AEW Dynamite Live Coverage - October 25th, 2023

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AEWDynamite

This week, Sting receives a gift from CEO/GM Tony Khan. Orange Cassidy & Kazuchika Okada team up to take on Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli. RVD returns to join HOOK as they face the Dark Order. AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida defends against Ruby Soho. The Elite vs. The Hardys & Brother Zay. Juice Robinson challenges MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring.


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– We start with a live cold open backstage where Renee Paquette welcomes us to the show. She then introduces the AEW World Champion, ROH World Tag-Team Champion and Dynamite Diamond Ring owner, MJF. He enters the picture and tells her to hold on as he makes a quick call.

He calls Adam Cole and congratulates him on getting out of "that nuts" house and getting the ankle surgery he needed. As he continues to talk to him, in comes Roderick Strong in a wheelchair yelling "Adam!" with The Kingdom by his side.

He says in the interest of them having the same best friend, Adam Cole, he's gonna have MJF's back tonight. MJF jokingly thanks him before pushing his wheelchair out of the camera shot. He then turns into the camera and gets serious as he talks about his showdown with Juice Robinson tonight.

When he finishes, we see an odd shot of the MJF devil mask on someone who stares into the camera. The camera shot cuts out and then we shoot inside the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, PA. as Excalibur welcomes us to this week's show.

Dynamite Diamond Ring: MJF (C) vs. Juice Robinson

"The Dapper Yapper" Justin Roberts is standing in the ring and he begins the formal ring introductions for the challenger, Juice Robinson. The Bullet Club Gold theme hits and out he comes accompanied by The Gunns. He makes his way to the ring for his big Dynamite Diamond Ring opportunity.

"Rock Hard" Juice Robinson settles inside the squared circle and his theme music dies down. The entrance tune for MJF hits and the crowd erupts as he makes his way out and heads to the ring, looking all business tonight.

As soon as MJF enters the ring, the bell sounds and he immediately charges at Robinson. He takes him down and begins ground and pounding the crap out of him as the crowd goes nuts in Philly. He takes the fight to the floor and launches Robinson over the timekeepers table. He grabs a bottle of water and takes a swig before spitting it into Juice's face.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman plays to the crowd a bit and then goes back to work on Robinson, launching him face-first into the steel ring post with authority. He heads in the ring and plays to the crowd some more, as loud "MJF! MJF!" chants spread throughout the Liacouras Center. Juice Robinson gets up and we see he is busted open and covered in blood.

Friedman puts Robinson's bloody face on the steel ring steps and stomps away at it threatening to knock his teeth out. A quick distraction from The Gunns at ringside allows Robinson to deck MJF and shift the offensive momentum into his favor for the first time in the bout. Robinson hits a big DDT on the hard part of the ring apron to MJF.

Robinson gets his hands on MJF's scarf and uses it to choke the hell out of the AEW World Champion as the action returns inside the ring. Robinson puts the boots to MJF and stops to taunt the crowd, who begins loudly booing him. We see Jay White emerge at the top of the ramp with MJF's world title in-hand as we head to a mid-match commercial break.

When we return from the break, we see Robinson dominating the action. Jay White has joined the gang on special guest commentary for this one. He cheers Juice on as he continues to pummel the champ. MJF begins fighting back, only for The Gunns to interfere. The referee starts getting involved, kicking at The Gunns when they try and climb up into the ring.

While he's dealing with that, we see Juice try and sneak his TJ Maxx cheap ring on his hand for the cheap shot, but MJF also sneaks his real Dynamite Diamond Ring on. He blasts Juice with it and the ref doesn't see it. He follows up with his finisher and scores the pin fall victory to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the fifth year in a row.

Winner and 2023 Dynamite Diamond Ring champion: MJF

– As soon as the match ends, The Gunns swarm and attack MJF. Jay White joins them and out comes The Acclaimed to make the save. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens and Billy Gunn run off the Bullet Club Gold guys.

White hops on the mic and tells MJF not to worry about Samoa Joe, Wardlow, The Kingdom, his devil mask or anything else going on. He vows to beat MJF and take the title he is holding in his hands for real at Full Gear.

The Gunns then get on the mic and challenge MJF and Adam Cole to a ROH Tag-Team Championship showdown at Full Gear. MJF cuts off "The Ass Boys" as they try and wrap up with their catchphrase.

MJF then accepts the ROH tag title bout at Full Gear. MJF says he wants White, Juice Robinson and The Gunns against himself and three partners of his choosing next week on Dynamite. When he wins, they will give him back the Triple H because nobody is on the level of "The Devil."

Roderick Strong wheels out yelling "Max! Max!" with The Kingdom by his side. Strong asks if MJF is going to pick them to be his three partners. He mocks them and then The Acclaimed say, "That means you're gonna pick us, right?" He tells Caster there's no chance he'll tag with them. Caster replies, "So you're saying there's a chance!"

