Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2022/12/28/aew-dynamite-new-years-smash-samoa-joe-vs-wardlow-death-triangle-vs-the-elite/
AEW Dynamite – ‘New Year’s Smash’
December 28th, 2022
1stBank Center in Broomfield, CO
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
Bryan Danielson vs. Ethan Page (w/ Stokely Hathaway)
Stokely Hathaway came out wearing a hat, as commentary mentioned how it could be due to Bryan Danielson last week talking about his bald head. Before the match could start, MJF music hits before we cut to MJF who’s up high sitting in a suite in the arena with a woman he calls ‘the only good looking one woman in the state of Colorado’. As MJF is talking it distracts Danielson, as Ethan Page attacks him from behind. Danielson is able to come back and take control with chops and kicks in the corner to Page. Danielson continues working on Page’s ankle by twisting and stomping on it. Page comes back, and places Danielson on the top rope where he tries a superplex, but Danielson headbutts Page off before hitting a flying dropkick. Stokely gets on the apron, but Danielson knocks his hat off before dropping Page to the outside where Danielson meets him with a dive. Stokely distracts Danielson when he is trying to get back inside, allowing Page to kick him off as they go to a break.
When we come back, they start trading uppercuts before Danielson hits a drop-toe hold to Page and continues to chop and kick him in the corner. They head to the top rope, where Danielson hits a top rope hurricanrana. Danielson starts hitting his kicks, but Page ducks one, before being tossed to the outside and hit with a baseball dropkick but misses the running knee off the apron as Stokely pushes Page out of the way. Page tosses Danielson into the ring steps, and hits a power slam before tossing Danielson back inside where he hits him with a cutter for a two-count. Danielson comes back with a DDT and a roundhouse kick for a two-count, before putting on the LeBell Lock, but Page is able to put his foot on the rope. Danielson heads to the top rope, but Page stops him and tries to hit an avalanche Power Slam. Danielson tries to elbow his way out of that, but Page is able to hit the Power Slam for a two-count. Page goes for the Ego’s Edge, but Danielson escapes and hits the Busaiku Knee, starts stomping Page’s head, and puts on the Regal Stretch as Page immediately passes out as the referee stops the match.
Winner: Bryan Danielson by referee stoppage at 16:25
Powerful Actions
We see a video from Samoa Joe who says he came here for all the championships, including the one Wardlow had. As they teamed up, Joe took his notes to understand what made Wardlow and took what was his, and when Wardlow fails it’ll prove he didn’t do the homework.
Renee Paquette is with Wardlow who talks about there having been way too many words, and tonight it’s about powerful actions. Before he can continue, Samoa Joe takes Wardlow’s knee out with a lead pipe and screams that he did this to him.
Maybe Two Weeks
When we come back from break, Renee Paquette is trying to get a medical update from Adam Page who says it’s week to week and it’s not looking positive and they don’t have a good answer for him. Renee mentions how Jon Moxley has a match coming up, that gets him riled up. The doctor says it’s possible to get Page back in the ring in two weeks but if he gets riled up every week something might happen that’ll never get Page in the ring again.
Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin)
Top Flight starts attacking Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli before the bell rings, but Moxley & Claudio are able to fight back and take them to the outside. Moxley tosses Darius Martin back inside to start the match, but tags out to Claudio right away who keeps Darius in their corner with stomps as they continue to tag in and out while working on Darius. Moxley starts digging his nails in Darius’ back as they fight on the top rope, but Darius knocks Moxley off and hits him with a dropkick before making the tag to Dante Martin who hits a diving crossbody on Moxley followed by a standing moonsault for a two count. Dante stays in control as they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Darius is working on Moxley’s knee as commentary mentions there is no update on Wardlow. Claudio tags in and starts whipping Dante with European uppercuts in the corner as the crowd gets heavily into it. Claudio teases the Giant Swing, but Darius comes in and breaks it up before Claudio catches Darius and puts him in the Giant Swing while Dante was hopping over his brother during the swings. Top Flight starts double-teaming Claudio, but he fights back with a double superplex on the brothers. Top Flight comes right back, but Moxley breaks up their pin attempt. Dante saves Darius from a pop-up uppercut from Claudio before Claudio tosses Dante to the outside as he dives onto Moxley. Darius follows this with a standing Spanish Fly for a two count. Darius and Claudio go back and forth until Claudio hits the Neutralizer but only gets a two-count. Claudio starts dropping elbows on Darius as Dante tries to stop it only to get knocked out by a lariat from Moxley. Moxley takes Dante out with the Paradigm Shift on the floor, as Darius tries to fight off Claudio just to get knocked back down with a hard uppercut as Claudio gets the pin.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley by pinfall at 13:26
Peeling the Title
Renee Paquette is backstage with Best Friends, Danhausen, Orange Cassidy, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford as Sabian has asked for this time, they have done this for far too long and last week he eliminated Cassidy again and it’s about time for the final act where he peels the title off of Cassidy. Trent Beretta mentions how he eliminated Sabian, so Cassidy says Beretta will be a title shot first and it’ll be on Rampage this Friday.
