A huge tag team showdown is on tap in tonight’s main event
- Samoa Joe & The Mogul Embassy vs. Hangman Page, Hook, & Rob Van Dam
- Toni Storm vs. ???
- Deonna Purazzo vs. Maidson Rayne
- AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Mike Bennett
- Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR
AEW Dynamite 2/21/24
Live from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz are on commentary and it’s time for Wild Thing!
Match #1. Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR
Cash with a dropkick to the knee of Claudio and in comes Dax with some chops. Claudio with a boot to the stomach and a big body slam. Moxley in with some chops in the corner but a back body drop by Dax and some chops of his own. Snap suplex and a snap leg drop only gets one. Running knee to the face by Cash and a vertical suplex, but Moxley escapes out the back and looks for the rear naked choke but Cash gets to the ropes. Moxley asks Cash to bring it and he does. Just brutal headbutts by Cash and elbows back and forth. Wow. Cash rolls to the outside and Claudio comes in and Dax gets double teamed. Cash comes off the top with a double clothesline and the fight spills to the outside. Suicide dive by Moxley but Dax pushes Cash out of the way and takes it himself. Cash then runs Moxley from behind directly into the steps. Abdominal stretch back in the ring by Dax, but he reaches outside for Cash’s help and the referee breaks it. Low dropkick by Cash and a double catapult under the bottom rope to Moxley. Moxley fights out of the corner with elbows but Dax whips him to the far side, only for Moxley to come out of the corner with a big lariat. Hot tag to Claudio and it’s a European uppercut party, baby, with Dax on the receiving end. Claudio looks for the Big Swing but Cash makes the save and they look for a double suplex, but Claudio escapes out the back and hits a double tear drop suplex! Two count on Dax. Outside the ring, Moxley sets Dax up for a piledriver and Claudio comes off the apron. Spike piledriver on the floor! BCC in control throughout the commercial Cash gets the hot tag and clears the ring with right hands, uppercuts, clotheslines, and more. Sunset flip on Moxley for two. Brainbuster to Moxley gets two. Claudio prevents the Shatter Machine to Moxley but runs into the powerbomb/leg drop combo. Two count! Powerplex attempt but Claudio flies in and sends Cash flying with a European uppercut. Dax posts Claudio and NOW it’s time for the Powerplex but Moxley gets the knees up on the splash! Claudio is here with the Giant Swing and Moxley dropkicks Dax on the tenth revolution! Two count. Hammer and anvil elbows to Dax and a rear naked choke now by Moxley. Claudio has the rear naked choke on Cash now but Cash drops himself and Claudio on top of Moxley to break up the pin. Dax and Moxley trading punches now but Dax is able to lock in the Sharpshooter! Cash has Claudio in a waist lock but Claudio reverses and puts Cash in the Sharpshooter! Claudio and Dax face off and trade slaps and drop the hold. Piledriver by Dax to Claudio but Moxley is here with a cradle for two. FTR send Moxley into the ropes and look for the Shatter Machine but the bell rings. The time has expired!
Winner: Draw
Rating: ****. This felt like a real fight here. The struggle in this match was real, and at points felt like they were really laying them in on each other. Ten more minutes here and we were on our way to a classic, which is what I assume we’re going to get at Revolution… so I’m here for it.
The fight continues after with a pull apart brawl as the entire locker room empties out.
Renee is with Orange Cassidy in the back. Renee lays out the last few weeks of Cassidy’s life and somehow, Doc Sampson says Cassidy is still cleared to wrestle tonight.
FTR are with Alex Marvez. Dax a match at Revolution, but before he can finish his thoughts, here’s the BCC.
Match #2. AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Mike Bennett w/ Matt Taven
The Undisputed Kingdom has taken out all of Cassidy’s friends, so he’s here alone tonight. Cassidy charges the ramp and lays out Taven with an Orange Punch before the match starts. Stundog Millionaire out of nowhere to start the match. Satellite DDT by Cassidy but here comes Roderick Strong. Referee is distracted and Bennett punches Cassidy in the ding ding! Piledriver by Bennett! One, two, no! Cassidy rolls to the outside and Bennett follows, punishing Cassidy on the steels steps, ring post, guard rail, etc. Half-and-half suplex by Bennett gets two. Arm drag into the corner by Bennett and a hard Irish whip into the far corner, causing Cassidy to hit the Flair move over the top. Bennett rolls outside and grabs a headset, letting us know that Roderick Strong will be taking Cassidy’s title at Revolution. Here’s Cassidy with a suicide dive. Make that two. Spinebuster by Bennett on the APRON and a Death Valley Driver on the floor! Wow. Cassidy gets rolled in the ring but drills Bennett with an Orange Punch and both guys are down. Cassidy looks for Beach Break but Bennett counters with the Gotch Style Piledriver for a 2.99. Elbows by Bennett but Cassidy hits Beach Break out of nowhere! One, two, three!
