AEW Dynamite Live Coverage - January 18th, 2023
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AEW Dynamite
This week, Bryan Danielson faces Bandido on Bryan’s quest to face MJF.
Plus, Ricky Starks takes on Jake Hager.
:aew:
– Tonight's show opens up with a graphic paying tribute to Jay Briscoe.
– Fireworks and pyro erupts as Excalibur does the "It's Wednesday and you know what that means..." catchphrase. Tony Schiavone and Taz join him on the call and then we head down to the ring for our first match of the evening.
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (C) vs. Jay Lethal
It is revealed that Tony Khan has told Jay Lethal's group that if anyone gets involved in this match then Sonjay Dutt will be fired. Despite that, the three men are shown coming down the steps in the crowd and they take front-row seats instead. Orange Cassidy looks for the Orange Punch immediately but Lethal avoids it and Cassidy looks for a backslide, which gets him a near fall.
Lethal responds well with a punch that sends him outside the ring. Danhausen is then shown in the crowd as he demands to see the tickets because he's dressed as an usher, meanwhile, Best Friends are shown taking seats at ringside as well, meanwhile, Cassidy dives out of the ring to take Lethal out. However, back inside the ring Lethal hangs his opponent up on the top rope and continues his attack from there.
The fight heads outside the ring again as the challenger launches Cassidy into the ring post, and as he aims for the Elbow Drop inside the ring Cassidy avoids it with a slow roll repeatedly. Lethal eventually tries it but gets sent into the turnbuckles and he follows it with a diving crossbody and then the Stundog Millionaire. He quickly hits a DDT after that, but Lethal manages to kick out.
Cassidy then goes for a high-risk move but Lethal reverses it with a combination, only to miss with Lethal Combination. Cassidy then misses with Orange Punch and the challenger then hits the Lethal Injection, but Cassidy rolls out. Outside the ring, Chuck Taylor pours popcorn on Sonjay Dutt which gets the officials' interest. Jeff Jarrett then tries to hand Lethal his guitar but Danhausen stops it and Lethal gives chase only to get caught with a roll-up. While Lethal kicks out, he is immediately hit with the Orange Punch.
Winner and still All-Atlantic Champion: Orange Cassidy
– Afterward, Satnam Singh gets into the ring and grabs both Best Friends, but Dutt begs him away due to his job being on the line. Dutt then has to do the same with Jarrett and he then eats the slow kicks from Cassidy who has to be held back himself.
The Young Bucks vs. Top Flight
Dante Martin starts out showcasing his athleticism against Nick Jackson, but he matches it as they nail dropkicks at the same time, but after Jackson pushes him in the face, Dante hits an enziguri and the older brothers tag in and Top Flight showcases their teamwork as Darius dives over the top rope onto Matt Jackson. However, the veteran team responds well as Nick stomps onto Darius and then hits a backstabber to Dante.
Nick focuses on attacking Dante Martin, but he fires back with some elbow strikes of his own, but a blind tag from Matt allows him to nail a huge lariat. He continues aggressively beating down on Dante in the corner until Nick comes back in as he goads Darius, but Dante then does a great job of avoiding a double superkick he leaps over Matt to make the tag but Nick pulls Darius off the apron to stop the tag.
Dante then eats a knee strike from Nick and then a bulldog/dropkick combination as they hit a double-team high-risk move as they both land on Dante, but he can kick out. Dante fires back with a double arm drag though and then a hurricanrana to Matt as he is finally able to tag in his brother. He charges in well, diving out to take Nick down as he continues the attack on Matt with a Spanish Fly.
Nick responds with a superkick after a blind tag, but Dante can tag in only for a blind tag from Matt Jackson as they look for the Meltzer Driver. Darius blocks it from the outside while Dante then dives out to wipe out Nick, and they hit the Powerbomb Nose Dive Combination only for Matt to break up the pinfall just in time. Nick then hits a Destroyer to Darius, but he manages to kick out this time!
The Young Bucks then hit the Doomsday Device as they pay tribute to The Briscoes, but Dante is the man to break up the pin this time and he dumps them both outside. He looks to springboard down to him, but instead, Dante eats a double superkick, but Darius ducks the BTE Trigger and then rolls up Matt Jackson for a pinfall win!
Winners: Top Flight
– The Gunns make their way down to the ring next and demand a microphone as they tell fans that they're the best tag team in the world. Austin Gunn points out that The Acclaimed embarrassed them last week, but he reminds people that they made The Acclaimed popular, they made them champions, and even gave them their dad. However, he claims it will be the last time they embarrass them.
