2/21/24 AEW Dynamite Recap
The opening credits roll. Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone are on commentary from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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Match #1 – Tag Team Match: FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley)
Wheeler and Moxley start the match, and Wheeler quickly takes Moxley down. Moxley comes back with knee strikes and a forearm shot, and then Castagnoli tags in. Castagnoli and Wheeler exchange shots, and then Wheeler delivers a shot to the knee. Harwood tags in and delivers a few chops to Castagnoli. Castagnoli comes back with a kick to the midsection and a scoop slam, and then tags Moxley back in. Moxley stomps on Wheeler and drops an elbow. Moxley goes for the cover, but Harwood kicks out. Harwood comes back with a few shots to Moxley, and then drops him with a snap suplex and connects with a leg drop. Harwood goes for the cover, but Moxley kicks out. Wheeler tags in and delivers a knee strike to Moxley, and then goes for a brain buster. Moxley escapes, but Wheeler sends him to the floor. Moxley comes right back in and they exchange quick headbutts.
They exchange right hands, and then Moxley drops Wheeler with a back elbow. Castagnoli and Harwood get into the ring, and then Wheeler drops Moxley and Castagnoli with a double cross-body. FTR send Moxley and Castagnoli to the floor with dropkicks, and then Harwood delivers chops to Moxley on the outside. Castagnoli delivers an uppercut to Harwood, and then Moxley delivers right hands. Wheeler delivers shots to Moxley and sends him to the ring, but Moxley drops him to the floor with a right hand and follows with a dive through the ropes that takes Harwood down. Wheeler slams Moxley into the ring steps and gets him back into the ring. FTR double-team Moxley in the corner as Harwood tags in. Harwood applies an abdominal stretch and uses Wheeler for leverage, but the referee kicks their hands apart as Castagnoli breaks it up.
Wheeler tags back in and delivers a shot to Moxley to drop him down. Wheeler follows with a low dropkick and chokes Moxley with his boot under the ropes. FTR catapult Moxley into the bottom rope and Harwood tags back in. Moxley fights back, and drops Harwood with a clothesline. Castagnoli tags in and delivers corner uppercuts to Harwood. Castagnoli goes for the Giant Swing, but Wheeler cuts him off. FTR go for a double suplex, but Castagnoli counters and slams Harwood down. Castagnoli goes for the cover, but Harwood kicks out. Moxley and Castagnoli drop Harwood with a double pile-driver on the outside as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Castagnoli puts Harwood in a sleeper hold on the mat. Harwood gets to his feet and delivers a jaw-breaker. Harwood kicks Castagnoli in the face and follows with a right hand. Harwood slams Castagnoli’s shoulder into the ring post, and then Wheeler and Moxley tag in. Wheeler delivers shots to Moxley and a dropkick to Castagnoli. Wheeler uppercuts Moxley in the corner and sends Castagnoli to the outside. Wheeler gets a sunset flip on Moxley for a two count, and then delivers a brain buster for another two count. Harwood tags back in and delivers a few shots, but then Castagnoli gets sent to the outside as Wheeler tags back in. Moxley backs Wheeler to the corner, but Harwood tags back in. FTR double-team Moxley and slam him down, and then Harwood gets a few count. Harwood puts Moxley up top and goes for the Powerplex with Wheeler, but Castagnoli cuts Wheeler off.
Moxley and Castagnoli set up for a Doomsday Device, but Castagnoli gets sent into the ringpost and FTR go for the Powerplex. Moxley gets his knees up on Wheeler, and then Castagnoli delivers the Giant Swing to Harwood. Moxley dropkicks Harwood mid-swing and goes for the cover, but Harwood kicks out. Moxley delivers elbow strikes to Harwood and locks in the Bulldog Choke. Wheeler goes to break it up, but Castagnoli locks Wheeler in a choke as well. Wheeler gets to his feet and drops down onto Moxley and Harwood with Castagnoli on his back. Moxley and Harwood exchange shots, and then Harwood applies a Sharpshooter. Castagnoli kicks Harwood in the face, but Wheeler drops him with a German suplex. Castagnoli counters out and locks Wheeler in a Sharpshooter now, and then Castagnoli and Harwood exchange shots and get to their feet.
Castagnoli delivers uppercuts, but Harwood delivers a pile-driver. Moxley gets Harwood in a crucifix for a two count, and then locks in the rear choke. Harwood gets to his feet, but FTR go for the Shatter Machine as the bell rings.
Match Result: Time-Limit Draw
-After the match, all four men continue to brawl as the referee calls for help. The locker room empties to get them all separated, but Castagnoli locks Harwood in a rear choke in the corner. They all get pulled apart again, but then Wheeler runs around the ring and attacks Moxley. They are separated for a third time as we head backstage.
