Is it the best AEW PPV ever… on paper? Maybe.
- Trios Match: Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, & Mark Briscoe vs. The House of Black
- AEW TBS Championship: Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
- FTW Championship: Hook (c) vs. Chris Jericho
- AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
- AEW Continental Crown: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Pac
- AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Young Bucks vs. FTR
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
- Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson
- AEW World Heavyweight Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
Make sure to keep refreshing the page as the most recent results are below!
AEW Dynasty 2024
Live from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri! Taz, Excalibur, and Good Old Jim Ross are on the call to start tonight!
Match #1. AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Pac
Renee gives us a rundown of each wrestler as they make their way down the ramp, in a nice touch. “Holy S” chants ring throughout the arena before we even start the match. Early hurricanrana by Pac and a twisting plancha to the outside. Pac sends Okada into the barricade on the outside now, focusing on the right shoulder of Okada, aka the Rainmaker arm. Avalanche brainbuster by Pac gets a two count. Head kick from the apron by Pac as he climbs up top, but Okada sends him bouncing off the apron and to the floor with a big dropkick. Okada sends Pac into the guardrail now, a receipt from earlier. Snap mare and a single leg low dropkick by Okada. Pac tries to fire back with forearms but gets sent to the apron before flipping back in and eating a dropkick in the face. To the outside now and Okada drapes Pac over the guardrail, grabs a front headlock, and DDT’s Pac on the floor! Okada rolls back inside and tries to settle for the count out, but Pac is in by 9. DDT inside the ring by Okada! Two count. Pac backflips out of a back suplex attempt and sends Okada to the floor. Pac heads to the apron and drills Okada with a springboard moonsault off the top! Okada is barely able to get back inside the ring by the 9 count. Flying elbow by Pac takes down Okada followed by a shotgun dropkick from the top! Okada with a German suplex but Pac lands on his feet and returns the favor with a German suplex of his own but Okada rolls through and sends Pac FLYING into the corner with a shotgun dropkick! Air Raid Crash neckbreaker by Okada. Two count. Diving elbow drop off the top by Okada. Okada does the Rainmaker pose but instead, flips off the camera. Hilarious. Pac cradles him for a 2.99! Running back elbow in the corner by Okada. Superkick by Pac as the entire arena chants “Eff Okada”! Lariat by Pac. Deadlift German suplex with a bridge by Pac… one, two, no! Pac heads up top for the Black arrow but Okada moves and Pac lands HARD! Tombstone by Okada. Waistlock by Okada but Pac rolls him up out of a Rainmaker attempt! Two count. Victory roll by Pac for two. Pac jumps the back of Okada and locks in the Brutalizer! Okada goes to the eyes of Pac behind the referee’s back. Okada wants another tombstone but Pac reverses into a tombstone of his own! Pac heads up top but Okada grabs the leg of referee Paul Turner. Pac jumps down and boots Okada in the face before heading back up top. Black Arrow by Pac but Okada gets the knees up! Rainmaker! One, two, three!
Winner and STILL AEW Continental Champion: Kazuchida Okada
Rating: ****1/2. That might be high, but damnit I loved this match. Okada and Pac working a deliberate pace, Pac looking fantastic and Okada being a dastardly bad guy. What an opening match tonight that should set the tone for what’s ahead.
