Originally published at AEW Dynamite: John Hennigan & Maki Itoh are Jokers, Owen Hart Cup
AEW Dynamite
May 18th, 2022
Fertitta Center in Houston, TX
Commentary: Jim Ross, Excalibur & Tony Schiavone
The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Samoa Joe vs. Johnny Elite
Johnny Elite is John Hennigan, the former John Morrison. When his name popped up, I think most people in the crowd thought it could have been Johnny Gargano, and the cheers went a bit quiet when they found out it was Morrison. Joe takes control quickly with kicks and keeps Elite in the corner with punches. Elite fights off Joe with a superkick and keeps Joe down with a front face lock. Elite hits a cartwheel into a clothesline, knocking Joe to the outside where he hits him with a dive as they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Joe is in control and has the crowd behind him. Joe hits a big chop and gets a two-count. Joe tries a Muscle Buster, but Elite gets out and hits a 450 splash that wasn’t quite on the mark for a two. Joe put his knees up for the Starship Pain attempt, hit a couple of punches then hit the Muscle Buster for the pin and the win.
Winner: Samoa Joe by pinfall at 10:26, to advance
Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh come in and attack Joe with a lead pipe after the match, but he gets saved by Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, and Chuck Taylor who run in with chairs.
Hardy Cosplayers
Lexy Nair is backstage with The Hardys and says that Jeff Hardy is medically cleared to compete tonight, but they get interrupted by the Young Bucks. Matt Jackson says Jeff doesn’t have to do this anymore and he should take the night off and Adam Cole might kick his ass tonight. Matt Hardy says Jeff will be fine and isn’t a Hardy cosplayer like them two and they will never be tougher or better than them. If the two of them interfere tonight, Cole won’t be the only member of the Undisputed Elite to get his ass kicked tonight.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Adam Page
CM Punk comes out with an ‘abortion rights are human rights’ shirt as he joins commentary for the next match as Excalibur compliments his shirt. Adam Page comes out to a nice pop in this non-title match. These two go right away with boots and forearms, but Page stops him with a fall-away slam sending him to the apron where Page hits him with a clothesline and a dive to the outside. Takeshita follows that with a dive of his own. They fight on the apron where Page hits Takeshita back first onto it and follows with a top rope moonsault as they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back Takeshita is in control and hits a tope on Page on the outside. Page hits a pair of helluva kicks in the corner as Punk name drops ‘El Generico’. They trade off German Suplexes before knocking each other down with a double clothesline. They trade off a couple of forearms before Page hits a Tombstone for a two count. Page misses the Buckshot Lariat, before they go back to forearms, with Takeshita hitting a hard one followed by a powerbomb for a two, followed by a knee strike for another two. Takeshita hits a stalling German Suplex but shows a bit of an injury holding his neck and has to let go, but continues. Page dodges a jumping knee, as they hit a couple more forearms with Page stopping a flying lariat with a rolling elbow. Page sets Takeshita on the top rope, but Takeshita clotheslines him off. Page comes right back with a Buckshot Lariat and a GTS and gets the pin. Punk isn’t offended by the GTS, and says some people might get offended but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Winner: Adam Page by pinfall at 12:14
Punk gets on the stage and stares down Page while smiling as Page tells them to cut off the music. Punk raises his arms as the crowd seems mixed. Page gets closer and raises his title, with the crowd also giving him a mixed reaction. Punk gets closer and raises his arms. The crowd starts chanting for CM Punk as Page walks away in a fit.
Fuego Del Dark Sol
We go to a Fuego Del Sol promo where he’s talking about the House of Black making his life a living hell and this Friday he is teaming up with the Dark Order’s Evil Uno and 10 to face them.
Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)
The two bigger men in Keith Lee and JD Drake start the match as the crowd is chanting ‘oh, bask in his glory’, but Drake tries to stop them. Jim Ross pointed out how fast Excalibur read a promo while Tony Schiavone called him ‘the speed reading champion of California’. Swerve comes in and hits an uppercut and flatliner on Anthony Henry, but Drake comes right in. Swerve tags in Lee who hits a cross body springboard on Drake and pounces Henry. They follow that with what they call the Swerve Bomb (a powerbomb/double stomp combination) as Lee pins Henry.