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Renee Paquette interviews Orange Cassidy. She talks about all of the stuff that has happened to Cassidy and the Best Friends and all of the stuff that Cassidy has done lately. Renee asks Cassidy how he is doing, and then he says the doctor is here to let him know. The doctor says Cassidy barely meets the requirements, and Cassidy says he is going to wrestle then and walks away.
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Footage of The Undisputed Kingdom’s beat downs of Chuck Taylor, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta, which has put them all out of action, airs, followed by footage of the Texas Death Match between Cassidy and Matt Taven from last week. Footage of Cassidy in London, and then defending the AEW International Championship in a seven-way match, airs.
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Alex Marvez interviews FTR. Harwood says they came to Dynamite to kick Moxley and Castagnoli’s ass. Harwood brings up Revolution, and then Moxley and Castagnoli walk up as they are still having to be held apart, and they all argue for a bit.
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Match #2 – Singles Match: Mike Bennett vs. Orange Cassidy
Cassidy runs up the ramp and drops Taven with an Orange Punch. Cassidy beats Bennett to ringside and gets him in the ring as the bell rings. Cassidy delivers kicks to Bennett in the corner and stomps on him. Bennett comes back with a few shots and sends Cassidy to the corner. Bennett kicks Cassidy in the head and drops him with a suplex for a two count. Cassidy comes back with a few shots, but Roderick Strong runs to ringside and gets on the apron. Other referees come out to get Strong away from the ring, and then Bennett delivers a low-blow to Cassidy. Bennett delivers a pile-driver and goes for the cover, but Cassidy kicks out as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Bennett takes Cassidy to the floor and delivers a few shots. Bennett gets Cassidy back into the ring and gets on commentary to say Cassidy is one of the problems with AEW. Cassidy takes Bennett out with a pair of dives on the outside, but Bennett comes back with a spine-buster on the apron and a Death Valley Driver on the floor. Bennett gets Cassidy back into the ring, but Cassidy drops him with the Orange Punch. Cassidy goes for the Beach Break, but Bennett counters and goes for a pile-driver. They counter back and forth, and then Bennett delivers the pile-driver for a two count. Bennett picks Cassidy up, but Cassidy counters with Beach Break for the pin fall.
Winner: Orange Cassidy
-After the match, Taven and Strong hit the ring and beat Cassidy down. Jake Hager hits the ring and slams Taven down. Hager kicks Bennett in the face, and then Hager vs. Strong is announced for Rampage this Friday night. Hager helps Cassidy to his feet and leaves the ring.
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Renee interviews Angelo Parker and says he is finally going on a date with Ruby Soho. Parker says he is excited and nervous, and then Soho walks up. Renee wishes Parker good luck and tells Soho to text her later. They go to leave and a big SUV pulls up. She asks if that is for them, but he says no but they have a Lyft. They walk away, and then Ric Flair emerges from the SUV as the show heads to a commercial.
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Renee interviews Flair. Flair says he is disappointed that he hasn’t been a bigger picture of Sting’s final match and says he feels like he should be in the middle of it. Flair says he has been gone for three or four weeks and have been exploring some options. Flair knocks on a door, and then Matthew and Nicholas Jackson answer. They ask him what he wants, and he says he just wants to talk as they let him in.
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Tony Schiavone interviews Daniel Garcia. Schiavone says Garcia and Adam Copeland had a match last week, but now Copeland is on the shelf with an injury. Schiavone says Garcia will get a shot at the TNT Championship against Christian Cage at Revolution. Garcia says he has always felt like he was destined for great things, but he started to lose that feeling a few months ago. Garcia says every time he got knocked down, the fans picked him back up and danced with him. Garcia says he is confident that he would have made Copeland tap out last week, and the next time they meet he will be holding the TNT title. Garcia talks to Cage now, and then Cage makes his way to the stage with the rest of The Patriarchy.
Cage says Copeland will never have another shot at his title, and what happened to Garcia last week was just a byproduct of him being in the ring with Copeland. Cage says Garcia has been on a hell of a run, but says the match should not happen at Revolution. Cage says it’s not because he doesn’t think Garcia is worthy, but because he doesn’t think he is ready. Cage says they both know why Garcia is the way he is, and it’s because Garcia had a dark childhood. Cage brings up Garcia’s father, who is dead, and then says Garcia’s dad was a piece of crap who lost his life to the bottle. Cage says he wants to help Garcia, and says he doesn’t want to his his opponent at Revolution; he wants to be his father. Garcia says since Cage knows so much about his father, he should come to the ring and he will put him in the ground right next to him.