Match #2. Trios Match: House of Black vs. Eddie Kingston, Mark Briscoe, & Adam Copeland
Shoulder blocks by Briscoe to Black but Black responds with an arm drag. Matthews with a tag and a double stomp to the exposed arm of Briscoe. Quick tags on both sides as Kingston and King are in now and trading chops. Kingston drops the straps and they’re trading leather. King misses an elbow drop and Kingston delivers kicks to the back and chops to the chest. Ghetto Blaster by Kingston and machine gun chops in the corner. King reverses an Irish whip with one of his own, right into a Bossman Slam. Cannonball by King! One count. Matthews flies in with a senton from the apron and a low dropkick to the face of Kingston. Quick tags as Black connects with a low dropkick for two. Chops by Kingston and forearms in return to Black. Black runs into a boot and gets German suplexed across the ring. Briscoe in now with some Red Neck Kung Fu to Matthews, who also gets the tag. Spicy dropkick by Briscoe through the ropes. Matthews is outside now and so is everyone else. A brawl breaks out as Briscoe unfolds a chair on the apron and uses it to run and propel himself off the chair, over the post, and taking out Matthews on the far side of the floor! Briscoe wants a Spiccoli Driver on the apron but Matthews fights him off and knees him in the face, right into the waiting arms of Brody King, who connects with a running Death Valley Driver into the guardrail! Brutal landing and the steel is bent in half. Briscoe now in trouble in the ring, as the House of Black are making quick tags. Briscoe somehow gets free and tags Copeland. Running boot to King. Running boot to King and Matthews as Black bows off the apron. Running clothesline to King who doesn’t leave his feet. Copeland sets King up on the top rope and delivers some punches before biting him. King chops Copeland down but Kingston makes the save and chops Brody. Kingston and Briscoe try a double suplex but Black and Matthews powerbomb them off! Copeland now runs up top and superplexes King to the mat! Copeland looks for the Impaler DDT on King but Matthews is here with a Meteora. Lariat by Kingston to Black. Shotgun dropkick by Briscoe to Matthews. Lariat to Black by Kingston! Spinning back fist by Kingston to Black, a spear, and a Froggy Bow by Briscoe! Matthews breaks up the pin before the three count. All six guys are brawling in the ring as Black connects with a high knee to Briscoe. Enziguiri by Matthews to Kingston. Triple spear by Copeland, Kingston, and Briscoe! Copeland wants the spear but Black mists him out of nowhere! Black Mass! One, two, three!
Winners: House of Black
Rating: ****. HUGE WIN FOR HOUSE OF BLACK. Copeland getting pinned by Black sets up a singles match for the AEW TNT Championship sooner rather than later.
Match #3. AEW TBS Championship: Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
Running big boot by Willow to start. Hart sends Willow to the outside and then over the guardrail in to the timekeeper’s area. Stokely is on commentary, btw. Hart bounces Willow’s head off the mat now back inside the ring. Hart locks in a modified tarantula over the ropes and breaks before the five count. Hart bounces Willow’s face off the mat again and gets a two count. Willow counters a charge with a spinebuster and gets two. Avalanche in the corner by Willow and a big clothesline. Willow misses a dropkick off the middle rope and Hart locks in Hartless! Willow rolls to her knees, stands up, and cradles Hart for two. Superkick by Hart. Willow eats it. A second one. Willow fights back with chops but eats a pair of boots in the corner. Hart looks for the moonsault but Willow gets both boots up into the face! Lariat by Willow! Babe With the Powerbomb! One, two, three!
Winner and NEW AEW TBS Champion: Willow Nightingale
Rating: **1/4. Short and sweet here. There were rumors of Julia being injured and the way this match played out, it seemed possible. Willow FINALLY won a title and it’s a feel good moment.
Kris Statlander and Big Stoke are in the ring and celebrate with Willow. Here comes the CEO, who stands face-to-face with Willow, over her new championship.
Match #4. AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Kyle focuses on the arm and shoulder early. Sliding knee to the arm of Strong and a few round kicks. Straight armbar by Kyle before transitioning into an ankle lock, forcing Strong to get to the ropes. Kyle looks for a double stump but settles for a mounted pin. Two count. Kyle misses a high kick and Strong counters with a leg lariat. Arm ringer over the top rope by Kyle, following by a twisting arm breaker back inside the ring. Kyle charges but Strong catches him right into a backbreaker. Two count. Vicious chops in the corner by Strong, before setting Kyle up on the top rope. Backbreaker over the top turnbuckle by Strong! Mounted punches now by Strong as Kyle looks for a triangle choke but Strong punches his way out of it. Shotgun like chop to Kyle now, who fights back with hard elbows, only to get dropped with a knee to the stomach. Kyle tries a rising knee but Strong catches him with a uranage into a backbreaker. Cobra Clutch into a backbreaker now by Strong! Inverted fireamn’s carry into a gut buster by Strong, but he only gets two. Strong looks for End of Heartache but Kyle knees him in the face. Front guillotine by Kyle and a Thai clinch with some knees to the stomach and body. Arm ringer into a back suplex, all the while catching a straight ankle lock in mid-air. Strong struggles to the ropes but gets there. Leg kicks by Kyle now as he looks for another arm ringer, but Strong counters with an Olympic Slam. Running elbow strikes by Strong as Kyle is against the ropes. Kyle catches a charging Strong and kicks him in the back before hanging him up in the ropes. Guillotine knee to a prone Strong over the top rope. King Kong Knee by Kyle off the top, to the knee of Strong. Kyle dives on a heel hook but Strong boots him in the face on his way to the ropes. Both guys clutch the wrist and go elbow-for-elbow, until Strong catches a knee and connects with a pumphandle backbreaker! Two count. Superplex by Strong but Kyle rolls through for a cradle. Two count. Stong reverses the cradle for a two count. Rebound lariat by Kyle meets Strong’s clothesline and both men are down. Now both guys gets to their feet and exchange hard chops. Knee to the face by Kyle and a German suplex! Axe and SM-no! Strong counters with a jumping knee after the axe kick! Both guys are down and just make it up at the nine count. Strong wants a Tiger Driver but Kyle counters with a guillotine choke! Strong catapults Kyle throat-first on the top rope. Wardlow is here but the referee sees him and throws him out. Cradle by Kyle for two. Crucifix for two. Rebound lariat by Kyle! Brainbuster by Kyle right into the straight armbar but Strong clasps his hands. Kyle tries to break the grip and does, but Strong gets to the ropes by his toes. Kyle now stomps Strong in the ropes and looks for a Regal Plex but his back is too hurt. Jumping knee by Strong and End of Heartache finishes this one.
