AEW Dynamite Live Coverage - January 4th, 2023

https://i.imgur.com/bB33zdx.jpg


AEW Dynamite

This week, the new era of DYNAMITE begins! Ricky Starks takes on Chris Jericho. Bryan Danielson face Tony Nese. The Acclaimed defend their AEW World Tag Team Championship against Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal. Plus, Samoa Joe defends TNT Title against former champ Darby Allin.


:aew:

– The first AEW Dynamite of 2023 kicks off with the new production elements and set design. We then shoot inside the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington where Excalibur does the "It's Wednesday night" catchphrase and his co-commentators are introduced.

The commentators refer to tonight as the start of a new era for AEW Dynamite. We head to the ring where Chris Jericho is introduced where is accompanied by his fellow members of the J.A.S.

His music cuts off and the fans keep singing the chorus. Then, the theme for his opponent, Ricky Starks, hits. A new video tron for "The Absolute One" plays and out he comes doing his "Absolute" pose as the fans in Seattle go nuts.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks

Chris Jericho takes Ricky Starks down with a hip toss early on after flipping off the crowd, Starks fires back with a shoulder tackle but that leads to Jericho slapping him in the face. 'Absolute' doesn't take kindly to that though as he unloads on the veteran, launching him out of the ring and into the steel stairs, but when they get back in it is Jericho who regains control with some chops.

Starks then gets hold of Jericho's arm and walks the ropes before dropping down on him, but Jericho regains the upper hand after an assist from Matt Menard only for Starks to respond with a right hand of his own. Jericho sticks his thumb into the eye of Starks on the ring apron and then drops him onto the floor outside the ring. Starks attempts to get back into the match inside the ring, but a dropkick immediately brings an end to that.

Starks manages to level things with a big clothesline and then they go back and forth with chops and punches, but it is the younger man who wins out with a dropkick. He then connects with a Liger Bomb, but that only gets him a near fall. Jericho attacks the neck of Starks and then attempts a lionsault, but Starks gets his knees up and he looks for a second rope move but misses and lands on his feet, then hitting Jericho with a dropkick.

Starks then goes for a splash in the corner but misses, and as he bounces back he gets nailed with a Codebreaker. However, Starks then blocks the Judas Effect only to be put into the Walls Of Jericho instead. Starks manages to get to the ropes, but 2.0 plays a role as Angelo Parker distracts the official which allows Menard to nail Starks in the face with the baseball bat. Despite that, Starks still doesn't submit when checked on, and he fights his way out and then almost catches Jericho out with a pinfall attempt.

Starks follows it up with a DDT after running the ropes and he takes out 2.0 and then connects with a Spear for the win!

Winner: Ricky Starks

– After the match the rest of JAS attack him, but that leads to Action Andretti hitting the ring with a chair to attack the entire faction and level the odds until Anna Jay and Tay Melo get involved as Melo hits a low blow. JAS then dominate both men due to their numbers advantage. They then set up a table outside the ring as Jake Hager powerbombs him through it from the ring apron.

– Tony Schiavone is out in the ring and he welcomes "Hangman" Adam Page to the ring for a medical update. He says he wanted to tell people he's good to go more than anything, but as of today he is not medically cleared to compete. He was told if he got into a fight with Jon Moxley it will keep setting him back one more week, which isn't what he wants. What he wants is what Moxley wants which is to face him next week.

Luckily for him, he has a date and Page asks the doctor at ringside and it gets confirmed he can be cleared for next week. He doesn't care where it is, next week he is going to knock Moxley's d**k in the dirt, and that comment brings out the Blackpool Combat Club member. He's surprised Page made it here tonight and he is sick of the candlelight vigil that is going on for Page, but the fans then chant "we can't hear you," so he gets another microphone.

However, that one breaks and he asks them to "turn the f***ing mic on." He says nobody has been knocked out more than him or crawled through more miles of crap, and it makes him sick to see Page playing the victim. Page says he has been knocked out more times than he can count and he would never be mad at Moxley for that. What he is angry about is how he called him out and he didn't let Page get a word in before he made a joke.

He thinks that's because Moxley felt threatened, and he has two lariats with Moxley's name on them. Moxley then says the only thing he thinks is funny is that Page believes next time will be different, as his punk ass doesn't belong in the ring with him, and next week he will make sure Page doesn't get back up.

– We shoot to a message from "The King of TV" himself, Samoa Joe. Joe is shown with the TNT Championship and ROH TV Championship over each shoulder as he talks into the camera.

He sends a message to Darby Allin, warning him what's in store for him coming at the throne to the one true "King of television" in reference to their scheduled TNT title showdown later tonight.

AEW Tag-Team Championships: Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal vs. The Acclaimed (C)

Max Caster cuts his usual rap on the way to the ring, taking shots at Jeff Jarrett's wife while claiming TNA stands for "Total Nonstop Acclaimed."

