AEW Dynamite
Houston, Texas
May 18, 2022
Thanks to wrestleview.com for the results
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Quarterfinals
“Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe vs. Johnny Elite
Johnny Elite is the former John Morrison/Johnny Impact/Johnny Mundo.
These two have never faced each other. Elite frustrates Joe by
avoiding his lockups and actually gets a single leg takedown on Joe
to further frustrate him. Joe gets pissed and just starts kicking
the hell out of Elite’s legs and then lights him up with chops and
body shots. Elite fights back with strikes of his own and takes Joe
down again with a Front Chancery.
Elite hits a really awful Cartwheel Lariat that knocks Joe to the
floor and then hits a 450 Plancha onto Joe on the floor.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Elite springboards off the ropes but eats a huge shoulder block in
midair that Elite sold like death. Joe hits an Atomic Drop and a
Mafia Kick followed by a Backsplash Senton for two. Joe goes for the
Muscle Buster but Elite escapes and hits a Samoan Drop! Elite goes
to the top and hits a 450 Splash! 1…2…NO Joe kicks out!
Elite hits a Shining Wizard and goes for Starship Pain but Joe gets
his knees up and just starts slapping the shit out of him repeatedly
before hitting the Muscle Buster for the pin!
Winner: Joe via pinfall (Muscle Buster)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: I was supremely disappointed in the Johnny Elite
reveal. He had an excellent run in Impact before going back to the
“Evil Empire” but he’s just sort of “meh” to me at this point. There
are so many other great wrestlers on the roster that can easily fill
his role. With that said, the match was really fun and Elite sold
his ass off for Joe ***)
Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal attack Joe after the match and Satnam
Singh walks down and they beat Joe down. Elite tries to stop the
assault but they lay him out, too. Best Friends run down and chase
the heels off with chairs.
In the back, Lexy Nair interviews the Hardyz. She says that Jeff has
been medically cleared to continue competing in the Owen. The Bucks
walk up and they ask Jeff why he keeps doing this sort of thing.
They tell Jeff to take the night off tonight and he’s a shell of his
former self and if he shows up, Adam Cole is going to kill him. Matt
calls them “Hardy cosplayers” and they will never be better than
them. Matt says if they interfere, Cole won’t be the only member of
the Undisputed Elite to get his ass whipped.
CM Punk joins commentary.
Konosuke Takashita vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
Hangman knocks Takashita to the floor and then hits a Plancha only
for Takashita to hit a big dive of his own as Page was playing to
the crowd. In the ring, Takashita goes for a Backdrop but Page lands
on his feet and then knocks Takashita off the top as he jumped to
the top. Hangman hits a Sidewalk Slam on Takashita onto the apron.
Page then hits a Golden Moonsault onto Takashita on the floor.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Takeshita speeds things up and hits a Flying Clothesline after
Hangman missed a series of elbows. Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder
Bomb for two and then hits a Kenny Omega-like Somersault Plancha
onto Page on the floor. Takeshita hits a Yakuza Kick in the corner
but as he goes for another one Hangman meets him with a Cowboy King
and then a German Suplex. Takeshita gets right back up and hits one
of his own! Hangman and Takeshita collide with clotheslines at the
same time!
Takeshita and Hangman exchange strikes and then Page hits a
Tombstone Piledriver! 1…2..NO Takeshita kicks out! Page goes out to
the apron and stares at Punk before going for the Buckshot Lariat
allowing Takeshita to avoid it and go for a German Suplex. Page
blocks it but then eats a Roaring Elbow from Takeshita followed by a
Last Ride Powerbomb! 1…2…NO Hangman kicks out and then hits a
Shining Wizard! 1…2..NO Page kicks out again!
Takeshita hits a Bridging German Suplex but injures his shoulder as
he lands. Takeshita goes for a Flying Knee but Page blocks it only
for Takeshita to hit a Forearm Smash. Takeshita hits the ropes and
eats a Roaring Elbow in midair! Hangman lifts Takeshita up to the
top rope but Takeshita hits a huge Super Lariat off the top! Hangman
pops right back up and hits the Buckshot Lariat followed by the Go 2
Sleep for the pin!