Hook vs. Baylum Lynx
Right away, Hook takes Baylum Lynx down and corners him with body shots and a hard smack before tossing him into the other corner where he hits an over-the-head suplex. Hook follows with cross faces before putting on the Redrum for the quick submission victory.
Winner: Hook by submission at 57 seconds
Stokely Hathaway makes his way out with Lee Moriarty and Big Bill and says every week someone wants to tell him that Hook is such a badass, but against them, he won’t be able to get the job done and calls him the Southwest Airlines of AEW. Before The Firm can make it into the ring, Jack Perry runs out and brawls with Moriarty. Big Bill gets in Hook’s face in the ring, as Hook tries to suplex Bill, just for Bill to go for a chokeslam. Perry runs in with a 2×4 and takes out Bill with it.
Ending The Starks Experiment
We see highlights of what’s been going on with Chris Jericho the last couple of weeks, before cutting to Jericho who said Ricky Starks mocked him and called the Jericho Appreciation Society jobbers. Jericho calls Starks small-minded and a flash in the pan, because he has the arrogance and confidence of a superstar, but doesn’t have all the tools like him. On January 4th, he’s going to school Starks and take him from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the ocean and back. Jericho says he always wins and tells Starks to check on Action Andretti and tells Andretti to not come back to AEW after getting a fireball in his face and tells him to go back to the indies. Jericho says in Seattle, Starks will pay the price and he will embarrass him and put an end to the Starks experiment.
Tattooed Mystery Men
Renee Paquette is backstage with The Mogul Affiliates (minus Rick Ross) as Swerve Strickland says what they did last week was beautiful work and Keith Lee had to go and had to be replaced with two people who believe in his vision. Wheeler Yuta interrupts and says he couldn’t think of anything less in Swerve and needed a ‘band of tattooed mystery men’ before Yuta challenges him this Friday on Rampage.
AEW World Trios Championship Best of 7 Series (Match 6) Falls Count Anywhere Match: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (w/ Brandon Cutler & MT Nakazawa) vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) (w/ Alex Abrahentes)
Don Callis is on commentary for this match, which starts in the back as all six men are brawling in the hallway. Penta El Zero Miedo is swinging trash cans, as PAC hits Kenny Omega onto a wooden pallet with a brainbuster. PAC follows this with a moonsault off of some equipment onto The Elite. Matt Jackson follows this by hitting Rey Fenix with a back body drop onto a catering table. Nick Jackson dives off the rafters onto Penta and a table for a two-count. They eventually start fighting their way back towards the ring, as Fenix hits a tornado off the stage onto the Young Bucks, but Omega quickly follows that with a V-Trigger on Fenix. PAC and Omega go back and forth on the stage before PAC hits a German Suplex that Matt Jackson breaks up the count for. Matt Jackson follows this by Northern Lights Suplexing PAC all the way down the ramp before Rey Fenix gets involved and Nick Jackson dives over them onto Penta as we head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, they are fighting in the ring as PAC brings in a trash can that they place on Omega before Death Triangle hits a triple dropkick for a two-count. The Elite takes back control before all six go into some very quick offense until Omega smashes PAC with the trash can. Omega puts the trash can on PAC and hits him with the V-Trigger, followed by a Doctor Bomb on the trash can for a two count. Omega goes for the One Winged Angel, but Penta stops him as the Lucha Brothers hit Moxley with a Fear Factor double stomp combo on the outside for a two count that the Young Bucks break up. Fenix goes on a wild run taking out everybody as Penta and Nick Jackson battle on the apron. Young Bucks take out Penta with a Meltzer Driver on the floor, but PAC breaks up the count. PAC and Matt Jackson head back into the ring, where PAC tries a shooting star press, but misses as Nick Jackson tosses a chair into his face as well as Penta’s. The Young Bucks hit Penta with the BTE Trigger, but PAC breaks up the count again. Matt Jackson superkicks Nick by accident, as PAC puts the Brutalizer on Matt Jackson. As this is happening, Omega hits Fenix on the outside with a One Winged Angel onto a table for the pin. Matt Jackson is shown tapping out to PAC, but this was after the three-count was made.