The Acclaimed then make their way down, but The Gunns stop the rap from happening as Max Caster then asks if people wanted to hear him freestyle. He gets Austin's microphone shut down and Caster begins his rap, claiming they only got a job because their dad works here as Anthony Bowens lets the world know that The Acclaimed has arrived. The champions then hit the ring and a fight begins between the four men until Billy Gunn pulls his sons off and sends them to the back.
Gunn says he is sick and tired of this and tired of his son's whining, plus he wants The Acclaimed to start acting like champions. He says next week they will sit down and talk about it all, and he only has two words for us...family therapy.
– Adam Page is then shown with Renee Paquette and he says physically he feels fine, and with the win over Jon Moxley he has his word back. Paquette says that Moxley claimed Page pushes him to be the best and he despises and cherishes him. Page understands the nature of wrestling, but then he made a joke about it and he said he would knock him out to win and he's done that and he would do it again.
He wants to focus on having some tough conversations that he needs to have moving forward. When the interview ends Page asks her how Moxley is doing, and he points out he has been hurt one way or another for a while. He then teases something he'd like her to say to him but changes his mind.
Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager
Jake Hager starts aggressively, attacking Ricky Starks with some punches in the corner as he then puts on the purple hat and does Starks' pose. However, Starks fights back and he gets the hat on, walking the top rope and showboating as he then dumps the bigger man out of the ring. Hager looks to throw him into the ring post, but Starks dives under the bottom turnbuckle only to run into a big boot.
With the official distracted 2.0 then get a few cheapshots in on Starks as well to add to the damage. Back inside the ring and the JAS star keeps his attack going, throwing Starks around the ring while a table gets set up outside the ring. However, as Hager goes for a wild haymaker it gets avoided which allows Starks to attack, but he then gets caught into a powerbomb situation which Starks fights out of. He then sends Hager outside the ring and takes out 2.0 and then hits a springboard crossbody and a lariat to Hager in the ring.
Hager fights back with a double boot but the Hager Bomb is reversed with Starks getting his feet up, and he then runs up the ropes to nail a DDT which Hager manages to kick out of. 2.0 once again try to distract, but Hager accidentally knocks Cool Hand Ange off the apron and he turns around into a Spear.
Winner: Ricky Starks
– After the match, the rest of the JAS hit the ring to try and jump Sarks, but he's too quick and he runs through the fans to avoid it.
– Chris Jericho is then shown with Tony Schiavone backstage, and he says next week it will end as he requested a tag match as he and Sammy Guevara face Starks and Action Andretti. However, Daniel Garcia wants to be his partner, and Guevara says if he can beat Andretti on "AEW Rampage" he can have his spot, as Guevara claims this is what he has been training him for. He even has some leather pants for him to wish him luck.
Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido
Bandido showcases his quality by bouncing out of an arm submission straight away which gets him a huge reaction, but Bryan Danielson then brings him to the mat and snaps back on his legs. Bandido then locks in the Romero Special, but Danielson can get out of it and he looks for the move himself, but Bandido manages to block it so instead Danielson stops his legs on the mat.
Danielson's shoulder tackle proves to be too much for Bandido, but he then hooks the legs of the "American Dragon" for a pinfall who has to fight out with his core strength to raise up and then headbutt the masked man. Bandido locks in a great arm submission after and then dives through the ropes to take him down, which he follows by leaping over the top rope to take him out again.
However, as Bandido tries to springboard back into him he eats a kick to the chest in mid-air. He then hangs up Bandido in the tree of woe as he begins unloading kicks, and this time he is able to set in the Romero Special and that then moves on to a big chop, but Bandido follows up with one of his own and they then trade them back and forth, until Badido hits a thrust kick and then a roundkick.
Bandido then goes for his delayed vertical suplex, but Danielson is able to kick out of the pinfall attempt. He tries to follow it with a Frog Splash but Danielson has his knees up and that is transitioned into the LeBell Lock, but Bandido manages to get to the bottom rope. Bandido then connects with a huge knee strike to the face and he tries to follow with the 21plex, but Danielson lands on his feet and then looks for the LeBell Lock, but Bandido reverses into a pinning combination which nearly gets him the win.