Winner: Page via pinfall (GTS)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That match was unbelievable! Takeshita came out to
pretty much crickets but had the fans on the edge of their seats
five minutes into the match. Hangman deserves the credit for giving
him a ton of offense, too. Great stuff and the mind games between
Punk and Page continue. ****)
Punk and Hangman taunt each other and play to the crowd after the
match. They stare each other down as the fans chant for Punk. Page
shoves him aside and walks to the back.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
The Dark Order and Fuego del Sol challenge the House of Black to a
trios match for Rampage.
“The Realest” Swerve Strickland & “Limitless” Keith Lee vs. The
Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
Drake slaps Lee as he was playing to the crowd, so Lee caves his
chest in with a pair of chops. Swerve and Henry tag in and speed
things up. Swerve hits a Leaping Back Kick that knocks Henry into
the corner. Swerve hits a Flying Back Elbow and then springs off the
middle rope with another one. Swerve hits a Rolling Flatliner. Drake
comes in and tries to Back Suplex Swerve but he lands on his feet
and tags Lee.
Lee hits a Slingshot Cross Body onto Drake and then FLATTENS Henry
with a Pounce! Lee and Swerve hti the Fall From Glory for the pin!
Winners: Lee & Swerve via pinfall (Fall From Glory)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Swerve and Lee continue to impress as a team. This
wasn’t much more than a squash but an entertaining one nonetheless.
**)
After the match, Lee says they’re now a Top 5 ranked team and they
want to challenge… but before he can say anything else Team Taz
walks out. Ricky Starks calls them selfish and says that if they
think they deserve a shot ahead of them at the tag titles they’re
insane. Swerve says he’s dressed like a bar of soap with a pearl
necklace on but before anything else can be said, Jurassic Express
walks out.
Christian says Starks should learn when to shut the hell up and he
says Starks thinks he’s ready for a “real championship” but neither
team are ready for JE. He says they’re not going to wait for a
challenge, because they challenge Team Taz and Lee/Swerve for a
match at Double or Nothing. Christian then issues a challenge for
Jungle Boy to face Swerve and Starks in a 3-Way next week.
Backstage, Kris Statlander – replacing Shida in the Owen Hart Cup –
and Red Velvet cut promos on each other.
MJF walks out to give Wardlow the 10 lashes he must take to get his
match with MJF. MJF taunts the Texas crowd and says that if Wardlow
so much as lifts a finger against him tonight he won’t get his match
with MJF at Double or Nothing. MJF spits in Wardlow’s face and whips
the shit out of him with the strap but Wradlow never even winced or
blinked throughout the entire time. Spears takes the strap and gets
a running start before nailing Wardlow but he still just stares at
MJF. MJF kicks Wardlow in the balls before giving him the last
lashes.
Spears and MJF choke Wardlow with the strap and then MJF puts the
diamond ring on and blasts Wardlow with it. Spears hits the C4 on
Wardlow and MJF counts a three for him.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Excellent segment with MJF getting a ton of heat.
The visual of the welts on Wardlow’s back was unreal.)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Backstage, Roppongi Vice says they are back together full time and
they say they are going to go after the ROH Tag Team Titles, IWGP
Tag Titles and AEW Tag Titles. They challenge FTR to defend the ROH
Tag Titles against them.
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Quarterfinals
“Animo” Rey Fenix w/Alex Abrahantes vs. Kyle O’Reilly
O’Reilly takes Fenix down immediately and puts him in a side
headlock. Every time Fenix tries to speak things up, O’Reilly
immediately grounds him with a submission. Fenix and O’Reilly
exchange strikes but O’Reilly goes after Fenix’s arm. Fenix goes to
the top but O’Reilly hits a Leaping Forearm. He tries to pull Fenix
off the top but Fenix kicks him and then hangs O’Reilly’s arms up in
the ropes and hits a Springboard Dropkick knocking him to the floor.
Fenix hits a Tope con Giro onto O’Reilly on the floor!
Fenix rolls O’Reilly into the ring and goes for a Frog Splash but
O’Reilly catches him in midair with a Triangle! Fenix rolls O’Reilly
over into a nearfall but O’Reilly transitions right into a Fujiwara
Armbar. Fenix gets his foot on the ropes and rolls to the floor.
