Elite are shown arriving to the arena earlier today, with Jack Perry arriving right after. Security tries to stop Perry from entering the building, but The Bucks say he is with them and security backs off. The Bucks say they have some business to get to tonight as we go into the arena.
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Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary from Jacksonville, Florida.
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Orange Cassidy’s music hits, but he gets thrown out of the entrance tunnel by Trent Beretta. Beretta beats Cassidy into the ring and grabs a microphone. Beretta calls Chuck Taylor to the ring, and Taylor comes out of the stands. Beretta says he is sorry that he didn’t beat down Cassidy sooner and that they wasted five years hugging him. Beretta says Cassidy was supposed to be their mascot, but they turned out to be his lackeys. Beretta tells Taylor that Cassidy doesn’t care about him and is not his friend. Beretta tells Taylor he is his friends and tells him to give the people what they want. Beretta motions for a hug, as does Taylor, but then Taylor stops and says he has always thought Beretta was a piece of shit. Taylor hits Beretta with the microphone, and says since he can’t be cleared to fight in the ring he wants to fight in the parking lot. Taylor checks on Cassidy as Beretta looks on from the stands.
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Jon Moxley cuts a promo backstage. Moxley says he knows exactly who Powerhouse Hobbs is and just how powerful of a man he is. Moxley says it will only take one mistake for his entire world to come crumbling down and knows how far the Don Callis Family will go to get a win. Moxley says no one knows more than him that it takes to get to the top and stay there, and there is nowhere he would rather be. Moxley says he is going to remind the world just who he is.
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Don Callis joins the commentary team for the opening match.
Match #1 – AEW World Championship Eliminator Match
Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana) vs. Kyle Fletcher
They exchange waist-locks and wrist-locks, and then Fletcher takes Strickland down for a quick two count. Strickland gets free and sends Fletcher into the corner. They lock up and Strickland applies a side-headlock. Fletcher backs him into the ropes, but Strickland comes back and takes him down for a two count. Strickland goes for an arm-bar, but Fletcher counters into a roll-up for a two count. Fletcher goes for a kick, but Strickland blocks him and shoves him away for a stalemate. Strickland sends Fletcher into the corner with a shot, and follows with a diving uppercut from the ropes. Strickland goes after Fletcher again, but Fletcher comes back with a quick shot and sends Strickland to the floor. Fletcher follows him out, but Strickland counters with a back body-drop. Strickland kicks Fletcher in the face as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Strickland grounds Fletcher in the ring and works over his arm. Fletcher comes back with elbow strikes and slaps Strickland in the face. Fletcher delivers a thrust kick and follows with a Michinoku Driver. The Elite and Perry are shown walking into Tony Khan’s office backstage as Fletcher gets Strickland on the apron. Fletcher goes for a suplex, but Strickland counters with a neck-breaker. Strickland delivers the Swerve Stomp on the apron, but Strickland immediately grabs his ankle on the floor. Strickland rolls Fletcher back into the ring and goes for the House Call, but Fletcher blocks it and applies an ankle lock. Fletcher drops down and grape-vines the leg, but Strickland makes it to the ropes. Fletcher delivers a few kicks to Strickland’s midsection, but Strickland blocks the last one. Fletcher delivers a rolling elbow, but Strickland comes back with a few more strikes.
Strickland goes for a kick, but his ankle gives out. Fletcher tries to come back, but Strickland delivers a flatliner and follows with a brain buster for a two count. They reverse each other’s Tombstone Piledriver attempts, and then Fletcher finally delivers one for a two count. Callis calls a play from the commentary table and Fletcher goes to look for something under the ring, but then shakes his head no and gets back into the ring. Strickland takes advantage as Callis says Fletcher was supposed to get a table. Strickland delivers right hands to Fletcher in the corner, and then delivers the Swerve Stomp for a two count. Strickland delivers the House Call and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
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Excalibur announces that Kenny Omega will return on next week’s Dynamite.
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Renee Paquette interviews Thunder Rosa. Rosa says she can complain about what happened at Dynasty, or she can move on. Rosa talks about Deonna Purrazzo interfering in her match and Storm low-blowing her, but she is going to talk about his proud she is of what she accomplished to get back in the ring. Purrazzo walks up, and they argue and shove each other before being separated.
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Footage of the match between Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay from Dynasty airs.