Bandido throws some punches in the corner, but Danielson then throws him to the floor and follows it with a diving boot and a jumping knee strike from the ring apron. The two men then fight on the top turnbuckle and Bandido comes out on top, landing down on his opponent which gets followed by the 21plex, but Danielson kicks out after it. They then exchange slaps and kicks to the face, but Danielson counters a brainbuster with a knee strike, but as he goes for the LeBell Lock, Bandido powers him up out of it. The two then split, but Danielson comes out on top afterward by charging in with a Busaiko Knee.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
– MJF is shown and says he is starting to feel underappreciated and he sees people claiming he's not worthy. He thinks people have forgotten who he is. Previously Danielson has dealt with masked Max, but the closer Danielson will go on this journey the more that will slip off, and he says Bryan doesn't want that because not even a dragon is enough for the monster behind the mask.
Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale
Backstage Toni Storm defends Hikaru Shida for last week, saying she didn't mean to do that. Storm takes a shot at the AEW originals which angers Shida, and Saraya tells her to stay in the back tonight.
Brian Cage is then shown backstage (he is Danielson's partner next week) as MJF appears with an envelope of cash and he doesn't care if he wins or loses, he just wants him to break his arm. MJF then slaps him and Cage loses it, and MJF tells him there is no greater motivator than hate and he tells him to use it.
Toni Storm tries to use her strength against Willow Nightingale but is unable to match the power of her opponent, and Nightingale drops Storm to the mat and follows with a low crossbody which gets her a one fall. Nightingale then does a cartwheel and Storm looks to shake her hand after, but instead, she slaps Nightingale and then ends up hitting the hip attack to send Nightingale to the floor as Shida makes her way down to ringside as Saraya gets in her face.
Back inside the ring, Storm continues to attack the neck of Nightingale with a Full Nelson submission. She gets out and hits a back elbow before a couple of splashes in the corner, a lariat, and then a kick to the chest as she starts to build some momentum. Nightingale then nails a big Spinebuster, but Storm manages to kick out of the following pinfall attempt.
Nightingale then misses with another move into the corner and Storm takes advantage with a huge Hip Attack which is followed by a DDT and now it is Nightingale having to kick out. She responds well with a pounce that sends Storm flying as she follows it with the cannonball in the corner. Storm kicks out and Saraya then gets onto the ring apron to distract her so Storm can get a roll-up win.
Winner: Toni Storm
– After the match, Saraya hits the ring and attacks Nightingale, as she and Storm beat down Nightingale until Ruby Soho makes the save with Shida watching on.
– Konosuke Takeshita is then shown backstage and he loved wrestling Bryan Danielson as he is his hero. He learned so much, and now he will be watching his back because he doesn't trust MJF, and he says MJF is an a**hole.
TNT Championship: Darby Allin (C) vs. KUSHIDA
The two men start out looking to exchange holds as they try to gain the upper hand in this one with KUSHIDA getting the upper hand at the start as he takes the champion down and focuses on the leg. He then slides out of the ring to try to keep the attack going but Darby Allin manages to reverse it and send the challenger into the barricade, yet as he gets back into the ring KUSHIDA kicks away Allin's arm and then focuses in on it.
The champion comes back with a Pele kick and then a combination of strikes before the Code Red, but KUSHIDA manages to kick out. He then goes outside to regroup himself, but Allin dives to the outside with a cannonball which wipes out the two men from the LA NJPW Dojo who are at ringside with KUSHIDA. The challenger takes advantage of that by grabbing the arm to hit a flying armbar.
Back inside the ring, KUSHIDA nails a palm strike and he then launches into the corner again with another, eventually getting a near fall. KUSHIDA continues the focus on Allin's arm, slowly taking it down with stomps to the area. The pair then exchange chops as the champion then showcases more aggression until he is dropped with a crossbody and a Pele kick. He tries to then bounce back off the ropes, but Allin catches KUHIDA and nails the Scorpion Deathdrop, but he isn't able to get a cover.
Allin slaps KUSHIDA several times, but then gets sent outside as the challenger hits a diving knee strike from the ring apron to Allin's arm. Allin fires back with punches and sets KUSHIDA onto a chair outside the ring, but as he dives from the top turnbuckle KUSHIDA gets off the chair and catches him in mid-air with an armbar which further damages the arm. KUSHIDA then brings him back to the ring from the top turnbuckle, launching him with the arm first.
He then looks for the Hoverboard Lock as the LA Dojo guys offer the towel to Sting to throw in for his man. Instead, he dabs his face and throws it to the audience, yet back in the ring, Allin manages to pull off a great reversal with the Last Supper to retain.
Winner and still TNT Champion: Darby Allin
– Once the match wraps up, we see Darby Allin offer his hand for a handshake. KUSHIDA shakes it and then signals for a rematch. He raises Darby's hand in a sign of respect. The commentators close out the show with a final word of respect in honor of the late Jay Briscoe. On that note, we head off the air.
