This week, AEW Dynamite pays tribute to wrestling legends of Memphis, Tennessee! Included among this week’s matches is an overdue title defense. In a match that has been put off one week, Kris Statlander will challenge Riho for the AEW Women’s World Championship. This, and more, will be covered in the Diatribe! The trio of Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone is joined by Memphis legend Dave Brown.
Match 1: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)
The match begins with Page and Quen as the legal men. They exchange holds at the onset before Page takes advantage with power moves. Quen fights back with his own array of fast-paced moves, including a front-flip dropkick. Soon, Quen tags his partner. Kassidy experiences some difficulty, but starts to fight back, planting Omega with a tornado flatliner. Both men tag their respective partners. Quen, off the hot tag, collides with Omega and Page with a series of topes! Back in the ring, Quen hits a 450 splash on Page for a two-count. Private Party perform double team offense on Page. The Hangman catches Kassidy with a boot before catching Quen with a fallaway slam. Page rolls over to tag Omega, The Elite members attacking Private Party in the corner. Page powerbombs Kassidy and Omega follows with a knee to the back of the head. 1… 2…. Kassidy kicks out!
Kassidy hits the Silly String DDT on Omega for another two-count. Quen is tagged in. He misses the shooting star press on Omega, who tags Page. Buckshot Lariat misses Kassidy, which leads to miscommunication between Page and Omega. Discus clothesline by Page gets a two-count on Quen. Page tags Omega as The Elite sets up the Doomsday Device. Private Party fight back with double dropkicks followed by the assisted cutter on Omega! 1… 2… Page breaks up the pin! With Kassidy on the outside, Quen fights back against The Elite. Omega inadvertently flips Quen into Page. They follow up with a Buckshot Lariat/V-Trigger combination!
Omega plants Quen with the One-Winged Angel for the pin!
Winners: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega
AEW Dynamite cuts to the backstage area, where PAC has Michael Nakazawa locked in the Brutalizer! PAC demands his rubber match against Omega, who rushes backstage.
Match 2: Kris Statlander vs. Riho (c) (AEW Women’s World Championship)
Riho starts the match quick, avoiding Statlander’s strikes. Statlander catches Riho with a shoulder tackle, but the champion fights back with a low dropkick. Riho avoids a handstand legdrop, nailing a hurricanrana in response. Statlander blocks the 619 from Riho and catches her with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. 1… 2… Riho kicks out! AEW Dynamite cuts to commercial before returning to Riho evading a moonsault. Riho lands the northern lights suplex for a two-count. Statlander catches Riho on the top rope and hits a stalling superplex!
Awesome Kong and Melanie Cruise make their way down the ramp, distracting Statlander. Riho catches Statlander with a knee strike, to which Statlander responds with a boot. Cruise pulls Riho off the apron behind the official’s back before tossing her into the barricade! Statlander responds by hitting with a tope suicida before doing the same to Kong! Brandi Rhodes, who was on commentary, storms down the ramp to confront Statlander. From under the ring emerges a man in white, one of the Nightmare Collective: Dr. Luther! This allows the group to attack, rolling Statlander back into the ring.
Riho recovers and hits a flying cross body on Luther! The champion ascends the top, missing a diving stomp on Statlander before attempting a roll-up pin. Statlander goes for a military press, but Riho reverses with a crucifix bomb for a near fall! Riho misses the running knee strike and is met with a discus lariat by Stalander. The Nightmare Collective distract Statlander long enough to let an unsuspecting, puzzled Riho to get the pin!
Winner: Riho
Post-match, Kong hits Statlander with a running clothesline. Kong continues the attack and Riho attempts to intervene. Belle attacks Riho in response. Hikaru Shida storms the ring to attack The Nightmare Collective! Meanwhile, Britt Baker remains seated in the crowd. Big Swole and Sonny Kiss check on the others in the ring.
Match 3: Christopher Daniels vs. Sammy Guevara
Following a headlock, Daniels hits a shoulder tackle followed by an arm drag takedown. Guevara corners Daniels, but is met with another series of attacks by the veteran. Daniels chops Guevara in the corner. Guevara avoids a running attack by using the referee as a shield before following up with a top rope attack. He continues the attack, hitting a squatting Samoan drop for a two-count. Guevara chokes Daniels across the ring rope and arrogantly poses. Daniels fights out of a headlock, but Guevara catches him with a hook kick. Guevara misses a 450 splash and gets hit with an exploder suplex by Daniels!
Daniels starts to pick up steam, hitting a series of attacks on Guevara. The veteran goes for Angel’s Wings, but Guevara evades, hitting a running shooting star press for a two-count. They exchange pin attempts after. Daniels catches Guevara with an STO. Pentagon Jr. appears on the stage, taunting Daniels. Guevara takes advantage, landing a pump kick to the back of Daniels’ head for the 1… 2… 3!
Winner: Sammy Guevara
Following the match, Dark Order approaches the ring. Evil Uno, mic in hand, regards Daniels as one of the best wrestlers. However, Uno tells Daniels others don’t believe in him anymore. Uno says he can help, making Daniels the man he once was, before presenting him with a mask. Uno invites Daniel to join Dark Order. Daniels tosses the mask back, only to be attacked by the group! Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky storm the ring, being joined by The Young Bucks! Sky performs a tope on the group, The Young Bucks have a superkick party, and Daniels hits a big moonsault! SCU and The Young Bucks are unified against Dark Order!