Excalibur points out that O’Reilly is targeting the arm that Fenix
previously injured. O’Reilly throws Fenix’s arm into the ring post.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
O’Reilly continued to attack Fenix’s arm throughout the break.
O’Reilly strings together strikes but Fenix explodes with some of
his own. Fenix tries to do his Tiger Feint Hook Kick but his arm
causes him to fall. He kicks O’Reilly away and then hits a
Springboard Back Kick! Fenix hits a Alabama Slam into a Powerbomb
for two. Fenix goes for the Fenix Driver but O’Reilly blocks it only
for Fenix to hit a Rolling Rana for two! Fenix immediately starts
grabbing his injured arm after the pin attempt. Fenix hits the ropes
but eats a series of kicks from O’Reilly.
O’Reilly tries to sweep Fenix’s legs but he leaps over it and hits a
Roundhouse Kick. Fenix dives off the top but O’Reilly catches him in
midair and hits a DDT followed by Rolling Tiger Suplexes. Fenix
comes back with a Springboard Spinning Back Kick after backing
O’Reilly into the corner on another suplex attempt. Fenix hits a
Half Nelson Suplex and hits the Hook Kick but O’Reilly comes back
with a Rebound Lariat!
O’Reilly and Fenix kick each other at the same time and then slap
each other at the same time and they both collapse on the match.
O’Reilly goes after the arm again and locks him in a Kimura but
Fenix rolls out and hits a Leaping Enziguri! O’Reilly answers with a
Roaring Elbow but Fenix answers with a Superkick and both men
collapse again. Fenix leaps to the top and hits a Rope-Walk Rana to
the outside! In the ring, Fenix goes for the Rolling Cutter but
O’Reilly catches him in a Fujiwara Armbar in midair! Fenix taps.
Winner: O’Reilly via submission (Fujiwara Armbar)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Matches with a clash of style usually go one of two
ways, either it’s just a clunky mess or it’s awesome as hell. This
one was awesome as hell. O’Reilly relentlessly going after Fenix’s
arm and Fenix just wanting to kick O’Reilly’s face off and fly all
over the place made for a hell of a match. I really wanted to see
Joe vs. Fenix but I guess that will have to wait. ****)
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
William Regal and Bryan Danielson come out together and Eddie
Kingston and PNP come out with Jon Moxley. They are all followed by
the JAS who scream at the fans and cut off the music so they can’t
sing along with it.
Chris Jericho says he knows that Regal orchestrated the entire
“assault” on JAS last week and he says it’s good to see Regal since
he thought he’d be dead by now. Jericho taunts Regal about the
“abuse” he’s put himself through over the years and says it’s a
miracle his brain still works. He calls him “wasted potential” and
says he could have been one of the greatest of all time – like
Jericho – and he should have been a World Champion 10 times over but
instead he ended up as nothing more than a world class addict.
Jericho says Regal has been fired from every company he has ever
worked for until he finally weaseled his way into AEW on the
coattails of Moxley and Danielson. He taunts Regal for his “new”
protégés in Kingston and PNP. He says Santana and Ortiz are too
stupid to understand that everything they’ve ever had in AEW is
because of him and Kingston is too stupid to stay home after he
burned his face off. Jericho calls Danielson “possibly the greatest
wrestler in the world” but he’s just a nerd and says that even if he
has never done drugs or alcohol in his life, if he sticks around
with Regal and Moxley for much longer he’ll have to join “the
program” with Moxley.
Jericho gives Regal the advice to just go home or he’ll throw a
fireball in his face or maybe just piss in his tea again. Regal says
that he has had to listen to Jericho’s whiny, pathetic voice since
he first met him in 1997 and the only thing that could make him more
sick to his stomach would be the sound of the screams coming from a
burning orphanage. Regal says he might be right about his past but
the one thing that has kept him going is that for every single time
he was on the same show as Jericho he would go to Jericho’s locker
room and still his toothbrush up his ass while Jericho was
wrestling. Regal says he did it to Garcia’s toothbrush last week,
too.
