AEW Dynamite is live tonight from Asheville, NC.
MJF The Baldie Coming Soon?
This week’s show kicks off with the theme and video intro, and then we shoot inside the building where MJF has arrived. He is approached by Renee Paquette and asked about Darby Allin only being willing to defend his AEW Championship against MJF if he puts his hair on the line.
As MJF goes to walk off after giving his response, we see an unusually large amount of people scattered in various groups of two’s and three’s, that are completely and totally bald. Tommaso Ciampa takes his hat off to show his bald head. Ricochet jokes about it at one point.
Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Orange Cassidy & The Young Bucks vs. FTR, Tommaso Ciampa & The Dogs
Now we head inside the arena where ten-man tag-team action will kick things off as the first match of the evening. We get a ton of ring entrances and then the bell sounds to get things officially off-and-running. All ten guys collide with authority and the crowd goes wild.
Harwood and Cassidy return to the ring while everyone else fights around the ring. Harwood decks Cassidy and then engages in hands with Copeland. Cage and Wheeler are fighting up the steps and into the crowd, while the Dogs, the Bucks, and Ciampa fight around the announce table.
In the ring, Harwood has Cassidy in trouble on the top. The fans clearly want to cheer FTR despite them being heels. Harwood with a Superplex, but Cassidy bounces into a Stun dog Millionaire! Cassidy with a DDT, but Wheeler is back and he hits Cassidy.
The heels gang up on Cassidy in their corner, as everyone seems to have returned to ring side. Ciampa is in now, and he hits some stiff chops to Cassidy. Ciampa looking single leg crab, but Cassidy keeps rolling away. He kicks Ciampa away, so Dax with the blind tag and he flips off the fans.
Nick Jackson gets the tag, he causes FTR to bonk heads and he hits a dropkick to both men. The Dogs are in, Escalada by Nick to both Dogs! Matt Jackson is in, superkicks, double bulldogs by the Bucks. Matt with a baseball slide to both members of FTR, and Nick wipes them out on the floor.
Matt initiates the Locomotion with Clark Connors. He catches David Finlay on the third one. We see a superkick party, but Stoke grabs the Bucks legs. Stoke tries to buy them off with a watch, but The Bucks intercept FTR and then send them into the Dogs, who crash to the floor.
Ciampa gets the better of the Bucks momentarily, but they eventually overwhelm Ciampa. Father of the Year gets the tag, and he kicks Wheeler low. Another super kick party from the Bucks, and Cage gets a two count. On that note, the show shifts gears and heads into a mid-match break.
When the show returns, we see Cage being beat down. Stoke has now joined commentary, as we see what happened to Cage during the break. Cage tries to tag out, but all of his partners get dropped from the apron and to the floor. Cage looking for the Killswitch, Harwood shoves him away, but they end up smacking heads.
Copeland is back, and Cage gets the tag, as does Connors. Copeland runs through all of the heels as he hypes up the crowd. He’s looking for a spear, but Finlay holds on to him, so the Bucks take care of him on the floor. Copeland hits his Edge-a-cution on Connors.
Connors ends an Enziguri/clothesline spot from Cage and the Bucks. Cassidy with a devastating back splash. Cage hits a DDT and Reverse DDT to both of the Dogs. Everyone except for Copeland head to the top, the faces hit stereo splashes, while Cope hits the Impaler DDT.
Cassidy and Cage come face-to-face, Cage stops Cassidy from putting his hands in his pockets, so Cassidy puts Cage’s hands in his pants instead. Cage takes Cassidy and throws him out of the ring and into Ciampa and the Dogs. Cage wipes out Finlay on the floor, but FTR hit Copeland with the Shatter Machine.
Cassidy with the most dangerous kicks of all time, but FTR are too strong, and they take out Cassidy. We see high spot after high spot from almost everyone involved. Connors is the last man standing, as looks to line up Copeland with a Spear. Copeland leaps, though, and he spears Harwood. Connors is hit with superkicks, an Orange Punch and a Spear for the pin.
Winners: Adam Copeland, Christian Cage, Orange Cassidy & The Young Bucks
Teams For Stadium Stampede
We see the latest video footage of Will Ospreay’s intense training with The Death Riders. We head to another commercial break. When the show returns, we see a video package documenting the wild history of Stadium Stampede matches in AEW ahead of the next iteration at the upcoming AEW Double Or Nothing 2026 pay-per-view.
Backstage, we see Ricochet, Mark Davis and the Gates of Agony. Ricochet brings in Andrade who is now part of his team. The Dogs come in and are the final team for Ricochet’s group for Stadium Stampede. So there is one half of the equation for the team facing the Chris Jericho team, consisting of Hurt Syndicate & The Elite.
‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey vs. Westbrook
Next up is Mike Bailey who is facing Westbrook. He is already in the ring. The bell rings, as Bailey jaws at Westbrook. They shake hands, as Westbrook goes for a quick pin.
Westbrook goes to the ropes and looks like he slipped. Bailey then kicks Westbrook, dropping him. Bailey comes off the top with double knees (Ultimate Weapon) on Westbrook to get the win.