Match 4: The Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) vs. The Brotherhood (“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes and Cody) (w/Arn Anderson)
Pentagon and Cody start things off, the former performing his glove taunt. In response, Cody fires back with an uppercut. Pentagon goes for the package piledriver, but Cody evades. Fenix is tagged in before Rhodes is brought into the match. Following a quick exchange, Pentagon and Cody are tagged in, both teams of brothers standing off. Fenix catches Cody with a kick to the back of the head, allowing Pentagon to take control. Cody superkicks Pentagon before tagging Rhodes. Pentagon sends Rhodes to the outside before Fenix lands a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Pentagon hits a diving stomp on Rhodes.
AEW Dynamite goes to commercial, returning to Pentagon in control of Rhodes. Pentagon tags Fenix before Rhodes starts to fight back. Fenix grabs a steel chair, only for Anderson to kick it out of his hand. Rhodes hits Fenix with a spinebuster. Pentagon and Cody are tagged. Cody goes wild, hitting a powerslam on Fenix before nailing Pentagon with a tope. Fenix evades Cross Rhodes and hits a kick followed by a leaping cutter. Fenix tags Pentagon before the masked brothers go for their package piledriver combination. Rhodes, off the tag, intervenes. Pentagon plants Cody, but Rhodes fights back against the numbers game, nailing Fenix with a Canadian Destroyer!
Cody plants Pentagon with the Cody Cutter while Rhodes hits the Final Reckoning on Fenix for the victory!
Winners: The Brotherhood
Schiavone makes his way to the ring following the match, asking Cody about MJF’s demands from AEW Dynamite last week. Anderson interrupts, wondering how MJF can make said demands. Anderson says that he will have an answer next week.
Next up is MJF, accompanied by Wardlow, claiming Cody is afraid to face him.
MJF starts to count to ten, calling Cody “a little bitch.” This brings out Diamond Dallas Page, who plugs DDP Yoga and his return to TNT programming. All the while, a bored MJF scrolls through his phone. DDP addresses the rumors of coming back for one more match before MJF interrupts. MJF says that DDP couldn’t lace his boots in his prime and now couldn’t hold his jock. DDP fires back, to which MJF responds by bringing out The Butcher, The Blade, and The Bunny.
MJF says that WCW is dead, as are DDP fans. MJF says that DDP has two options: kiss his ring or suffer the consequences, even insulting his daughters. DDP has had enough, laying out The Butcher and The Blade before standing up The Bunny. After DDP is shoved into Wardblow, MJF lowblows the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Finally, QT Marshall, Rhodes, and a few officials rush to the ring. MJF and Wardlow exit the ring as AEW Dynamite goes to commercial once more.
Match 5: Jurassic Express (Marko Stunt, Jungle Boy, and Luchasaurus) vs. Orange Cassidy and Best Friends (Trent and Chuck Taylor)
Jungle Boy and Taylor start things off, exchanging takedowns. Trent is tagged in by Taylor while Jungle Boy tags Stunt. The smaller Stunt is soon shoved down by Trent. Stunt catches Trent with a leaping headlock before following up with a hurricanrana. Trent quickly takes down Stunt, but is caught with an inside cradle. Stunt losses and hits an overhand chop before tagging Jungle Boy. Following double team offense with Stunt, Jungle Boy covers Trent for a two-count.
After another commercial break, AEW Dynamite returns to Jungle Boy fighting back against Taylor. Jungle Boy tags Luchasaurus, who unleashes a flurry of strikes on Best Friends. Cassidy is tagged in, the crowd cheering as “Freshly Squeezed” stands up to Luchasaurus. Hands in his pockets, Cassidy unleashes “devastating” kicks on Luchasaurus. Cassidy hits Stun Dog Millionaire on Luchasaurus. Jungle Boy is tagged but is met with a dropkick by Cassidy, who proceeds to execute a dive to the outside! Best Friends and Cassidy embrace in the ring to another pop.
Trent catches Jungle Boy with a spear and Cassidy follows up with a flying splash! 1… 2… Stunt breaks up the pin! Stunt plants both Taylor and Trent. Luchasaurus hoists Stunt and sends him crashing onto their opponents on the outside. Jungle Boy rolls up Taylor for a surprise pinfall!
Winners: Jurassic Express
Following a series of announcements for matches next week, AEW World Champion Chris Jericho makes his way to the ring; he will receive his answer from Jon Moxley regarding joining The Inner Circle. Jericho is accompanied by Guevara and Jake Hager. Moxley makes his way to the ring through the crowd as Jericho hypes him. Jericho asks if Moxley will be part of The Inner Circle. Moxley says a lot went into his decision and no one knows his goals. Jericho offered him much, but he doesn’t want any of it.
Moxley says he came to AEW to dominate, to run roughshod, which is why his answer… is yes!
Moxley sheds his jacket to reveal an Inner Circle t-shirt. He says he wants to stand with them as the dominant faction in AEW. Moxley says Jericho is the greatest of all-time and will stand with him and The Inner Circle. He demands they pop open “a little bit of the bubbly.” They start to spray and enjoy the liquor, celebrating in the ring. Moxley gestures to Jericho for the car keys. Jericho says he and Moxley won their Wrestle Kingdom matches and are now together in AEW.
After another celebration, Moxley tells production to cut the music. He tells Jericho that he was just kidding! Moxley admits he would never join Jericho’s “stupid group.” Moxley says Jericho doesn’t have anything he wants except for the title. Suddenly, Moxley blasts Jericho with a champagne bottle and hits the Paradigm Shift! Guevara also eats the Paradigm Shift before Moxley escapes through the crowd! AEW Dynamite closes out with Hager tending to a fallen Jericho, a defiant Moxley in the audience.