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Match #2 – Singles Match
Anna Jay vs. Mina Shirakawa (w/Mariah May)
They both duck under lock-ups and mock each other, and then Jay kicks Shirakawa in the face and follows with right hands. Shirakawa comes back with a few trips and delivers a few shots to her knee. Shirakawa drops down onto Jay’s knee, and then slams her with a knee-buster. Jay kicks Shirakawa away, but Shirakawa comes back with an elbow strike and takes Jay down with an enzuigiri. Shirakawa goes for the cover, but Jay kicks out at one. Shirakawa drops Jay with a side leg-sweep and drops an elbow to her knee a few times. Shirakawa applies the Figure Four, but Jay makes it to the ropes. Jay goes to the apron and rakes Shirakawa’s eyes. Jay delivers a back-breaker over the ropes and goes for the cover, but Shirakawa kicks out as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Jay and Shirakawa exchange elbow strikes, and then Shirakawa drops Jay with a rolling elbow strike and a back fist. Shirakawa charges, but Jay puts her in the apron. Shirakawa delivers a shot and drops Jay with a knee strike from the top for a two count. Jay comes back with the Dangerous J Kick and slams her down for a two count. Jay goes for another slam, but Shirakawa elbows her way free and drops Jay with a dragon-screw leg-whip. Shirakawa applies the Figure Four, but Jay makes it to the ropes again. Shirakawa delivers a missile dropkick and follows with an enzuigiri for a two count. Shirakawa goes for the Glamourous Driver, but Jay counters and goes for the Queen Slayer. Jay looks at May instead, and Shirakawa rolls through and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Mina Shirakawa
-After the match, May and Shirakawa celebrate with some champagne, but Jay gets into the ring and attacks them both. Jay locks May in the Queen Slayer, but Toni Storm rushes the ring and makes the save. Serena Deeb comes to the stage and sits down with the AEW Women’s World Championship, which Storm dropped on the stage during her run in. Deeb says the next time she touches the belt, it will belong to her after she becomes the AEW Women’s World Champion.
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Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway are in the ring, and they introduce the new AEW TBS Champion, Willow Nightingale. Hathaway and Nightingale say they didn’t like each other at first, but then Hathaway says both he and Statlander are proud of her. Nightingale says she was in the crowd in Jacksonville in 2020, just trying to catch her break, and then in 2022 she got her “All Elite” graphic. Nightingale says she is no longer a rookie and is now the face of TBS. The celebration is interrupted by Mercedes Mone.
Mone tells Jacksonville to say “hello” to their CEO, and then Nightingale says this is about the fourth time that Mone has interrupted her and tells her to say whatever she has to say. Mone says she just wanted to congratulate Nightingale and says she will be the new face of TBS in 32 days. Mone asks Nightingale if she attacked her two weeks ago, and then Statlander asks Mone if she attacked Nightingale last week. They all argue, and then Hathaway says they all know it was Julia Hart. Nightingale says it seems like Mone has a vendetta against her, and then Hathaway says it is clear that Mone does. Statlander backs Hathaway away, and then Mone asks if Nightingale is asking her if she blames her for almost ending her career and taking the one thing that she cares about away from her.
Nightingale says she feels horrible, and then wondered if she could beat Mone at 100 percent back then. Nightingale says that title reign had an asterisk next to it, but this one does not. Nightingale tells Mone she wants her at 100 percent at Double or Nothing so she can show her just why she is the TBS Champion. Mone tells Nightingale to enjoy it while she can, because she knows in her heart that she can’t beat her. Mone turns to leave, but Statlander grabs her. Mone thinks it was Nightingale that grabbed her and slaps her across the face. Hathaway and Statlander hold Nightingale back as Mone leaves the ring and backs up the ramp.
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Alex Marvez is backstage, and he stops Jack Perry outside Tony Khan’s office. He tries to ask Perry, then Okada, and The Bucks if Perry is reinstated. Only Matthew answers, and says he wishes he had better answers, but then says Khan and Perry will meet in the ring later tonight.
Footage of Perry’s time in New Japan Pro Wrestling airs, including the ripping up of his AEW contract earlier this year. Then, footage of Perry helping the Bucks win the AEW World Tag Team Championship at Dynasty airs as well.
