CEDAR PARK, TX – The Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal takes place for the first time without MJF to determine who gets their shot at him for the Dynamite diamond ring. Not only does the winner get the chance to be the first person besides MJF to wear the ring, but they also pick when and where the match for the Dynamite Diamond occurs.
Other matches from tonight keep the action coming as The Acclaimed defend their Tag Team Championship against FTR and Jade Cargill teams with The Baddies against Skye Blue, Madison Rayne, and Kiera Hogan.
Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal
Although he’s already facing MJF next week at Dynamite’s Winter Is Coming, Ricky Starks goes into this match as a favorite. The Texas crowd makes this agenda known as the match begins with an overwhelming “let’s go, Ricky” chant.
Kip Sabian doesn’t lose sight of Orange Cassidy, continuing what he started last week with the All-Atlantic Champion. Nearly eliminated and holding on to the top rope for dear life, Cassidy tries to turn the tide and eliminate Sabian with headscissors. However, Blade outside the ring hits Cassidy and drags him to the floor to eliminate him.
After targeting Dalton Castle for a while, Brian Cage finally eliminates him from the match. However, his celebration doesn’t last long as Jack Perry sets his sights on Cage. With a massive drop kick from Perry, Cage is sent over the top rope. Cage goes for a vertical suplex over the top rope, but Perry lands on his feet on the apron. After a thrust kick and knee drop on the apron, Perry eliminates Cage.
With a spear through the middle rope, Starks eliminates Butcher. Lee Moriarty sends Starks through the middle ropes, but Perry hurricanranas Moriarty over the top rope onto the floor, eliminating him. Morrisey, out of nowhere on the outside, eliminates Perry.
With four men left, Matt Hardy, directed by Ethan Page, goes after Starks. The two attempt to throw Starks over the top rope, but Captain Shawn Dean stops them from getting very far. Hardy pushes back on Page, making him eliminate Dean himself. The two continue their partnership and go after Starks together once more. Hardy looks for the Twist of Fate, but Starks sends him over the top rope instead. Catching Page in a DDT off the ropes, Starks looks for the spear but is stopped by Page.
When Page lifts Starks to throw him over the top rope, Starks holds on to the ropes and sends Page to the ground instead, winning the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal.
Samoa Joe (C) vs. Darby Allin – TNT Championship
Allin kicks off the match with a flurry of fists, pushing Joe to the corner. Allin launches himself outside the ring after Joe. However, Joe easily moves out of the way, leaving Allin to hit the barricade and land on the floor.
Picking Allin up, Joe drives him into the barricade repeatedly. With Allin down, Joe pulls up the padding on the floor, exposing concrete to try and inflict more damage. Joe sends Allin head-first into the ring post, leaving the doctor to check on Allin. Allin barely makes it back in the ring before the 10 count. Although there’s a moment where Allin seems to be making a comeback, Joe lands a Manhattan Drop and senton for two.
When Joe follows Allin outside the ring, Allin shoves him head-first into the steps and quickly makes it to the top rope. With a coffin drop to the outside, Allin sends Joe right to the floor. Back in the ring, Allin continues his offense with an upkick and stunner, pinning Joe for two.
Joe places Allin on the top rope, landing a chop before attempting an avalanche musclebuster that is interrupted by Allin biting his face. Shoving Joe to the mat, Allin nearly lands a coffin drop. However, Joe is ready and counters with the rear choke. Joe knocks out Allin to retain the TNT Championship.
Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Daniel Garcia and Jake Hager
With Yuta kicking off the match for the BCC, Garcia immediately tags in Hager. However, before he does anything, Hager throws the hat he loves so much to Castagnoli, easing him into being a sports entertainer after his match against Jericho Saturday, December 10.
With Garcia back in, he repeatedly kicks Yuta, driving him into the JAS corner. Although Yuta starts firing back with chops and a senton, Garcia doesn’t stay down as he kicks out of a pin at one. Following Yuta, Castagnoli goes for the pin next against Hager after a hip throw. However, the lateral press isn’t enough to stop Hager from kicking out at two.