Winner and STILL AEW International Champion: Orange Cassidy
Rating: ***. Another strong defense from Orange Cassidy here but a little too many kickouts for my liking. How much more can the guy take? Bennett’s offense looked good here, though.
Jake Hager makes the save for Orange Cassidy!? He is an Oklahoma guy, afterall.
Angelo Parker is in the back with Renee, and tonight’s the big night. Date night. They’ve got to go catch a Lyft, as Ric Flair pulls up in an Escalade.
Renee is here with Ric Flair. Flair said he’s upset that he’s not a bigger part of Sting’s last match, so he’s going to explore some other options. Flair said he thinks he deserves better, as he goes to knock on a door that belongs to… The Young Bucks! Let’s talk.
Tony Schiavone welcomes Daniel Garcia to the ring. Schiavone lets us know that Adam Copeland is on the shelf, and Daniel Garcia will get an opportunity to face Christian Cage for the AEW TNT Championship at Revolution. The fans chant “You Deserve It” and he says sometimes he feels like he doesn’t, so thank you. Garcia lost confidence in himself, but he knew three seconds was all he needed, and he took advantage of that at the end of the Continental Classic. The fans were the ones that picked him back up, every time he danced, it built him up. Garcia says that if he had a few more minutes last week, he would have made Copeland tap out. Garcia has a message for Christain Cage, and here he is.
Enter The Patriarchy.
Christain says that Copeland will never get another shot at the title. Garcia has been on a hell of a run lately, but Christian says he doesn’t want to wrestle him at Revolution. Not because Garcia isn’t worthy, but because Garcia isn’t ready. Christian likes the dance moves and the gyrations, but they’re distractions. Christian knows Garcia is the way he is, and it’s something that the people don’t know. Garcia had a pretty dark childhood. Uh oh. Christian wants to know if Daniel knows a Jackie Garcia in Buffalo, who was married to David Garcia…
David Garcia is his father. And his father is dead. Unbelievable.
Christian says Garcia’s father wasn’t so great, and he was a loser alcoholic that lost his life to the bottle. Christian wants Garcia to realize his full potential, and he doesn’t want to be Garcia’s opponent, he wants to be his father.
Garcia said if he knows so much about his father, he could come down to the ring and Garcia will put him in the ground right next to him. Christian sends Nick Wayne to the ring, who gets Dragon Tamered. Killswitch gets sent down there next, but Menard makes a save with the chair!
Match #3. Timeless Toni Storm w/ Mariah May & Luther vs. Sydni Winnell
Storm attacks while Winnell is looking at the fans. Thesz press and some right hands. Avalanche in the corner and a bulldog by Storm. Running hip attack in the corner and Storm Zero finish–nope, Storm puts Winnell in the ankle lock, then drops it, then finishes this one with the Venus de Milo.
Winner: Toni Storm
Rating: NR
Purrazzo’s music hits as Storm is still out there, but we’re getting right into it.
Match #4. Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne
Mat return by Deonna. Both women trade leg sweeps and chin locks. Deonna sends Maidson to the floor off the apron, and the fight spills to the outside. Maidson sends Deonna into the steel steps as we go to PIP. Irish whip by Deonna back inside the ring as Madison locks in a standing Koji Clutch, forcing Deonna to get to the ropes. Double clothesline and both women are down. Clotheslines by Deonna and a running knee lift. Russian Leg Sweep by Deonna but Madison blocks the Venus de Milo. The women have an awkward exchange here and Deonna looks for the Complete Shot, but Madison seems to spike herself head-first. Wow. Referee calls a stop to the action momentarily and signals to the doctor that everything is okay, and Deonna finishes this with Toni Storm’s Break a Leg, her ankle lock submission.
Winner Deonna Purrazzo
Rating: 3/4*. This was not good, from start to finish. Couple that with the awful ending, and this was not helpful to anyone.
Toni Storm hits the ring and locks in the Break a Leg!