Winners: Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland by pinfall at 2:23
Thinking Outside the Box
Keith Lee gets on the mic after and says with that victory they are now a top 5 tag team, but they get interrupted by Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Starks calls Lee ‘Rex from Toy Story’ and says it’s disrespectful for them to say that when they are here. Swerve calls Starks a ‘bar of soap with a pearl necklace’ before Jurassic Express and Christian Cage come out. Cage says Starks needs to shut the hell up and says he looks like he’s going to go golfing with his grandfather, but maybe he now wants to go after a ‘real championship’. Cage then says they will go out of the box here and challenges both of those teams in a three-way for the tag team championship at Double or Nothing. Cage then proposes Jungle Boy vs. Ricky Starks vs. Swerve Strickland next week at Dynamite.
Cut the Shit
Tony Schiavone is backstage with Red Velvet and Kris Statlander and Red Velvet says she knows she’s helped her in the past but things have changed. Statlander agrees and says it’s strictly business now, but Jade Cargill and Kiera Hogan barge in and says Velvet tricked Kris into thinking they are friends before telling Tony, who wasn’t even saying anything, to cut the shit.
Wardlow Receives 10 Lashes
MJF and Shawn Spears come out and MJF pretends to vomit since they are in Houston now and no longer on Long Island. MJF continues to insult the crowd who chant ‘asshole’ to him. MJF transitions to talking trash about Wardlow and tells them to ‘send the pig’. We cut to Wardlow making his way through the back in handcuffs and with a dozen or so security guards. Wardlow gets in the ring and MJF spits right in his face. MJF gives Wardlow a lash, but Wardlow just laughs it off. This gets MJF aggravated as he continues to give them, but Spears holds him off before he can get to ten as MJF screams that he hates Wardlow and he knows they hurt him. Spears takes the belt and continues with the 8th and 9th lash, with the last one getting Wardlow a bit angry as he calls for ‘one more’. MJF takes the belt but instead kicks Wardlow down low before hitting him with the belts multiple more times. They start choking Wardlow with the belt, as MJF puts on the Dynamite Diamond Ring and knocks Wardlout out with it. Spears lifts Wardlow up and hits him with the C4 and covers him as MJF does the three count.
I Know Bret Would
We go backstage to Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero where they say Roppongi Vice is back full time and they are going after the ROH Tag Team Championship and the IWGP Tag Team Championship, then step three; the AEW Tag Team Championship and challenge FTR, and saying they know Bret would accept.
The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Rey Fenix (w/ Alex Abrahantes)
Rey Fenix comes out to new techno-style theme music, which I’m hoping is just for him as a solo act, as it doesn’t hold a candle to the Lucha Bros theme. Right away they go to pin attempts and transition into chops. Fenix goes to the top rope, but O’Reilly stops him. Fenix gets down and hits a kick off the ropes knocking O’Reilly to the outside where Fenix meets him with a quick tope con giro. Fenix tosses O’Reilly back inside where he tries a frog splash, but O’Reilly catches him in a triangle sleeper. They take it to the outside, where O’Reilly drives Fenix into the ring post as they go picture-in-picture.
When we come back O’Reilly tosses Fenix into the ropes, but he topples onto the outside and shows a bit of an injury, but comes right back with a springboard kick. Fenix comes back with a modified powerbomb for a two count. Fenix counters into a hurricanrana and a pin attempt for another two. They go back and forth with kicks until Fenix gets caught off the top rope into a couple of butterfly suplexes with O’Reilly struggling with the third one. Fenix pushes him into the ropes with kicks and a half-and-half suplex. They keep going back and forth in a really great match with more kicks and a clothesline before meeting in the middle of the ring and knocking each other down with kicks and slaps. O’Reilly tries an armbar, but Fenix kicks his way out, eventually sending O’Reilly to the apron. Fenix walks the ropes and hits a beautiful hurricanrana, sending O’Reilly to the outside. Back inside, Fenix tries a cutter, but O’Reilly catches him into an armbar, while capturing the leg as Fenix eventually taps out.
Winner: Kyle O’Reilly by pinfall at 12:01, to advance
Jericho & Regal Face-to-Face Confrontation
Bryan Danielson and William Regal make their way to the ring for a face-to-face between Regal and Chris Jericho. Jon Moxley comes out next with Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz. They show actor and former NFL football player Brian Bosworth in the crowd. As the Jericho Appreciation Society comes out, they cut off the music as Chris Jericho goes right to talking about Regal and says he thought he would be dead by now and sort of still has a brain that works. Jericho talks about all the wasted potential for Regal and he could have been one of the greatest of all times like himself, instead, he ended up nothing more than a ‘world class addict’. Jericho talks about Regal being fired from every company he’s ever worked for before weaselling himself into AEW on the coattails of his proteges. Jericho then runs down Santana, Ortiz, Kingston and Danielson saying he could take care of Eddie’s girl, and calls Danielson a ‘squeaky clean nerd’ that never did a drug in his life. Jericho then says it’s only a matter of time until Danielson does ‘disco biscuits’ with Regal and ‘takes time off’ with Moxley. Jericho mentions that he might just piss in Regal’s tea again. Regal comes back talking about Jericho’s irritating voice and says the only thing worse would be ‘screams from a burning orphanage’. Regal talks about taking Jericho’s toothbrush and putting up his butt before saying he did it to Daniel Garcia last week.