Caster then asks if MJF will do him one favor before they leave Philadelphia tonight. "Scissor me!" He extends his scissor and waits. The fans chant "Scissor him! Scissor him!" MJF closes Caster's scissors fingers and walks off as his theme plays. As he walks up the ramp, the theme for Kenny Omega hits and he stops.

The two stare each other down and MJF smiles and nods. Omega grabs a mic and looks around as the fans chant "Holy sh*t!" Omega tells MJF he seems to have a lot going on, so he's gonna cut straight to brass tax. He says MJF has something he wants, but he's got something he wants, too.

Omega says if MJF is truly the fans scumbag like he says he is, he's gonna hear him out. He tells MJF he wants that belt. He says he deserves the right to defend his streak as the longest reigning AEW Champion in history before MJF breaks it with his current reign.

MJF says how about this. "The Cleaner" vs. "The Devil" this Saturday night at Collision for the AEW Championship. They shake hands but Omega pulls him in and says, "Oh and Max ... three days, b*tch!" We then head to a commercial break.

– When we return from the break, we see a vignette from Wardlow explaining what he has been doing on the sidelines for the past few months. He talks about watching MJF becoming the name and face of AEW with everyone supporting him. He makes it clear he still despises MJF. He vows to take everything from him.

Now we shoot inside the Liacouras Center where we see The Dark Order duo of John Silver and Alex Reynolds in the ring for our next match of the evening. The theme for HOOK hits and out comes "The Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil" to his Action Bronson entrance tune. He settles in the ring and the music fades down.

RVD & HOOK vs. The Dark Order

The iconic sounds of Pantera's "Walk" follows and the crowd explodes as WWE Hall of Fame legend and ECW icon Rob Van Dam makes his way to the ring to join HOOK in this scheduled tag-team contest next up in the ring here on this week's Dynamite in his former longtime ECW stomping grounds of Philadelphia, PA.

The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one. FTW Champion HOOK and Alex Reynolds kick things off for their respective teams. HOOK takes it to Alex, putting him down on the mat, isolating one of his arms and going to work on a submission attempt. He tags in RVD and the crowd erupts and "Mr. Wednesday Night" comes in putting the boots to Reynolds.

The fas chant "RVD! RVD!" as he hits a spinning arm-drag on The Dark Order member. John Silver blind-sides Van Dam and he and Reynolds get in some double-team action before Silver settles into the offensive lead. He takes it to RVD as HOOK looks eager to get the tag in his corner. HOOK does get the tag and he and RVD clear the ring of Silver and Reynolds.

On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as RVD and HOOK are shown standing tall in the ring as The Dark Order are re-grouping on the floor at ringside. When we return, we see Evil Uno try and interfere with a chair, only to get hit with a Van Terminator by RVD. RVD hits a five-star frog splash and HOOK gets Red Rum for the win.

Winners: RVD & HOOK

– Now we shoot to the commentary trio of Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz, who introduce "the regrettable" RJ City.

RJ City is shown backstage with "Timeless" Toni Storm. He mentions it being the time for the world premiere of her latest blockbuster film, "Hold That Butler." It airs in a picture-in-picture split-screen window in black-and-white as we head to another commercial break.

– As we settle back in from the commercial break, Excalibur sends things down to Tony Schiavone, who is standing in the ring. He says Philly is the best wrestling city in the world and the perfect place to introduce his next guests at this time, Darby Allin and Sting.

The two make their way to the ring as Taz and Excalibur talk on commentary about Sting's announcement regarding his plans to retire at AEW Revolution 2024. Darby Allin is wearing a sling on his injured arm. Sting says he wants to thank two people he forgot last week.

Sting goes on to thank Philadelphia because of the history he has in the town. He also wants to thank Darby Allin. He says he wouldn't of made it this far without him and calls him the greatest tag-team partner he's ever had. He also wants to thank Tony Khan.

"The Icon" then mentions that Tony Schiavone is asking for the microphone, so he hands it to him. Schiavone says Tony Khan and everyone should be thanking you, Sting. He talks about the legendary career Sting has had and how lucky we have been to witness it.

Schiavone says it was 35 years ago on this network, TBS, that Sting put it on the map and wrestling on TBS on the map in general. He says he was thrilled to be part of it and says it helped make Sting the "Icon" that he is now. He mentions the special gift Tony Khan has hyped having for Sting.

The fans break out in a loud "Thank you, Sting!" chant. Schiavone then mentions Khan's special gift for Sting and says he wants to bring it out right now. Ric Flair's theme hits and out comes "The Nature Boy" to an enormous pop. The fans chant "Holy sh*t!" loudly and Schiavone acknowledges the chants.

