Dallas, TX – Dynamite promises a lot of action leading up to the main event, where Ricky Starks challenges MJF for his AEW World Championship and the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Ruby Soho is back in action as she faces Tay Melo in retaliation for being the one to cause her injury the last time she was in the ring. And match 4 in the Best of 7 AEW Trios Championship Series takes place between Death Triangle (2) and The Elite (1).
Death Triangle (C) vs. The Elite – Best of 7 AEW Trios Championship Series
Down in the series against Death Triangle, The Elite look to tie the series 2-2. Nick goes to the top rope, landing an arm drag on Penta. After Nick’s dropkick, Penta tags in Fenix. Bringing Matt into the mix, the Bucks double-team Fenix before going after Pac with Omega. Omega goes for the pin, but Pac kicks out before one.
Death Triangle take control as Penta stops Matt from landing anything further on Pac. With Pac holding Matt in a waistlock, Fenix goes across the top rope to kick him in the head. Pac lands the German suplex. Off Pac’s back, Penta slingblades Omega. Fenix dives onto Omega outside. With a standing moonsault press, Pac covers Matt, but he kicks out.
While Nick is in the back for further evaluation on his ankle, Matt and Omega are at a disadvantage numbers-wise. After multiple Northern Lights suplexes on Fenix, Matt doesn’t realize Penta is the legal man. Rolling up Fenix, Matt is unphased when Penta runs in as he hits a Northern Lights Suplex on Penta, pinning him for two.
Omega sets a fast pace ending with Pac in the perfect position for a moonsault. Landing a moonsault off the middle rope, Omega covers Pac for two. Omega hits Penta with a Snapdragon, before hitting Pac with an enziguiri and Snapdragoning Fenix. After a third and final Snapdragon on Pac, Death Triangle is down for a moment.
Pac builds back momentum with a cutter over the top rope and keeps the offense coming until Omega counters with a brainbuster. Penta takes Matt out with a Fear Factor on the apron. After an inverted frog splash from Fenix, Omega kicks out of the pin. Fenix rolls Omega into position for the Black Arrow, but Omega rolls out of the way just in time.
Nick limps back to the ring, ready for a tag, countering Fenix with a cutter. Looking for a superkick, Fenix catches Nick while Penta hammers his ankle. Fenix puts Nick in an inverted knee bar, forcing him to tap out after the hammer hit. This win increases Death Triangle’s lead in the series over The Elite with the record now at 3-1.
“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry vs. Brian Cage
With a shoulder tackle by Cage, JB is down, but not for long. JB counters Cage with a hurricanrana, sending Cage to the corner. From the top rope, JB lands a diving hurricanrana, following it immediately with a dropkick.
Cage sends JB into the corner, landing a couple of chops before throwing him to the other corner. Taking JB to the top rope, Cage lands a superplex. JB is too fast for Cage as he lands elbow after elbow. Going off the ropes, JB tries to take Cage down. JB lands a lariat before Cage lifts him up, but JB counters with a DDT.
After uppercuts, JB is hit by Cage with a release German suplex and a full nelson driver before he kicks out of a pin at two. JB starts to come back, especially after he lands a Canadian Destroyer on Cage, getting a two-count pin. With Cage still down, JB locks in the Snare Trap that Cage taps out to, but Aubrey Edwards doesn’t see. Capitalizing on Cage being distracted, JB rolls him up for the win.
After the match, JB calls out Big Bill from The Firm, and they beat down JB until Hook saves him. Hook offers his hand to JB, helping him up from the ground. And, for fans who miss Hookhausen, this feels promising, even if it’s not the same.
House of Black vs. The Factory
Before the match can even start, Julia Hart hits Comoroto with black mist. The HOB take this as an opportunity to go after The Factory on the outside while Black and Marshall stay in the ring. With a kick to the side of his head, Black pins Marshall for the win.
Jericho vs. Action Andretti – Jericho’s “Tune-up” Match
After tapping out to Claudio Castagnoli’s Giant Swing and losing his ROH Championship, Jericho wants to “tune up” before their rematch. With “let’s go, Jobber” fueling Andretti, he fights his way out of the corner with massive chops. This is quickly stopped with a boot to the chest from Jericho. Shoving Andretti back into the corner, Jericho delivers “ocho” clotheslines. Making his comeback, Andretti lands a tijeras that sends Jericho to the mat. Capitalizing on Jericho’s position, Andretti hits him with a tornillo before pinning him for two.