Winners: The Elite (Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) by pinfall at 17:16, the series is now tied 3-3
The Acclaimed Gets the Last Word
We go to a new music video from The Acclaimed where they are making fun of Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. Lines include them being a carny, scheming people like Global Force Gold and stealing Kurt Angle’s wife. Max Caster continues calling Jay Lethal the best thing in ROH’s worst years, his elbow being better and him being in TNA forever.
Tay Jay A.S. (Anna Jay & Tay Melo) vs. Willow Nightingale & Ruby Soho
Willow Nightingale and Tay Melo start the match by having a twerk-off, but as Willow is getting into the match, Ruby Soho tags herself in, which seems to upset Willow a little. Anna Jay tags in as well, as Ruby takes her right to the mat where he rains down and punches onto her. Willow tags in as they continue to double-team Jay as Soho gets a two-count on Jay. Melo & Jay take control and start choking out Willow in their corner as they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Ruby is in control and takes down Melo with a hard forearm before driving Melo face-first into the turnbuckle. Jay starts running away from Ruby, but Ruby catches up and takes Jay down before hitting Melo with the No Future Kick, but Melo kicks out at two. All four women start fighting before all four are laid out in the middle of the ring. Jay gets tossed to the outside, as Willow and Ruby start double-teaming Melo but Jay runs in and breaks up the pin attempt. Melo hits the DD Tay on Ruby, but Willow breaks up that pin. Willow takes Jay to the outside and hits a suplex as Ruby and Melo start trading headbutts until Ruby falls on top of Melo for a two-count. Jay grabs a chair from under the ring, but Aubrey Edwards pulls it from her. As she’s dealing with that, Melo uses another chair and hits a pump kick to Ruby with it followed by the Tay KO to get the pin on Ruby.
Winners: Tay Jay A.S. (Tay Melo & Anna Jay) by pinfall at 11:59
Greatest Tag Team in the World
Lexy Nair is backstage and tries to get a word with The Gunns who are leaving the building and says they have a reservation as they are the greatest tag team in the world and they will address beating FTR next week.
Rampage Line-Up
- We’ll hear from Jamie Hayter
- AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Trent Beretta
- TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Kiera Hogan
- Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta
- We’ll hear from Jon Moxley
Dynamite Line-Up
- Ricky Starks vs. Chris Jericho
- More matches to be announced on Rampage
Ricky Starks cut a promo on Chris Jericho ahead of their match for next week, and how there is no Starks Experiment and he will prove Jericho wrong.
AEW TNT Championship: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Wardlow
Wardlow’s music hits and he doesn’t come out at first, as Samoa Joe gets on the mic and proclaims himself the King of Television. Wardlow makes his way out limping, while trying to be held back by officials but is able to get in the ring as the match starts. Wardlow goes right after Joe and starts choking him out in the middle rope before smacking his injured knee back into place. They go back and forth for a bit, until Joe hits a knee breaker on Wardlow, knocking him to the outside as we go to a break.
When we come back, we see Doc Samson looking at Wardlow’s knee but he continues as Joe corners Wardlow with chops in the corner. Joe places Wardlow on the top rope and tries a superplex, but Wardlow headbutts him off and hits a senton atomico but fails to go for the cover, as he reaches for his knee right away. Wardlow is able to fight back, whipping Joe in the corners before running up one corner himself for the dive onto Joe for a two. Wardlow escapes out of a sleeper hold and knocks Joe down for a two-count. Joe places Wardlow on the top rope, but Wardlow escapes and hits Joe with a powerbomb. Wardlow’s knees give out, as Joe chop blocks Wardlow and puts on a sleeper hold until Wardlow passes out.
Winner: Samoa Joe by referee stoppage at 12:11, to retain
Samoa Joe teases showing respect for Wardlow after the match, just to knock him out with one of his title belts. Joe grabs a tool box from under the ring and finds a pair of scissors. Referee Paul Turner tries to stop Joe, but Joe headbutts him down before cutting off Wardlow’s ponytail.
Darby Allin’s music hits, but he comes from behind and attacks Joe with his skateboard.