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Match #3 – #1 Contender’s (AEW International Championship) Casino Gauntlet Match
Dante Martin vs. Jay Lethal vs. Jay White vs. Komander vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lance Archer vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Will Ospreay
They lock up and White backs Martin into the corner. Martin gets free, and then exchange waist-locks. White turns it into a side-headlock, then a wrist-lock, but Martin gets free. White delivers a few chops into the corner and sends Martin across, but Martin dodges and delivers an enzuigiri. Martin drops White with a hurricanrana and follows with a dropkick. Martin goes for the cover, but White kicks out and rolls to the floor. Martin comes over the top, but White dodges and delivers a few chops. Martin comes back with a knee strike and gets White back into the ring. Martin goes for a shot, but White dumps him to the outside, and then Penta El Zero Miedo enters the match. Penta delivers a shot to White and takes him down with a cross-body. Penta follows with a Slingblade to both White and Martin, and then kicks Martin into the corner. Penta follows with a thrust kick and slams him down as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Dante delivers shots to Penta as Kyle O’Reilly enters the match. O’Reilly delivers kicks to Penta and Martin, and then delivers elbow strikes to White. O’Reilly works over the arms of the other three men, and then causes Martin to clothesline Penta. O’Reilly delivers a knee strike to Martin and then delivers shots and strikes to White. O’Reilly applies a heel hook to White, but White makes it to the ropes as Will Ospreay enters the match. Ospreay and O’Reilly get face-to-face and exchange elbow strikes. Ospreay kicks O’Reilly in the face and drops him with a springboard elbow strike. White comes back in and backs Ospreay into the corner. White delivers chops, but Ospreay comes back with a chop of his own and sends White into the ropes. White ducks to the ring, and then Ospreay drops Martin with a Spanish Fly for a two count as Lance Archer enters the match.
Archer drops Ospreay, O’Reilly, and Penta with shots, and then chokeslams Martin onto White. Penta comes back with a few shots, but Archer drops him with a shoulder tackle. Archer goes for a chokeslam on O’Reilly, but O’Reilly counters into a front guillotine choke. Archer counters and slams him down, and then Archer throws Ospreay down onto everyone else on the outside as the show heads to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Archer has White on the apron as Komander enters the match. Komander sends Archer through two tables on the outside with a hurricanrana. Komander delivers a kick to Ospreay and drops him with a spinning DDT for a two count as White breaks it up. White slams Komander down and goes for the cover, but Komander kicks out at two. White goes for the Blade Runner on Ospreay, but Ospreay counters with a Liger Bomb for a two count as Jay Lethal enters the match. Lethal delivers a few shots to Ospreay and follows with a low dropkick. Lethal drops Martin with the Lethal Combination, but Penta comes in with a low shot. Lethal comes back with the Lethal Injection to Penta, but White comes back in with a sleeper suplex. White goes for the Blade Runner, but Martin comes back in to break it up. O’Reilly comes back in with kicks and an elbow strike to Martin.
Ospreay delivers shots to O’Reilly’s face, but O’Reilly comes back with a rolling elbow. Ospreay sends O’Reilly into the ring and drops him with the Hidden blade for a two count. Ospreay sets up for the Tiger Driver 91, but hesitates and O’Reilly takes him down and applies an arm-bar. Komander breaks it up with a splash and goes for the cover, but Ospreay breaks it up with the Hidden Blade and gets the pin fall on Komander.
Winner and number one contender for the AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay
-After the match, Roderick Strong and the rest of The Undisputed Kingdom come to the ring. Strong holds the title in the air and exchanges words with Ospreay as the rest of the Kingdom stand on the apron.
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The new FTW Champion, Chris Jericho, makes his way to the ring. Jericho says he won the title “For The World” and says there is still a lot that Hook has to learn. Jericho says Hook needs to get away from the clowns that he surrounds himself with, and needs to learn when to stay down when he is told to. Jericho says Hook forced him to use the baseball bat and he knows Hook is watching from home and is taking notes now. Jericho says there are a lot of guys and girls who are under his “learning tree,” but Big Bill interrupts.
Bill says he has been in the back listening to Jericho, and he only has one thing to say. Bill says he needs to guidance of the Learning Tree and calls Jericho the Socrates of professional wrestling. Bill says Jericho is always willing to give advice, lend a hand, and bring a less-established guy and bring him to the top with him. Bill says there is a long line of guys in the back for this opportunity, but there is nobody bigger than him or a better fit than him for the Learning Tree. Bill says Jericho knows that he is the very best fit, and Jericho says he has been watching Bill for a long time.
Jericho says he is one of the reasons why Bill is in AEW, and he is going to be keeping an eye on him to see if what Bill says is true. Bill tells him to do that and to watch him. Jericho says he will watch Bill and watch all the fans as they celebrate together.