Nick Wayne rushes the ring, but Garcia takes him down and locks in a submission. Killswitch comes to the ring, but Matt Menard attacks him from behind with a chair. Menard and Garcia back The Patriarchy down with chairs.
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Renne interviews Adam Page, Hook, and Rob Van Dam. Page says tonight is full of opportunities for all three of them. Page says it’s an opportunity for Hook and RVD to redeem their losses, and the plan tonight is to hurt Strickland. Page walks away, and then Hook and RVD share a fist bump and follow him.
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Match #3 – Singles Match: Toni Storm (w/Luther and Mariah May) vs. Sydni Winnell
Storm backs Winnell into the corner and stomps her down. Winnell comes back with left hands, but Storm drops her with a Thesz Press and delivers right hands. Storm delivers a splash in the corner and follows with a bulldog. Winnell comes back with a jaw-breaker, but Storm sends her to the corner and follows with a hip attack. Storm delivers Storm Zero and and in Break-a-Leg. Storm lets go of the hold, and then locks in Venus De Milo as Winnell taps out.
Winner: Toni Storm
-After the match, Deonna Purrazzo makes her way to the ring for her match, interrupting Storm’s celebration.
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Match #4 – Singles Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Madison Rayne
Storm takes Rayne down, but Rayne comes back with a wrist-lock. Purrazzo takes Rayne down again and applies a headlock. Rayne counters out and trips Purrazzo up. Rayne delivers shots to Purrazzo on the mat and takes her to the corner. Purrazzo comes back with a pump kick that sends Rayne to the outside, and then takes her down with a sliding dropkick as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, they drop each other with simultaneous clotheslines. They go back and forth for a bit, and then Purrazzo takes Rayne down. Rayne comes back with a few shots, but Purrazzo slams her down again. Purrazzo locks in Break-a-Leg, and Rayne taps out.
Winner: Deonna Purrazzo
-After the match, Storm charges the ring and tries to hit Purrazzo with a shoe. Purrazzo ducks and delivers a pump kick. May gets on the apron and Purrazzo goes after her. Storm takes Purrazzo down and locks in Break-a-Leg. Storm finally breaks the hold and Luther carries her up the ramp as Purrazzo stares them down.
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Footage of The Young Bucks beating down Darby Allin and Sting two weeks ago airs. Allin and Sting then deliver a message to The Bucks. Allin says when you’re close to the end, you can look back on some pictures to remember some things. Allin shows a picture of Sting and his sons, when Sting’s sons were the age that The Bucks’ kids are now. Allin says family is all that matters, and Sting says he is correct. Sting says no one has ever messed with his family until The Bucks. String says his father passed away a week ago and he says he is bringing everything that he has left to Revolution. Sting says The Bucks are going to have the fight of their life on their hands at Revolution.
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Tony Schiavone introduces Wardlow, who tells him to get out of the ring before he knocks him on his ass again. Wardlow says he is pissed off, because two years ago he was getting cheered in every city and every arena, but somewhere along the way the rocket was taken from him. Wardlow says he has gotten screwed over and over again and you would have thought the one home-grown AEW talent would be the AEW World Champion by now. Wardlow says whoever made the decision to not do that should be fired. Wardlow says he beat the best in the world, the salt of the Earth, and choked out Samoa Joe. Wardlow says that makes it sound like he is the best in the world and like he is better than you. Wardlow says he is everything that a World Champion is supposed to be, and there is no one in the back who can stop him. Wardlow says if anyone gets in his way, this is no longer wrestling; it is war.
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Footage of the Bang Bang Scissor Gang after their match on Rampage airs. There is some tension between them, and Jay White says The Gunns didn’t win trios gold until they got with him. White proposes a three-way match with he, Billy Gunn, and Colten Gunn teaming up as the Collision Cowboys, and everyone in the group agrees.
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A video package for Will Ospreay airs. He will appear on Dynamite next week.
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Renee interviews the Don Callis Family. Callis says the match between Konosuke Takeshita and Will Ospreay at Revolution is going to help the family tremendously. Callis says he is going to personally picks Ospreay up and bring him to the States. Callis says Powerhouse Hobbs is going to win the Meat Madness at Dynamite, and then Callis says he is going to be keeping his eyes on Sammy Guevara this Friday on Rampage.
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Match #5 – Trios Tag Team Match: Adam Page, Hook, and Rob Van Dam vs. Brian Cage, Samoa Joe, and Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana)
Hook and Joe start the match. Joe shoves Hook into the corner, but Hook comes right back. They lock up, and Joe shoves Hook down again. They lock up once more, and then Hook gets Joe in the corner and delivers body shots. Hook drops Joe with a flying clothesline and backs him into the corner. Hook delivers a few shots, but Joe turns it around and beats Hook down in the corner. Cage tags in and chops Hook in the corner. Cage delivers corner clotheslines, but Hook ducks the last one and delivers an elbow shot. RVD tags in and delivers right hands to Cage. RVD trips Cage and gets a one count. RVD goes for a monkey flip, but Cage blocks him and takes him to the corner. Strickland tags in, and he and Cage double-team RVD for a bit. Strickland goes for the cover, but RVD kicks out. RVD comes back with a spinning heel kick in the corner, and then monkey flips him across the ring.