Flair and Sting have an emotional hug. Schiavone welcomes "The Nature Boy" to AEW. Flair grabs the mic and says you know in life there are moments that are magical. He says they're few and far between. Flair mentions 35 years ago putting TBS on the map with Sting at Clash of Champions against WrestleMania.

"The Nature Boy" calls Sting the nicest guy he's ever known and says he always had the good to back up his push, noting he didn't even take a deep breath in 55 minutes at Clash of Champions. He says he wants to ride the wagon with Sting until his retirement at AEW Revolution 2024.

He does a big "WOOOO!" and struts around. Sting asks for a chop. Flair obliges. The theme for Christian Cage hits and the fans boo as another legend makes his way out to ruin the fun. Cage mocks Sting for having a billionaire give him a suit and a black liver as a gift. He mocks Flair for being half dead.

Christian Cage says if there were a God, Flair would've been dead 20 years ago. The fans loudly chant "F*ck you, Christian!" He says the real reason he's out here is because Sting and Darby Allin decided to stick their noses in his business last week yet again. He taunts Darby and asks him how his arm is doing.

Cage says he wants to get rid of Sting sooner than Revolution 2024. He challenges he and Darby to find a partner and fight he, Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne at Full Gear. Sting sneezes and then apologizes and says he's allergic to jack-asses. He says he and Darby will find a partner and they accept his challenge. His theme hits to end the segment.

– Now we go to Renee Paquette, who is sitting down with Chris Jericho for a one-on-one interview. She brings up him being on the sidelines since the vicious attack at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs and The Don Callis Family. Jericho says he's ok now and the thing that hurts the most is his ego.

Paquette asks Jericho if he's at the point of his career where he needs to self-reflect and ask himself how much he really has left. He says he still feels he can beat anybody and he simply didn't see the attack from Hobbs coming. He admits there does come a time when you have to self-reflect in your career.

Jericho mentions Don Callis has a lot of friends in his Don Callis Family. He says he's got some friends, too, and some of them are even bigger than Powerhouse Hobbs. He says it might be time to give them a call. The segment wraps up on that note.

ROH Six-Man Tag-Team Championships: The Young Bucks & Hangman Page vs. The Hardys & Brother Zay

We return inside the Liacouras Center and out comes the legendary duo of The Hardys -- Matt and Jeff Hardy -- accompanied by Brother Zay. The three man team heads to the ring and settles inside, as they prepare for their ROH Six-Man Tag-Team Championship opportunity.

Zay does a quick call-and-response spot with the fans in Philly and then The Hardys' theme dies down. The familiar sounds of The Young Bucks' entrance tune hit the house speakers and out comes Nick and Matt Jackson, accompanied by "Hangman" Adam Page.

The trio head into the ring to a big pop and their music fades off. It's time for our next match of the evening here on Dynamite, where the ROH Six-Man Tag-Team titles will be on-the-line. The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one. Brother Zay and Nick Jackson kick things off for their respective teams.

After some good early back-and-forth action, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break. When we return, we see The Hardys hit some big high spots. Brother Zay goes wild on offense, flying all over the place as the crowd goes wild.

Ultimately Brother Zay is knocked silly by a Buckshot Lariat from Hangman Page, who follows up with The Young Bucks hitting a BTE Trigger for the win. With the victory, Hangman Page and The Young Bucks successfully retain the ROH Six-Man Tag-Team Championships.

Winners and STILL ROH Six-Man Tag-Team Champions: The Young Bucks & Hangman Page

– After the match, we see Shane "Swerve" Strickland invade the home of Hangman Page. We see him go into Hangman's baby room and lean over his baby crib talking about taking something from Page the way he took something from him.

He leaves a shirt in the baby's crib and says he's never gonna forget, and neither will you. We head to another commercial break after this chilling segment wraps up.

– When we return from the break, we shoot backstage where Renee Paquette is joined by Adam Copeland. He says his position hasn't changed about Christian Cage being his best friend and that meaning more than anything going on as of late. He still won't fight him.

In walks Darby Allin and Sting. Darby tells Copeland that he has to change his mind. He says he didn't want to break Nick Wayne's face last week but that's the game we're playing now. Sting interjects and gets passionate yelling at Copeland to get with it and fire up. He says he better before it's too late. He walks off as Copeland looks lost in thought.

AEW Women's Championship: Hikaru Shida (C) vs. Ruby Soho

Ruby Soho's theme hits the house speakers as we return inside the Liacouras Center for our next match of the evening. The Outcasts member with Saraya heads to the ring and settles inside as her theme music dies down.

Now the entrance tune for the reigning, defending AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida hits. The Japanese veteran makes her way down to the ring to a nice pop and settles inside the squared circle for her latest title defense.