Winner and STILL AEW International Champion: Roderick Strong
Rating: ****1/4. Yeah uh, I am absolutely biased here as per these are two of my favorite wrestlers of all time, so this was everything I wanted and more. This felt like a fight between two guy who had some bad blood, and the work on the back played into the finish. Kyle looked amazing coming back from his injury, and Strong has proven to be a heck of an International Champion.
The rest of the Undisputed Kingdom are here, including Adam Cole in the wheelchair. Wait, Cole stands up and walks to the ring! Bennett and Taven put Strong on their shoulders as Cole stares down Wardlow from behind.
Match #5. FTW Championship: Hook (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Northern Light’s suplex by Hook. T-bone suplex by Hook and a clothesline over the top to the floor. Hook follows up with a glancing clothesline off the apron, but gets his head bounced off the announcer’s table… right in front of his dad, Taz. Jericho now pulls out a table but gets German suplexed on the floor. FTW rules are falls count anywhere, by the way. Hook finds a trash can lid and blasts Jericho in the face with it. Twice. Jericho gets a boot up and DDTs Hook on the trash can lid. Inside the ring, Hook hits the ropes and Jericho hits the big boot. Both guys on the apron now as Jericho tries for a superplex, but Hook counters with a falling t-bone superplex off the apron through the table! Two count. Both guys fight to the inside and Jericho crotches Hook on the top. Hurricanrana off the top by Jericho gets two. Jericho throws some more plunder in the ring but Hook German suplexes him anyway. Hook puts the trash can on Jericho’s head and hits it with the kendo stick a few times, before t-bone suplexing him with the can on him! Two count. Hook sets up a table in the corner and connects with a Northern Light’s suplex. Jericho pops up with a Code Breaker and both guys are down. Jericho goes up top for a fist drop (what?) and misses. Hook jumps on the back of Jericho and locks in the RedRum, but Jericho drives him back-first through the table. Two count. Jericho looks for the Judas Effect but Hook ducks underneath looking for a kneebar. Jericho counters into the Walls of Jericho. Hook shifts his hips underneath and rolls Jericho up for two. Hook looks for the RedRum again but Jericho hits him with a low blow. Judas Effect by Jericho! Two count only. A second Judas Effect. One, two, thr-no! Hook kicks out. Jericho yells at Hook to stay down, as he goes underneath the ring and grabs Floyd the bat. Jericho tells Hook to stay down but Hook gives him the finger, so Jericho blasts him in the face with a bat. That’ll get the job done here.
Winner and NEW FTW Champion: Chris Jericho
Rating: **1/2. Not really sure if I enjoyed that or not. I do like the idea of Jericho turning into the CM Punk-like figure here, but I don’t know if we needed another Jericho title run. I saw someone tweet about how much the AEW fanbase would appreciate Jericho if he took some time off, and I don’t think that’s a bad idea.
Taz takes his headset off and goes to tend to his son, Hook.