Jarrett takes a shot at Caster while he's on the apron to start, and that fires up Anthony Bowens who starts attacking him in the corner, but the veteran connects with an elbow and makes a quick tag out. Jay Lethal then eats several kicks before getting planted to the mat with a guillotine leg drop. Caster then comes in and works an Ankle Lock to Lethal as he goads Jarrett, and Bowens then comes back in with Scissor Me Timbers.

The champions look to scissor but Jarrett gets in the middle and stops it, but he is then taken down and hit with the same move. Outside the ring, Lethal slaps Billy Gunn in the face which fires him up, and he then gets ejected from ringside. While The Acclaimed react, Lethal attacks Bowens from behind, and Jarrett tags back in to retain control as he then mocks Caster.

Lethal comes back in and drops Bowens to the mat before looking for his Elbow Drop, but he misses, and before the hot tag happens Jarrett knocks Caster off the apron only to be dropped onto his back as the tag finally happens. Caster then attacks both men, vaulting over the top rope to take down Lethal, and back in the ring he nails him with a diving crossbody, but Jarrett breaks up the pinfall and then slaps him.

Caster takes him down and attacks with ground and pound before dropkicking Lethal as Bowens returns to action, yet Jarrett pushes Caster from the top turnbuckle to the floor to stop what the champions have planned. The challengers then work together with a double team, but Bowens kicks out only for Lethal to get the Figure Four Leglock set as Satnam Singh throws Caster into the steel stairs as he gets thrown out as more officials come down to the ring to deal with him.

As the distraction happens, Jarrett connects with The Stroke, but Bowens puts his foot on the ropes. However, Sonjay Dutt pushes it off and we have new champions! But, no! Aubrey Edwards saw it all and this one is continuing.

Bowens then hits Jarrett with a superkick but Lethal immediately goes for a roll-up, putting his feet on the ropes to try to cheat again. However, Caster pushes him off and Bowens reverses to defend the titles.

Winners and still AEW World Tag Team Champions: The Acclaimed

– Schiavone is then shown speaking to Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker, and they question if Saraya will ever get what AEW is. They claim to be originals who have worked their way to the top of the division, and Baker puts over Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida, so she's not sure why Saraya hasn't chosen her partner yet. Baker then claims that she is "the boss" as they close the segment.

Bryan Danielson vs. Tony Nese

A video package is shown of Jungle Boy backstage, and he suggests next week he and HOOK team up.

Bryan Danielson is immediately distracted by Smart Mark Sterling and that allows Tony Nese to take immediate control, hitting his running knee in the corner which gains a two fall. However, Danielson immediately takes Nese into the corner and unloads his kicks before nailing a running elbow strike to fire up the crowd. The round kicks then begin, but Nese blocks the big one and throws him into the corner.

Nese then looks for another running knee strike but he hits the turnbuckle pad with his kneepad down, and that allows Danielson to nail the Busaiku Knee as he then stomps away on Nese as he then gains a submission win.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

– After the match, Danielson tells the fans it is great to be home, and he is ready for another fight as he calls out MJF, and the World Champion obliges. However, MJF says no, as he doesn't get his rocks off trying to entertain the schmucks, he gets money whether he wrestles or not which makes him a special attraction. He then claims if Lance Storm and Dean Malenko could have a child, it would be more charismatic than Danielson.

MJF claims that just because Danielson looks like a goat it doesn't make him one. The two men then trade jokes about each other's moms, but MJF then claims he is the best in the world and his title proves it. He claims journalists and marks think Danielson is the best, but guys like Disco Inferno and Eric Bischoff have put him over, as well as the smartest man of them all...Jim Cornette.

Danielson says he hates MJF and it is time for them to fight. The champion says wins and losses matter here, so he spoke to Tony Khan and he said that if Danielson wrestles every week from now until February 8th and wins he would become number one contender. MJF says if Danielson can do that he will give him a title match at Revolution on March 5th. Danielson says no, he will wrestle when he wants and become number one contender like MJF, but MJF says he runs this company, and if Danielson doesn't do it his way then it's not happening.

Danielson says he will agree to MJF's stipulation if he can pick their match stipulation at Revolution and he reveals the challenge will be a one hour Iron Man match! MJF agrees and says he isn't worried because Danielson has choked on all the big matches so far, but the American Dragon says he will run through them all and then he will expose MJF.

Swerve Strickland vs. AR Fox

The two men waste no time getting down to action and they immediately face off after a high-flying move which both men land, but Swerve Strickland's two men end up staring AR Fox down. Despite that he gets a kick in and then vaults off the ring post to take out for the former AEW World Tag Team Champion. He then rolls in and lifts Swerve into a corckscrew brainbuster.