Winner: ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey
TNT Championship (Open Challenge)
Kevin Knight (c) vs. Brian Cage
Justin Roberts introduces Kevin Knight, who is already in the ring, for the latest TNT Championship Open Challenge. Out comes his challenger, the returning Brian Cage. After a 14-month hiatus from a knee injury, he makes his way down to the squared circle.
On that note, we get the bell to get this title tilt officially off-and-running. Knight chops Cage, but its has no affect on him. Cage picks up Knight who tosses him, but Knight lands on his feet. Knight attempts a shoulder block, but Cage won’t go down.
Cage connects with a big kick on the face of Knight. Cage sends Knight headfirst to the turnbuckle. Cage hits Knight with a shoulder block to the mid-section. Cage tosses Knight to the corner again. He hits Knight with a big forearm. Cage puts the boot to Knight’s neck.
Cage throws Knight to the corner, then clotheslines him. Cage is up on the apron, as Knight drop kicks him to the floor. Knight goes to the floor, as Cage then goes to the ring, runs the ropes, connecting with Knight on the floor. Cage picks up Knight and drops him into the barricade.
From there, the show shifts gears and settles into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When the show returns, we see things still in progress. Knight pops up on Cage, but he catches him. Knight comes back with a spring board drop kick on Cage. Both men are down. Cage is sent to the floor.
Knight runs the ropes, leaps over the ropes and is caught by Cage. Knight leaps up and takes down Cage. Knight picks up Cage and send him back in the ring. Mike Bailey kicks Lance Archer to avoid interference. Cage picks up Knight and drops him. Cage covers Knight for only a two count.
Archer tries to choke slam Bailey, but he counters it, but then is still dropped by Archer. Knight DDTs Cage and covers him for only a two-count. Cage is up on the second rope. Knight gets caught and then picked up by Cage, but Knight reverses it, sending Cage down. Knight is up on the rope and connects with a huge UFO Splash for the win.
Winner and STILL TNT Champion: Kevin Knight
‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey & Kevin Knight Talk
Once the match wraps up, ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey congratulates Kevin Knight on his win. Knight says Bailey is red hot right now, and then welcomes Cage back as he walks away. Knight says he is still standing and is still the champion, but he couldn’t get the job done last week and become Jet Two Belts.
Bailey tells him to forget about last week, because everyone knows he is a future AEW World Champion. Knight says he appreciates Bailey having his back and says he will get his shot eventually as well. Bailey says he has an idea, and then says he wants the winner of tonight’s match between Darby Allin and Konosuke Takeshita.
Owen Hart Cup Tournament Match Announcements
The Owen Hart Cup brackets were announced. Those feature first-round matches that include Jack Perry vs. Mark Davis, Samoa Joe vs. Will Ospreay (match takes place at Double or Nothing), Swerve Strickland vs. Bandido (Match takes place at Double or Nothing), as well as Brody King vs. Claudio Castagnoli.
Ace Austin vs. Will Ospreay
We then return inside the arena for our next match of the evening, which features Ace Austin going one-on-one against Will Ospreay. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with the Asheville crowd loudly behind Ospreay in this one.
Ospreay wants to shake hands, Austin cautiously shakes his hand and quickly backs away. Early lock-up, Austin with arm control, but Ospreay reverses. Austin tries to reverse, but Ospreay counters with a side headlock takeover and we reset.
We then see a test of strength, with Austin getting Ospreay down to the ground and keeps bridging up to avoid getting pinned. Monkey Flip by Ospreay and he grabs wrist control and he stomps on the elbow of Austin. Ospreay picks up Austin and goes after the shoulder of Austin.
Ace reverses the hammer throw, but Ospreay kicks him in the head. Shoulder tackle by Ospreay, but Austin with a drop toehold and a back splash for a two. Ospreay fires back with elbows, but Austin rolls over Ospreay on the mat and he applies a reverse STF.
Ospreay quickly makes his way to the ropes, but he favors his neck. Ospreay is alright, as he hits a back kick to Austin and he runs the ropes, but Austin picks him up into a low squat and he hits a death valley driver for a two-count. On that note, we head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues.
Austin delivers shots in the corner and puts Ospreay up top, but Ospreay comes back with right hands. Austin climbs up, but Ospreay works over his arm and goes for a kick in the corner. Austin dodges and comes off the ropes, but Ospreay counters with a powerbomb for a two count.
They exchange shots and chops, and then Ospreay delivers quick kicks. Austin comes back with a heel kick, but Ospreay delivers a rollins elbow strike. Ospreay follows with a kick and sends Austin to the corner, but Austin dodges and delivers an enzuigiri.
Austin goes for a back-body drop, but Ospreay counters and delivers the Hidden Blade. Ospreay kicks Austin’s arm from under him and locks in an arm-bar for the submission. After the match, Ospreay shakes hands with Austin and gives him props. The Opps come to the ramp and Samoa Joe says he wants to come out to see if Ospreay will listen since it seems like he has a hard time of doing that lately.