Jericho delivers a Death Valley Driver and Codebreaker, but it’s not enough as Andretti kicks out at two.
Andretti follows a backbreaker with a neckbreaker, leaving Jericho down. Instead of going for the pin, Andretti goes for a split-leg moonsault, but Jericho’s knees are up just in time. Avoiding the Judas Effect, Andretti goes underneath and rolls Jericho up for a two-count.
Jericho catches Andretti off the top rope, looking for The Walls, but Andretti turns it into a pin. After a dropkick and a running shooting star press, Andretti hooks both of Jericho’s legs, pinning him for three and picking up the win.
Ruby Soho vs. Tay Melo
Interrupting Soho’s entrance, Melo starts the fight immediately by kicking Soho off the apron. Soho hammers Melo before driving her head into the apron and hammering away again. Soho doesn’t stop there as she throws Melo into the barricade. Melo doesn’t let this slide as she throws Soho into the barricade twice before throwing her into the steps and dragging her into the ring to start the match.
Melo attempts a lariat, but Soho catches her in a backthrow. After two more, Soho goes for the pin, but Melo kicks out at two. Back up, Melo lands a back elbow right before avoiding the No Future by running out of the ring. Stopping her from getting farther up the ramp, Soho goes for a Destination Unknown but doesn’t complete it. Instead, Soho finds herself driven into the ramp by Melo’s DDT.
Back in the ring, Melo is down after an unsuccessful pin. Soho rolls through her attempted cannonball senton, only for Melo to catch her with a pumpkick. Melo covers Soho, but Soho kicks out. The two trade chops in the center of the ring until Melo lands a piledriver, leading to another unsuccessful pin.
Soho fights out of a Tay-KO, hitting a knee to Melo’s face. With a Destination Unknown, Soho wins the match.
MJF (C) vs. Ricky Starks – AEW World Championship and Dynamite Diamond Ring
MJF is the first to strike with a kick to Starks’ knee. Stopping a clothesline from Starks, MJF shoves him to the mat. Adding insult to injury, MJF strikes Stark’s signature pose at the center of the ring. After some back and forth, Starks lands a shoulder tackle that knocks MJF outside the ring. Righting the wrong that was MJF doing Starks’ pose, Starks hits his pose in the center of the ring.
With a sunset flip, Starks pins MJF for two. After MJF kicks and misses, Starks rolls him up for another two-count. Taking advantage of MJF facing away from him, Starks gets him in a backslide for another two. After an inside cradle for two, Starks hits a clothesline that sends MJF crawling across the ring.
Taking back control, MJF gets Starks in the eyes before forcing him into the corner. Driving his shoulders into Stark’s ribs, MJF makes it clear he wants to target Starks’ recent injury. Trying to force Starks to tap out, MJF locks in an abdominal stretch, using the ropes for additional leverage. Eventually, the referee notices MJF’s rope use, and Starks takes this as his chance to hip toss MJF to get out of the hold.
With a jawbreaker and a dropkick to the jaw, Starks comes back hot. Diving back elbow into a lariat keeps the momentum going his way against MJF. When Starks goes for a Roshambo, MJF tries to counter with a hurricanrana, but Starks hits a Liger Bomb. He pins MJF for what felt as close to three counts as possible while still being two.
MJF from the middle rope stomps Starks’ elbow before trying to lock him in the Salt of the Earth in the center of the ring. However, Starks maneuvers this into a roll-up for two before MJF reverses for another two counts. With a powerbomb on the knee, MJF tries to finish the match, only for Starks to kick out.
After a boot sends MJF into the ropes, he comes back at Starks with a rolling elbow strike. But that doesn’t do much to stop Starks, as he lands a spear right after. Crawling to cover MJF, Ricky gets a two count before MJF locks in with the Salt of the Earth.
When MJF attempts another Salt of the Earth, Starks rolls him up for two. Starks lands a thrust kick and attempts a Roshambo that MJF avoids. Landing a low blow, MJF cradles Starks for the win. MJF successfully defended his AEW World Championship for the first time and retained the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the fourth year.
Next for AEW
The action continues Friday on AEW Rampage at 10 pm EST on TNT, where Jon Moxley takes on Sammy Guevara in another BCC vs. JAS match. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. fights Skye Blue. And the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy team with Dustin Rhodes against The Butcher, The Blade, Trent Seven and Kip Sabian.