Yuta double sledgehammers Hager’s elbow before dropkicking him outside the ring. With a tope, Yuta takes out Garcia and Hager outside before throwing Hager back into the ring. Thanks to a distraction from Sammy Guevara, Hager lands a Hager Bomb on Yuta, pinning him for a two count.
Claudio delivers massive uppercuts to Hager all over the ring before placing him on the top rope for a hurricanrana. Castagnoli pins him for two. Looking to end things, Castagnoli’s Giant Swing is interrupted by Garcia. Although Hager goes for an ankle lock, Castagnoli is ready and successfully puts Hager in the Giant Swing. After a lariat, Castagnoli pins Hager for two.
Hager locks in the ankle lock on Castagnoli. When Yuta enters the ring to try and break it, Garcia locks him in the Dragon Tamer. Castagnoli rolls out of the ankle lock, launching Hager into Garcia and Yuta. After an uppercut, Castagnoli pins Hager for the win.
Jade Cargill and The Baddies vs. Madison Rayne, Kiera Hogan and Skye Blue
Skye Blue and Red Velvet are first in the match, with plenty of back and forth until Blue lands an arm drag to slow down Red. Blue rolls up Red for a near fall, but Red reverses it and pins Blue.
Leila Grey enters the match going for a quick pin on Blue. Grey picks up momentum, but Blue shuts her down with an enziguri. Tagging in Rayne, Rayne trips Grey before Blue lands a dropkick, and Grey is pinned for one.
Blue lands a major thrust kick that sends Red outside the ring. However, Red is ready for Blue to try and capitalize on her being outside as she traps Blue between the apron to deliver massive rights. Back in the ring, Red and Blue’s thrust kick each other simultaneously, leaving both crawling to their corners to tag out.
With Cargill and Hogan in for the first time in the match, Hogan doesn’t waste her opportunity to get her hands on Cargill. Hogan dropkicks Cargill into the corner before landing a sliding boot while fighting off the Baddies. Cargill slams Hogan to the mat and goes for a Jaded until Hogan tags in Rayne. Countering a ripcord, Cargill lands a back elbow. With a perfect Jaded, Cargill pins Rayne for the win.
The Acclaimed (C) vs. FTR – AEW World Tag Team Championship
Looking to add a fourth tag team championship to their name, FTR finally cash in their status as #1 contenders against The Acclaimed.
Bowens and Harwood kick it off for their teams, but Wheeler quickly tags in. Bowens gets Wheeler in an easily reversed headlock. Wheeler lands multiple side-headlock takedowns on Bowens, and Bowens responds in kind with a headscissor. Wheeler is the first to go for the pin, but when Wheeler goes for another side headlock, Bowens reverses it for a two count.
Caster sets Harwood up perfectly for Bowens to land the Scissor Me Timbers. Taking a moment to celebrate with a quick scissor, Bowens tags in Caster again. Harwood looks for the Sharpshooter, but Caster fights out of it and goes for a Sharpshooter of his own. Wheeler runs into the ring to break the hold, but Bowens catches him with a Sharpshooter.
FTR start to gain control as they take the fight outside the ring. Wheeler slams Bowens into the ring post before meeting up with Harwood to catapult Caster into the apron. FTR continues to dominate the match back in the ring, but the tides change when Caster lands a diving crossbody on Wheeler.
Bowens hammers elbows into Harwood before landing a knee strike, earning a two count. Harwood lands two German suplexes before Bowens regains the upper hand. After a neckbreaker, Bowens nearly wins it for The Acclaimed.
FTR land a piledriver on Bowens, pinning him for two. After narrowly avoiding a Big Rig, The Acclaimed go for their own, unsuccessfully. FTR land a Big Rig, pinning Caster, only for it to be broken by Bowens.
Bowens lands an Arrival on Wheeler, setting him up for the Mic Drop. However, Wheeler rolls out of the way just in time. After taking a powerbomb from Wheeler, Caster rolls through into a pin to win the match for The Acclaimed, successfully defending their championship.
Next for AEW
The tension between Orange Cassidy and Kip Sabian continues to build as Friday AEW Rampage at 10 pm EST on TNT sees Cassidy defending his All-Atlantic Championship against an opponent of Sabian’s choosing. Other matches include Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley and Hikaru Shida defending her Regina Di Wave Championship against The Bunny.