RVD applies a waist-lock, but Strickland counters as Page tags in. Page gets in Strickland’s face and takes him down. They exchange shots on the mat, and then Hook and Cage pull them apart as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Strickland delivers shots to Hook in the corner as Joe tags in. Joe delivers shots in the corner as well, and then Cage tags in. Cage drops Hook with a delayed vertical suplex and goes for the cover, but Hook kicks out. Cage picks Hook up, but Hook counters with a DDT. RVD tags in and kicks Cage in the face. RVD kicks Strickland and Joe as well, and then sends Strickland to the apron and connects with a leg drop. RVD drops Cage with a cross-body, and then dropkicks Joe to the floor. RVD connects with Rolling Thunder to Strickland, and then kicks Cage in the face. RVD hits the Five-Star Frogsplash and goes for the cover, but Joe breaks it up. Strickland kicks Page off the apron and stomps on RVD. Cage sends RVD into the corner and tags Strickland in. Strickland delivers a shot to RVD and Joe tags in. Cage and Joe splash RVD in the corner, and then Joe goes for the cover. RVD kicks out as the show heads to a commercial.
Back from the break, Joe chops RVD in the corner and follows with right hands. Joe beats RVD down and chokes him with his boot. Joe argues with Strickland a bit, and then delivers a headbutt to RVD. RVD comes back with a few kicks to Joe to take him down. Cage and Page tag in, and Page goes right after Strickland. Page kicks Cage in the face and drops Strickland with a lariat. Page drops Cage with a hurricanrana and delivers a low blow to Strickland on the outside. Page goes for a cross-body, but Cage catches him and curls him a few times. Page comes back with a few kicks and slams Cage with a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Hook tags in with a few shots to Cage, but Strickland drops Hook with a brain buster. RVD sends Strickland out, and then Cage takes RVD down. Page comes back with a boot to the face to Cage, and then goes up top.
Cage cuts him off and climbs up, but then Hook climbs as well and suplexes Cage and Page down. Hook locks in Redrum on Cage, but Joe tags in. Strickland pulls Hook off of Cage, and then Hook locks Strickland in Redrum. Strickland gets free and Cage slams Hook with a powerbomb. Strickland delivers the House Call to Hook, and then Page drops Cage with the Buckshot Lariat. Joe, Page, and Strickland get face-to-face-to-face, and then Page and Strickland exchange shots. Joe kicks Page in the face and takes him out with a dive on the outside. Strickland goes to kick Page in the face, but Page ducks and Strickland kicks Joe. Page power bombs Strickland through the announcers’ table and gets Joe back into the ring. Joe drops Page with a powerslam for a two count, and then RVD sends Cage to the outside and dives onto him. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster, but Page gets free and RVD tags in.
Joe delivers shots to RVD in the corner, and then Hook drops Joe with a suplex. RVD goes for the Five-Star, but Cage shoves him down and drops Hook with a discus lariat. Joe locks RVD in the Coquina Clutch, and RVD passes out.
Winners: Brian Cage, Samoa Joe, and Swerve Strickland
-After the match, Joe and Strickland stare each other down, and then Joe walks around the ring with the title as the show comes to a close.
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Announced for this Friday’s Rampage:
-Three-Way Trios Tag Team Match: Action Andretti and Top Flight vs. Bryan Keith, Komander, and Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Matt Sydal and Private Party
-Anna Jay vs. Mariah May
-Jake Hager vs. Roderick Strong
-The Young Bucks in action
-Sammy Guevara will speak
Announced for this Saturday’s Collision:
-Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama
-Sereba Deeb in action
-Thunder Rosa in action
Announced for next Wednesday’s Dynamite:
-Will Ospreay will arrive
Updated lineup for Revolution:
-AEW World Championship – Three-Way Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland
-AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
-AEW World Tag Team Championship – Tornado Tag Team Match: Darby Allin and Sting (c) vs. The Young Bucks
-AEW International Championship Match: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Roderick Strong
-AEW TNT Championship Match: Christian Cage (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
-AEW Continental Crown Championship Match: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Bryan Danielson
-Konosuke Takeshita vs. Will Ospreay
-Meat Madness Match: Powerhouse Hobbs, Wardlow, and others to be announced