Jericho suggests a five-on-five Stadium Stampede match for Double or Nothing, before Moxley cuts him off and says ‘he ain’t doing that shit’. Moxley brings up how that ‘sports entertainment’ shit was for a different era and suggests ‘Anarchy in the Arena’ pro wrestling vs. sports entertainment in a straight-up brawl instead. Jericho brings up how Santana and Moxley once tried to stab each other’s eyes before bringing up Danielson calling Kingston lazy and Kingston saying in return that Danielson is a judgmental prick. Kingston says that Danielson is to ‘hurry this up’ and doesn’t care about all this stuff and tells them to get in the ring and fight. The J.A.S. tease going into the ring but Jericho says ‘forget it’ and they leave. Kingston tries to go after them, but Danielson stops him and they start to shove each other before they cut to the back.
They Don’t Have to Wait
Matt Sydal and Dante Martin are in the back and talk about the Blackpool Combat Club not getting along and they don’t have to wait until Double or Nothing for a fight and they can get it on Rampage this Friday.
The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs. Maki Itoh
Maki Itoh sings her way to the ring as they bring up how she and Baker were former tag team partners. Baker goes for the hug as Itoh pretends to lay down for her only to roll up for a pin attempt. Itoh starts to mock cry before stepping on Baker’s foot and giving her the middle finger. They go for a couple more pin attempts as Baker stays in control and they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back Baker puts on her glove and does the DMD taunt and tries to bash Itoh’s head on the turnbuckle only for her to not sell it and come back and attack. Itoh goes and hits the diving headbutt and gets a two-count. Baker comes back with a thrust kick and puts on the lockjaw as Itoh submits.
Winner: Dr. Britt Baker DMD by submission at 6:45, to advance
Toni Storm, who will face Baker in the semifinals, comes out and stares her down.
Tony Schiavone is in the ring and says next week they will celebrate three years of AEW. As Schiavone starts talking about Double or Nothing, he gets interrupted by Serena Deeb who comes out and talks about how she is so sick of hearing Schiavone talk. Deeb is upset that Schiavone said Thunder Rosa would beat her and calls him a complete idiot. Speaking of idiots, she brings up how Dustin Rhodes talked trash about her as Rhodes makes his way out. Deeb talks trash about the sports teams here and how she used to respect Rhodes. Deeb talks about how she had to get breast implants and shave her head to impress people and then says Rhodes doesn’t have the balls to say anything back. When she beats Rosa and becomes the champion, he will respect her. Rosa makes her way to the ring as Deeb smacks Rhodes. Rosa tries to fight Deeb, but Rhodes stops her as Deeb escapes.
The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinal Match: Jeff Hardy (w/ Matt Hardy) vs. Adam Cole
Adam Cole attacks Jeff Hardy as he’s making his way out with the show having 8 minutes left to go. They go inside and officially start the match as Jeff attacks Cole with a clothesline off the apron. Cole takes control in the ring as they go to picture-in-picture at 9:53.
When we come back, Jeff and Cole are trading offense with Jeff getting a two count. Cole is able to counter Jeff off the top rope and hits a superkick to get a two-count. Cole goes for the Boom, but Jeff dodges it and hits a stunner and a neckbreaker, before going to the top. Jeff misses the Swanton Bomb, as Cole hits the Boom for the pin and the win.
Winner: Adam Cole by pinfall at 7:06, to advance
The Undisputed Ending
The Hardys go to confront Adam Cole in the corner, but they get distracted by the Young Bucks who run into the ring. Cole takes out the Hardys from the back, as the Bucks hit the BTE Trigger to Matt Hardy. Darby Allin runs to the ring followed by a walking Sting as they come for the save and fight off Cole and the Bucks. reDRagon comes out and takes out Allin, as Sting fights off Cole and O’Reilly, he gets taken out by a double superkick from the Bucks. They put Sting’s ankle in a chair and stomp on it as the show ends.