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Renee is backstage with Callis, Fletcher, and Ospreay. Callis says he is so excited for Ospreay and he is going to get the gold. Callis asks Ospreay why he didn’t do the Tiger Driver 91, and Ospreay says he wants to get rid of the move because of what happened to Danielson. Callis says he doesn’t care about who has broken necks before, and then Fletcher tries to defend Ospreay. Callis says tonight is about the guys who win matches and walks away as Fletcher apologizes to Ospreay.
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Don Callis joins the commentary team, again, for the main event.
Match #4 – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
Moxley delivers a quick kick to Hobbs’ leg and goes for a rear choke. Hoobs turns it around and backs Moxley into the corner. Hobbs stomps Moxley down, and then delivers a back elbow. Moxley comes back with chops, but Hobbs delivers more shots into the corner. Moxley comes back with a German suplex, but Hobbs hops right up and slams Moxley with a belly-to-belly suplex. Moxley goes to the outside, but Hobbs follows him out. Moxley delivers a shot and slams Hobbs into the timekeeper’s table. Hobbs comes back and slams Moxley’s face into the barricade, but Moxley dodges a kick and sends Hobbs over the barricade with a kick. Moxley clubs Hobbs in the back and applies a side-headlock. Moxley delivers right hands and follows with elbow strikes. Hobbs comes back with a shot and slams Moxley into a trash can. Hobbs chops Moxley against the barricade and clubs him in the back. Hobbs gets Moxley back to ringside and back into the ring as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Hobbs is in control, but Moxley comes back with a few chops. Hobbs applies a bear hug and sends Moxley into the corner. Hobbs charges, but Moxley kicks him in the face. Moxley charges out of the corner, but Hobbs delivers a shot that sends Moxley back into the corner. Hobbs charges, but Moxley dodges him and Hobbs crashes into the turnbuckles. Hobbs goes to the floor, but Moxley drops him with a dive through the ropes. Moxley gets Hobbs back into the ring and backs him into the corner. Moxley delivers a series of rights and lefts in the corner, and then drops him with the Paradigm Shift for a two count. Moxley transitions into a rear choke and Hobbs passes out.
Winner and still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion: Jon Moxley
-After the match, Konosuke Takeshita comes to the stage and motions to Moxley that he wants the title.
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Renee interviews Katsuyori Shibata backstage. Shibata uses his phone to challenge Jericho to an FTR Rules Match for the FTW Championship and says he is going to chop down the Learning Tree next week on Dynamite.
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Tony Schiavone is in the ring, and he introduces Jack Perry. Perry says he has had some of the best moments of his life in Jacksonville, but he has business to handle tonight. Perry says he wants to handle the business face-to-face with Tony Khan. Khan makes his way to the ring. Perry says it’s been a long road over the last five years, and all he has ever wanted is whatever is best for AEW. Perry asks Khan to shake his hand and reinstate him, and then they can continue to change the world together. Khan shakes Perry’s hand and they share a hug, and then Perry smiles toward the camera. They raise each other’s arm in the air, and then Perry hits Khan in the midsection with the microphone.
The Elite come to the ring and ask Perry what he just did, and then Okada backs Perry into the corner. The Bucks pick Khan up and set up for an EVP Trigger, but Okada stops him. Okada puts his thumbs up, and then the Bucks deliver the TK Driver to Khan. Perry drags Khan to the middle of the ring, and then all stand over him as referees and doctors rush the ring. The Elite and Perry leave the ring and raise their arms on the stage as Matthew Jackson says, “It’s time to change the world, baby.” The Elite and Perry walk backstage as the locker room empties with guys, including Shad Khan, checking on Tony as the show comes to a close.
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Announced for this Saturday’s Collision, which will air when NBA Playoff coverage on TNT ends:
-AEW World Trios Championship Match: Bullet Club Gold (c) vs. Action Andretti and Top Flight
-Anna Jay vs. Toni Storm
Announced for this Saturday’s Rampage, which will air immediately after Collision:
-Parking Lot Fight: Chuck Taylor vs. Trent Beretta
-Deonna Purrazzo vs. Thunder Rosa
Announced for next Wednesday’s Dynamite:
-FTW Championship – FTW Rules Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
-Kenny Omega returns
-Swerve Strickland’s challenger at Double or Nothing will be revealed