Swerve's henchmen manage to get a cheap shot in on Fox though, and that allows the leader to come in with a hard right-hand to take control. Back inside the ring and Strickland leaps into Fox's back from the top rope, but it isn't enough to get the win. Fox fights back with some punches and then a huge punt kick, but Strickland returns with some kicks of his own only for Fox to win out with an enziguri after avoiding the discus lariat.

He follows up with a splash in the corner, but Strickland then responds with a German Suplex and a Flatliner, immediately regaining control of this match. Strickland knocks Fox off the top rope but he lands on his feet and hits a couple of cutters, and he then nails the 450 Splash, but Swerve is able to kick out! The duo then head to the top turnbuckle, but as the official is distracted by one of Swerve's henchman the other hands him some form of weapon which he uses.

Strickland follows it with a Death Valley Driver to the ring apron from the top turnbuckle and then the Stomp from the top rope to finish things off.

Winner: Swerve Strickland

– Saraya is shown with Toni Storm and Hikaru Shida being interviewed by Renee Paquette. They claim they're driving the division forward, and Storm says it isn't cool that she got injured by them. Saraya is excited about the mystery partner. She knows they have the best roster and she is sitting next to the best wrestler in the world, and she says Storm will be her partner while Shida looks confused and angry.

– The Gunns head to the ring and host a funeral segment for FTR, with a gravestone dating when they defeated them. The two men have prepared speeches, putting over what they did while then saying that FTR's dad bods couldn't handle things and they destroyed the legacy that FTR created. FTR's music then hits, but it was a joke from The Gunns as they claim FTR will never work in AEW again.

Jade Cargill & Red Velvet vs. Kiera Hogan & Skye Blue

Red Velvet gets the match kickstarted with Skye Blue as they exchange pinfall attempts until Blue spikes her to the mat, but this leads to Jade Cargill tagging in who turns her inside out and plants Blue to the mat while telling Velvet this is what to do. The champion misses with a splash in the corner but does connect with her elbow strike which sends her opponent to the floor.

They walk around as Cargill remains in control with uppercuts, and they then get back to the ring as Cargill powers Blue above her head, but she shows off too long, and that allows a tag to be made. However, Kiera Hogan immediately runs into the Eye Of The Storm and she looks for Jaded but doesn't hit it. Instead, she taps Velvet on her head, but that allows Hogan to gain control.

She charges her opponent into the corner and then hits a sliding kick, getting a near fall. Hogan hits a snap suplex, but that allows Cargill to tag in and both her opponents get nailed with pump kicks, which is followed by a Chokeslam to Hogan. Once again she sets things up and she looks to tag Velvet but she drops down and says no. Hogan then almost catches the champion with a roll-up, but she fires back with a huge pump kick for the win as she and Velvet stare each other down.

Winners: Jade Cargill & Red Velvet

– Renee Paquette is backstage and reveals there will be a no holds barred match at Battle Of The Belts as Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal challenge The Acclaimed once again.

TNT Championship: Darby Allin vs. Samoa Joe (C)

Samoa Joe puts his hands on Nick Wayne at ringside before the match, and that leads to Darby Allin diving out of the ring to attack him immediately. He then uses his skateboard as a weapon, and he then leaps off the entrance and has the skateboard under his feet as he lands on Joe's back. Allin then brings out a huge ladder and scales up to it and he dives down and takes out Joe down below, but he tweaks his knee in the process.

The two then head to the ring and the match official begins as Allin dropkicks the champion into the corner. However, as he takes the fight to Joe outside of the ring the champion catches him and just slams Allin down onto the steel steps. He continues the attack outside the ring by launching Allin into the ring post. The challenger rolls in to just break the 10 count and immediately goes back out before Joe follows him and nails a couple of huge chops to his opponent.

Back inside the ring, Joe continues to slowly just pick apart his challenger with his senton as he then places a focus onto the legs of Allin. He tries to sit up, but Joe kicks him back down with his legs underneath him, so Joe hits another senton which crushes Allin's knees. Joe then locks in a single-leg crab submission, but Allin manages to get to the ropes in time to break it up.

Joe looks for the Muscle Buster but Allin slides out and then manages to hit a German Suplex as Joe yanks the top turnbuckle pad off in the process. However, the champion slips Allin into a sleeper, only for Allin to reverse with a pinfall attempt. Joe kicks out and as the challenger tries to attack again, Joe locks in the sleeper hold and he fights out, sending Joe into the exposed turnbuckle as he then hits Code Red and the Coffin Drop! With Joe out, he goes to the top rope and hits his finisher again to become the new champion!

Winner and new TNT Champion: Darby Allin

– After the match, Sting makes his way down to the ring and congratulates his tag team partner as they celebrate in the ring together.