Jericho says they want a fight, so they’ll have Stadium Stampede but
Moxley says he “ain’t doing that shit.” Moxley wants an Anything
Goes Match instead. Jericho says they are a well-oiled machine and
then starts talking about all the issues BCC and Kingston have had.
Kingston tells Jericho and his crew to get in the ring and fight.
Kingston and Danielson start shoving each other and arguing.
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: Jericho went completely “scorched earth” in his
promo and it was excellent but it blows my mind how badly AEW could
screw this up. You have the PERFECT setup for Blood and Guts and
just blow it. The Anything Goes match will surely be a spectacle but
I just do not understand how you f*ck that up.)
Owen Hart Cup Women’s Quarterfinals
Maki Itoh vs. Dr. Britt Baker w/Rebel
Itoh and Baker teamed together at Revolution last year. Itoh is the
“Joker” in the women’s bracket. Itoh offers to lay down for Baker
but then rolls her up when Baker goes to cover her for a nearfall.
Itoh stomps on Baker’s foot and flips her off. Itoh runs over Baker
and goes for the Diving Headbutt but Baker moves and goes for the
Lockjaw. Itoh rolls her up for two. Baker hits Itoh with a series of
elbows and then a Slingblade for two.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Itoh hits a Snap Suplex but Baker slams her into the top
turnbuckles. Itoh just shrugs it off and starts slamming her own
head into the turnbuckle. She headbutts Baker hits a Tornado DDT for
two. Itoh goes for the Diving Headbutt but Baker rolls out of the
way only for Itoh to follow her and hit the headbutt ofr two. Baker
kicks Itoh in the face and puts her in the Lockjaw for the
submission.
Winner: Baker via submission (Lockjaw)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: I do not understand the appeal of Itoh. Her gimmick
is just bizarre and she isn’t good in the ring. This sucked. *)
Tony Schiavone tries to plug AEW’s three-year anniversary but Serena
Deeb walks out and says she is so sick of hearing him talk. Deeb
says she heard Tony say that she couldn’t beat Rosa and Tony made
himself a complete idiot by saying that. Deeb calls out Dustin
Rhodes for what he said about her, too. Dustin walks out and Deeb
taunts him about calling Rosa his protégé and calls her a teacher’s
pet. Deeb says that Dustin knows how hard it was for her and others
to be in the business during the era she came up. She talks about
how she put breast implants to “satisfy some old perverts” and she
shaved her head to show how much she wants it. She asks Rhodes why
he said she couldn’t beat Rosa but he doesn’t say anything. Deeb
says he doesn’t have the balls to say it to her face and says when
she beats Rosa he will respect her.
Rosa walks out as Deeb slaps Dustin. Rosa goes after Deeb but Rhodes
holds her back causing Rosa to elbow her in the face by accident. As
Rosa checks on Rhodes, Deeb grabs the title and smacks Rosa with it
before walking off with it.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Main Event
Owen Hart Cup Men’s Semifinals
“Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy w/Matt Hardy vs. Adam Cole
Cole attacks Hardy during his entrance and throws him into the ring
steps.
—-COMMERCIAL BREAK—-
Jeff hits the Leg Drop pin to trap Cole’s legs for a nearfall. Cole
and Jeff exchange slaps and punches until Jeff hits a Leaping Back
Kick. Cole answers with a Leaping Enziguri only for Hardy to come
back with a Sitout Suplex for two. Hardy goes for Whisper In The
Wind but Cole kicks him in midair for two. Cole goes for BOOM but
Hardy ducks and hits Twist of Hate and then a Reverse Twist of Fate!
Hardy goes for the Swanton but Cole moves and hits BOOM for the pin.
Winner: Cole via pinfall (BOOM)
(JOSH’S 2 CENTS: That was fine while it lasted but it felt extremely
rushed and there was no way it was going to be as good as it could
have been with the time it got. **)
The Bucks run out and are going to attack The Hardyz but they catch
them only for Cole to attack them from behind. The Bucks hit the BTE
Trigger on Matt. Darby Allin and Sting run out and clean house!
reDRagon runs out and hits Total Elimination on Allin on the ramp.
They attack Sting with a chair and the Bucks Superkick him. They
trap Sting’s leg in a chair and O’Reilly dives off the top rope onto
it.