The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one. We see some good back-and-forth offense early on, with neither lady establishing any real lengthy run in the offensive driver's seat. Shida starts to hit a big slam and suplex on Soho in the corner as she begins to pull ahead.

Soho cuts Shida's offensive run short, slamming her face-first into the turnbuckles in the corner before hitting a modified trip/choke-slam for a close near fall attempt. The two roll around the entire length of the ring with pin attempts and reversals. Shida goes to work on Soho in the corner as the crowd cheers her on.

Shida connects with a missile drop kick off the top rope. Soho rolls out to the floor so she can't be pinned. Shida comes out after her but walks into a No Future from Soho. The fans boo as Soho taunts Shida. On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as this title tilt continues.

When we return, we see Soho use the spray paint can and try to cheat her way to victory, however Shida hangs on and hits her Falcon Arrow and finisher for the pin fall victory. With the win, she retains the AEW Women's Championship. As she is celebrating her win, "Timeless" Toni Storm comes out and stares her down.

Winner and STILL AEW Women's Champion: Hikaru Shida

– Backstage, we see MJF when Renee Paquette walks up and mentions the challenge for the ROH Tag-Team Championships issued by The Gunns earlier in the show for AEW Full Gear 2023. Samoa Joe walks up and tells MJF it looks like he could use someone to watch his back because he suffers from a severe lack of friends.

He offers to be MJF's friend. MJF smiles and says ok and the two shake hands. Joe says on one condition -- he gets a rematch for the AEW Championship. We head to another commercial break after this wraps up.

Orange Cassidy & Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli

The "Freshly Squeezed" one makes his way to the ring to a big reaction from the Philly crowd. He settles into the ring and his music dies down.

Now the theme for Japanese legend Kazuchika Okada hits and out comes the NJPW veteran for his Dynamite in-ring debut alongside Cassidy. The two are in the ring now and awaiting the arrival of their opponents for tonight's featured tag-team main event.

Bryan Danielson's theme hits and out comes the Blackpool Combat Club duo of "The American Dragon" and Claudio Castagnoli. The two settle inside the squared circle and their music dies down. The bell sounds and we're officially off-and-running with this one.

Fans chant "Freshly Squeezed! Freshly Squeezed!" as Cassidy and Danielson stare each other down. They kick things off for their respective teams. Cassidy goes to do his big dramatic hands up and back down in his jean pockets routine, but Danielson charges him and goes to work on him to start things off with a bang.

"The American Dragon" continues to beat down Cassidy and then he tags in Castagnoli, who hits the ring and picks up where he left off, taking it to the "Freshly Squeezed" one. He taunts Cassidy by doing his wimpy kicks routine as Cassidy crawls around trying to get back to his feet.

Cassidy finally does get back up and he makes it to his corner to make the much-needed tag to Okada. Okada steps through the ropes and the crowd intensity explodes as the Philly fans begin chanting Okada's name. He and Castagnoli circle each other and then they begin to get after it.

The two trade stiff shots and then Okada takes over and tags in Cassidy. The "Freshly Squeezed" one, who is now fresh after recovering on the apron, comes in blasting Claudio with big shots. Castagnoli fights back and hoists him up for a suplex. He walks around with him in the suplex position and then tags in Danielson.

The two hit a nice double-team spot and then "The American Dragon" picks up where Castagnoli left off, taking it to Cassidy as we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break. When we return we will see the conclusion of this week's Dynamite tag-team main event. When we return, we see the heel BCC duo in control of the action.

Cassidy starts to fire up and he begins hitting his trademark spots left-and-right. Just as it looks like he's got things set up for an Orange Punch and a pin, he ends up off his feet being swung around forever by Claudio Castagnoli. Claudio gets Cassidy in a Sharpshooter. Okada comes in to break it up but Claudio sees it coming and blasts him with an uppercut.

Okada continues duking it out with Castagnoli and hits a wild shoulder breaker before slamming him down and heading up to the top-rope. He leaps off with as flying elbow smash. Okada plays to the crowd and calls for The Rainmaker. But first, he's got to give the people what they want, which is a best friends-style hug with the "Freshly Squeezed" one.

We see Okada get attacked by Danielson from behind. He fights back and looks for the Rainmaker but Danielson avoids it. He hits a dropkick. Okada does connect with the Rainmaker and Cassidy hits an Orange Punch. Castagnoli decks Okada. Cassidy charges at him but Castagnoli launches him in the air and catches him coming down with a vicious European uppercut for the pin fall victory to end an excellent tag-team main event.

Winners: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli

– Danielson is shown holding his face in pain as ringside officials check on him. Castagnoli checks on him as well. The Best Friends come out, as does Rocky Romero and HOOK. The ring fills up with bodies and we see a bunch of stare downs among the guys. The show ends on that unique note. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship is announced for next week's Dynamite. That's how the show ends.