Match #6. AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) w/ Luther & Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa
Thunder Rosa takes her mask off and she’s not wearing any face paint tonight. Thunder initiates a hockey fight and here we go. Tieres by Thunder sends Storm to the outside. Luther tries to help Storm up but Thunder comes off the top with a tornillo! Mariah May stands off with Thunder on the outside, but only momentarily. Thunder tries a crossbody but Storm catches her with a backbreaker. Another backbreaker by Storm as she’s put a bullseye on the already-injured back of Thunder. Thunder catches Storm and walks out of the corner with a high-angle powerbomb! Two count. Thunder heads up top with a shotgun dropkick. Samoan drop (kind of) by Storm, and they redo the spot there, and it’s a Crucifix Bomb by Thunder. Two count. Running low dropkick to Storm as she lays on the bottom rope. Both women on the apron now and it’s a Death Valley Driver by Thunder! Two count. Thunder picks Storm up inside the ring but her back gives up. Backstabber in the corner by Storm and a big Tornado DDT! Fisherman’s suplex by Storm, with a bridge, for a long two count. Victory roll by Thunder right into a double stomp to the face. Two count. Thunder heads up to the top and misses a double stomp. Sky High by Storm, kind of, but Storm picks her up and does it again, and this time gets some air. Two count. Elbow to the back by Storm as Thunder comes back with a rolling elbow. Bug headbutt by Storm. Thunder pops up and German suplexes Storm. Mariah May gets on the apron and Deonna Purrazzo is here, fighting May to the back and dumping Luther into the steel steps. German suplex by Storm and a running hip attack in the corner! Storm Zero! One, two, thr–no! Storm locks in the Texas Cloverleaf but Thunder claws her way to the ropes. Thunder locks in a version of a Tazmission, but Storm gets to the ropes and brings the ring skirt in the ring. Storm kicks Thunder low behind the referee’s back and finishes this one with the Storm Zero!
Winner and STILL AEW Women’s World Champion: Toni Storm
Rating: ***3/4. Absolutely Thunder Rosa’s best performance since her injury, bar none. Storm hit a new level here tonight and especially on the big stage, continues to deliver big time. Excellent match.
Match #7. Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay
Fans are going bananas to start, as you’d imagine. Knuckle lock to start and we’ve got a stalemate. Both men jockey for position as Ospreay handsprings and Danielson flips him over his back. Ospreay tries to head kicks and Danielson ducks both and the fans erupt. Snap mare by Danielson and an inverted ankle lock before transitioning into a kravat. “Eff Don Callis” chants ring out through the arena. Chops by Danielson and back to the kravat. Ospreay lands on his feet after a snap mare and dropkicks Danielson, following up with a hurricanrana. Hard chops by Ospreay and Danielson headbutts him and fires back. European uppercuts by Danielson but Ospreay drops him throat-first on the top rope. Plancha by Ospreay to the outside and the fans are coming unglued here. Springboard into the ring by Ospreay but Danielson with the anti-air roundhouse kicks. Thai clinch by Danielson and some knees to the stomach. Kitchen sink by Danielson, as he focuses on the possibly injured midsection of Ospreay. Danielson hits the ropes looking for a flying clothesline but Ospreay ducks underneath and comes back with a handspring corkscrew kick. Danielson rolls to the outside and Ospreay comes off the top with a twisting moonsault! Back inside the ring and Ospreay looks for a Hidden Blade but Danielson kicks the arm. Tiger suplex with a bridge by Danielson gets two. Hammer and anvil strikes by Danielson now before switching to Cattle Mutilitation! Ospreay inches his way to the bottom rope and gets there. Hurricanrana off the top by Danieson but Ospreay lands on his feet. Hook kick by Ospreay and a Tiger Driver! Two count. Ospreay goes up top but Danielson crotches him. AVALANCHE TIGER SUPLEX BY DANIELSON! WOW. Ospreay is clutching his neck and the bottom rope to prevent the pinfall. YES kicks now in the middle of the ring and Ospreay is eating them and waving his finger. PK by Danielson but Ospreay sits up. Danielson slaps Ospreay instead so Ospreay kips up and drops Danielson with a vicious elbow. Ospreay pounds on Danielson with straight right hands through the ropes and breaks before the five count. Both guys roll to the apron and Ospreay wants a Tiger Driver, but Danielson fights out, so Ospreay settles for a superkick and an Oscutter! The fans are chanting “We’re Not Worthy” and that’s a first for me. Ospreay with a running Hidden Blade off the apron to the floor… barely avoiding the referee here. Ospreay rolls in the ring and looks for the count out, but Danielson gets in at 9. Coast-to-coast dropkick by Ospreay! Liger Bomb! One, two, no! “This is wrestling” chants now. Back heel kick by Ospreay and an Oscutter attempt, but Danielson holds on