Darby is here, with some pictures. Darby says Sting knows he’s near the end of his career and shows a picture of Sting with his kids. Sting is here! Sting says he lost his father seven days ago, and he knows his not invincible. For the first time in his career, someone has messed with Sting’s children. Everything Sting has left, he’s bringing to Revolution, and it’s the fight of their lives.
Tony Schiavone welcomes Wardlow to the ring. Wardlow threatens to knock Tony on his ass and tells him to get out of his ring. Wardlow says he’s the one true homegrown talent, and the rocket that was strapped to his back years ago was turned upside down. Thousands of people chanting for him, and he never got his opportunity, and then he got buried. Wardlow beat the Best in the World like nobody has, and his body is still falling apart (CM Punk). Wardlow reminds us he squashed MJF like an insect. Wardlow reminds us that he choked out Joe and beat his ass too (did that happen? I can’t recall that). Wardlow says it sounds like he’s the Best in the World, and he’s better than you, and you know it. Wardlow says he’s the uncrowned King of AEW and it’s time he eats like one. Wardlow says he is everything a world champion is supposed to be, and there’s no one back there that can stop him. If anyone wants to get in Wardlow’s way, this is no longer wrestling… this is war.
Match #5. Rob Van Dam, Hook, & Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe, Brian Cage, & Swerve Strickland
Hook and Joe start. Hook with the speed and some body shots in the corner, but Joe reverses and beats down Hook. Tag to Cage but Hook elbows his way out and tags RVD. Leg scissor sweep and a cradle for two. Cage catches RVD and hits a back breaker, as Swerve comes in with an elbow drop. Two count. Monkey flip to Swerve and RVD makes the tag to Hangman. Face-to-face and a double leg by Hangman, but Hook and Cage separate their guys and make the tag. Running back elbow by Cage. Delayed vertical suplex by Cage but Hook is able to make the hot tag to RVD. RVD cleans house! Spinning back kick to Swerve and a leg drop over the top on the apron. Diving cross body to Cage. Rolling Thunder to Swerve! Step through spinning back kick to Cage and the Five Star Frog Splash! Joe makes the save. Running boot to the face by Hangman to Swerve. Joe with a running big boot in the corner to RVD and a senton for a two count. RVD now in trouble throughout the commercial break, as Joe lays in some body shots in the corner. Joe and Swerve have a slight disagreement on the apron now, but Joe continues to lay in headbutts in the corner. High kick by RVD and a jumping side kick to the face of Joe. Cage and Hangman get the tag. Big boots to everyone and a double jump lariat to Swerve on the apron. Pop-up hurricanrana by Hangman to Cage and a missed plancha to Swerve on the floor, so he’ll settle for a big boot. Crossbody back in the ring to Cage but Hangman gets caught and curled, but lands on his feet. Death Valley Driver to Cage! Joe with a running big boot but here’s Hook with a lariat to Joe. Brainbuster by Swerve. Springboard side kick by RVD. Buckshot by Hangman to Cage, or so we think, but instead opts to attack Swerve on the floor, and gets caught by Cage on the rop. Tower of Doom in the corner with Hook. RedRum is locked in on Cage, but Cage walks to Joe in the corner. RedRum on Swerve but he shoves Hook into a pop-up powerbomb by Cage. Housecall to Hook. Buckshot but Swerve moves and Cage eats it. Joe, Swerve, and Hangman stare down as we brawl in the center of the ring. Leg trapped backbreaker by Swerve and a big boot by Joe. Elbow suicida by Joe takes out Hangman on the floor. Pump kick off the apron by Swerve but Hangman moves and Joe eats it. Powerbomb by Hangman to Swerve through the announce table! Snap powerslam by Joe back in the ring! Long two count. Plancha by RVD to Cage on the floor and RVD gets the tag. Northern Light’s by Hook to Joe! Cage shoves RVD off the top and the discus lariat to Hook. Joe has the Kokina Clutch on RVD and RVD goes out!
Winners: Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, & Brian Cage
Rating: ***1/2. Tons of star power in the main event and it did a good job to help further the showdown at Revolution. RVD held his own here and everyone came across looking good. Another strong performance by Joe, as well.
Final Thoughts: Storyline heavy show tonight, and I’ll be the first to say it… everyone who got the opportunity to speak tonight truly delivered. Wardlow’s promo was perfect, because it was real, and everything he said was true. Daniel Garcia and Christian sold me on their match at Revolution, while Sting delivered some chilling words for the Bucks. Match-wise, the opener and main event delivered, but the rest of the wrestling just seemed kind of there. Solid outing overall, especially with Revolution around the corner. 7.75/10.