for the armbar. Ospreay transitions to a powerbomb but Danielson latches on to a guillotine choke. Danielson gets to his feet and hits the ropes, into a La Mistica right into the Lebell Lock! Danielson grabs the far arm at the wrist and it’s a double armbar as well! Ospreay makes the ropes! YES kicks now by Danielson and a brutal head kick. Ospreay intercepts a Busaiku Knee attempt and looks for a powerbomb, but Danielson counters with a hurricanrana driver! Two count! Ospreay want sthe Hidden Blade but Danielson ducks and the Busaiku Knee turns Ospreay inside-out! One, two, NO! IT’S TIME TO KICK HIS EFFIN HEAD IN! Danielson traps the wrists and stomps the face of Ospreay, but Ospreay blocks the Lebell Lock… momentarily! Danielson fishhooks Ospreay to turn his head, but Ospreay gets full guard and delivers some brutal ground and pound. Triangle choke by Danielson, but Ospreay connects with a short powerbomb. Danielson stays on the triangle and connects with some elbows from the bottom, but Ospreay stands up and hits the Styles Clash! Head-to-head now as both guys trade headbutts, right hands, and elbows. Kawada kicks by Ospreay and Danieslon fires back with the hardest palm strike I’ve ever heard. Regal Plex by Danielson but Ospreay rolls to his feet. Hidden Blade! Oscutter attempt by Ospreay but Danielson COUNTERS WITH AN ANTI-AIR BUSAIKU KNEE TO THE FACE! Danielson in one corner with the YES chants, as Ospreay sits in the other corner and takes the sleeve off. Both guys SPRINT TO THE MIDDLE AND THE HIDDEN BLADE CONNECTS FIRST! TIGER DRIVER 91. The referee is calling for the doctor but Ospreay doesn’t see it and… HIDDEN BLADE! ONE. TWO. THREE.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Rating: *****. Yep. What else can you say? The GOAT vs. the future GOAT? Everything you expected and more? The drama. The spirit of the fight. Everything. One of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen, in front of a crowd that was literally on the edge of their seat the entire time. I’m exhausted.
The arena is quiet as Ospreay goes to check on Danielson after the match and Danielson is in pain. The doctors are tending to Danielson in the ring.
Match #8. AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals Ladder Match: The Young Bucks vs. FTR
EVP Trigger early to Dax is missed and Cash comes off the top with a double clothesline. Both teams fight over the ladder outside and eventually open it up in the ring. Pair of superkicks by the Bucks as they look to set up the ladder. Unfortunately, the crowd is silent for this one following that last match. Matthew holds Dax on the ladder for Nicholas, but Dax gets free and tosses Nicholas on the ladder from the top, before back body dropping Matthew on it. Cash sets up tables at ringside now. Drop toe hold by Matthew to Dax on the steps. PK off the apron by Nicholas as Matthew puts Cash on the ladder and Nicholas sentons from the apron. The Bucks have chairs now and lay into Dax inside the right, as he bleeds profusely from the steps. Dax is sandwiched inside the ladder and Nicholas beats it with a chair, before firing it into Cash’s face. Hammer throw sends Dax into the ladder in the corner. Cash suffers the same fate in the far corner. The Bucks set up the ladder from the apron to the guardrail right in front of the announcer’s table… and throw Dax into it. Cash gets thrown into it too but he slides underneath and shoves the ladder into them, then moonsaults off of it! Cash has Nicholas on top of the bridged ladder but gets crotched! BTE Trigger to Cash! Bucks want to superplex Dax from the ring through the table on the floor but Cash somehow makes the save. Cash clears the ring and snaps a Buzz Sayer powerslam to Matthew. Doomsday Bulldog by FTR! Dax locks the Sharpshooter in on Matthew and Cash puts the ladder on top of him. Nicholas makes the save as Cash climbs the ladder. Slingshot powerbomb by Nicholas! Matthews gets speared off the apron through the table on the outside and his head hit the guardrail hard! Dax wants a powerbomb on the apron but Nicholas hurricanranas him off and through a table! All four men are at the top of two ladders in the middle of the ring. Cash and Nicholas fall as Matthew pushes off Dax. Dax grabs Matthew… Shatter Machine off the ladder! Nicholas lays into Dax and Cash with a chair. Dax and Nicholas are on the top of one latter… Powerplex! Nicholas with a 450 splash to Cash off the top rope through a table! On the other side, Dax piledrives Matt through a ladder bridge! Nicholas climbs up the top of the ladder but Dax is on the top rope, hops over the ladder, and plants him with a sunset flip powerbomb! Cash gets a head of steam and looks for a suicide dive but misses and goes flying through a table right into the guardrail. Wow. Dax and Nicholas are at the top of the ladder and Dax shoves Nicholas off! Someone in a Sting mask hits the ring and shoves Dax off! Security swarms the “fan” and rips the mask off… it’s Jack Perry! In the chaos, Nicholas climbs up and grabs the belts!
Winners of the Tournament and NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks
Rating: ***3/4. This was possibly the most unenviable spot in the history of professional wrestling. Following one of the greatest matches we’ve ever seen, period, is no easy task. It took the fans a while to get back into this one, but both teams worked super hard the entire way through. The second half of this was brilliant, with just car crash like insanity everywhere. Jack Perry’s return was a great touch, too.
Match #9. AEW World Heavyweight Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
Swerve comes out with the Black Panther cosplay. Swerve comes off the top and Joe does the Joe walk away spot, but Swerve lands on his feet and dropkicks Joe in the in the face. Joe rolls to the outside and Swerve tries a suicide dive, but Joe catches him and hits the JoeANage on the announcer’s table! Joe rips up the mats on the ramp-side of the outside and Swerve comes out of nowhere with a Fosbury Flop. Swerve charges Joe and Joe POWERSLAMS HIM ON THE CONCRETE. Joe takes Swerve inside the ring and just pounds on him in the corner. Swerve tries to fight up but Joe sweeps the knees out with a rolling cannonball. Jumping elbow drop by Joe gets two. Swerve tries to fight up with some elbows but Joe wipes him out with a running back elbow of his own. Outside the ring and Joe wants a clothesline, but Swerve ducks and Joe hits the ring post. German suplex by Swerve gets two. Joe looks for the rear naked choke but Swerve connects with an upkick and a rolling thunder Flatliner. Two count. Both guys on the top rope now, as Swerve brings Joe in the ring with a diving single arm DDT. Swerve tries to lock in a bicep slicer before transitioning into a straight armbar, but Joe makes the ropes. Joe deadlifts Swerve into a buckle bomb before setting him up on the top rope… Muscle Buster! One, two, no! Joe is upset and heads to the outside to get his title, but Nana gets in his way. Housecall by Swerve on the apron! 450 splash to Joe, who was hanging on the middle rope! Swerve Stomp! One, two, no! Joe digs the thumbs into the eyes of Swerve and grabs the title again. Swerve tries to use the title but Joe kicks him low and locks in the Kokina Clutch. Swerve is fading but he’s not out yet. Swerve fights off the choking hand and collects Joe’s injured arm… and snaps it! Swerve sees the title now, and he’s feeling it… Housecall! Two count only! Swerve goes up top but Joe meets him half way. This is the turnbuckle that’s missing the pad, by the way. Swerve with some hard right hands and he grabs the nose of Joe. Swerve hops over Joe and powerbombs him! Swerve goes up… Swerve Stomp! One, two, three!
Winner and NEW AEW World Heavyweight Champion: Swerve Strickland
Rating: ***1/2. Clean and in the center of the ring, Swerve has taken that next step. Joe was the perfect champion for the time, and Swerve wrestled a great match. Kudos to AEW for realizing the popularity, understanding the fans wanted to cheer for Swerve, and pulling the trigger tonight.
After the match, we get the confetti and pyro as Swerve celebrates with the fans.
Final Thoughts: I don’t know what else there is to say about this show. On a PPV that contained one of the greatest pro wrestling matches I’ve ever seen, it was about four hours long… and felt like it was sixty minutes. Obviously, watch Danielson and Ospreay, but go out of you way to watch Pac/Okada, Toni Storm/Thunder Rosa, O’Reilly/Strong, and FTR/Young Bucks, too. A night filled with unbelievable wrestling, excellent storytelling, and compelling twists and turns. Let us not forget, this PPV still did not have Omega, MJF, Merecedes, Hangman, Moxley, Hayter, Britt Baker, Adam Cole, Christian, Darby, just to name a few. When you sit back and look at the big picture, there is a heck of a bright future ahead for AEW. 9.5/10.