Joe says Ospreay could have made a choice to join the Opps, but he chose differently. Joe says Ospreay chose to be a lapdog for Moxley and the Death Riders, and he will suffer the consequences at Double or Nothing. Joe says he will see Ospreay then, but his friends still feel slighted and he doesn’t put leashes on his friends. Anthony Bowens and Katsuyori Shibata hit the ring, but the Death Riders’s music hits and they come to the ring as well and stand with Ospreay.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Backstage With The Don Callis Family & MJF
Now we shoot backstage, where Renee Paquette is with Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita. Callis says Takeshita will be heading into Double or Nothing as the AEW World Champion, and then MJF walks up. MJF says Takeshita has turned into one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world.
He says that he can’t wait to see him beat Darby Allin and then hopefully they can have Takeshita/MJF two. Takeshita shakes his hand and walks away, and Callis says that was a nice pep talk. MJF says he didn’t mean a word of it.
He then gives the Dynamite diamond ring to Callis. Callis says he knows just what to do with it, and then Andrade walks up and lets his hair down. MJF scoffs and walks away, and then Andrade tells Callis that next time needs to his his turn for the title.
Owen Hart Cup Women’s Tournament Matches
Now we get the brackets for the Owen Hart Cup Women’s Tournament. First-round matches include Persephone vs. Hazuki, Willow Nightingale vs. Alex Windsor, Mina Shirakawa vs. Athena, as well as Skye Blue vs. Sareee.
Backstage With The Conglomeration & Willow Nightingale
Now Renee Paquette is with the Conglomeration. Cassidy says they have a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship, but they haven’t decided who will get it. Kyle O’Reilly says it should be Cassidy and Roderick Strong, because he has gold to chase himself, and calls out Jon Moxley.
Willow Nightingale says she has her own gold, but she is going to get more when she wins the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Mark Briscoe returns and says he is back with his guys and girl, and then challenges Ciampa to a match on next week’s show.
Hikaru Shida & The Brawling Birds vs. The Triangle Of Madness
Back to the ring we go for trios women’s action. Hayter and Thekla start the match, and then everyone else gets involved. Shida and the Birds clear the ring and follow the Triangle to the floor. Shida and Windsor deliver shots to Blue and Hart against the barricade.
Hayter does the same to Thekla on the apron. Hayter drops Thekla with a snap suplex and follows with a kick to the face. Hayter stomps Thekla in the corner, and then Blue and Windsor exchange shots on top of the barricade. Hayter saves Windsor.
They throw Blue face-first onto the apron. Thekla drops the Birds with a diving cross-body from the top as the show heads to a commercial break as the action continues. When the show returns, we see the match still in progress with things quickly picking up.
The Triangle take the Birds down in the corner. Windsor goes to the floor, and then Hayter drops Thekla with a kick to the face. Shida tags in and sends Thekla to the corner before knocking Blue to the floor. Shida sends Hart into Thekla, and then delivers a knee strike to Hart.
Shida suplexes Blue into Thekla and follows with a suplex to Thekla for a two count. Shida delivers elbow strikes, but Thekla comes back with a kick to the midsection. Thekla drops Shida with a right hand to the face and tags in Hart. Hart tags Blue and they double superkick Shida as Thekla tags back in.
Thekla drops Shida with a Spear and goes for the cover, but the Birds break it up. Windsor tags in and delivers shots to Thekla, and then the Birds gof or Two Birds One Stone, but Blue pulls Hayter to the floor. The match breaks down, and then Blue tags in and goes after Windsor.
Blue goes for Code Blue, but Windsor gets free and delivers a headbutt. The Birds double-team Blue and go for Two Birds One Stone, but Thekla hits Hayter with the AEW Women’s World Championship belt and the referee calls for the bell. The match is thrown out.
Once the match is called off, we see some more post-match action. The Triangle attack the Birds, but Shida grabs her kendo stick and walks away. Willow Nightingale, Mina Shirakawa, and Thunder Rosa hit the ring to make the save as the Triangle backs up the ramp.
Winners via Disqualification: Hikaru Shida & The Brawling Birds
AEW World Championship
Darby Allin vs. Konosuke Takeshita
It’s main event time!
Following a brief Rush vignette and the ring entrances for the champion and challenger, the bell sounds to get our final match of the evening officially off-and-running. The crowd are strongly behind Darby in Asheville.
Straight out of the gate, Allin dropkicks Takeshita to the floor and goes for a dive, but Takeshita catches him and throws him into the barricade. Takeshita gets Allin back into the ring, but kicks him in the face to send him back to the floor. Takeshita gets Allin back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Allin kicks out at one.
Takeshita throws Allin into the corner and puts him up top. Takeshita climbs, but Allin comes back with shots to send Takeshita back down. Allin dives, but Takeshita drops him with one shot and follows with a back-body drop. Allin goes to the floor, but Takeshita follows and delivers knee strikes against the barricade.
Takeshita slams Allin into the barricade and drags the ring steps over. Allin comes back and rakes his fingernails into Takeshita’s back. Takeshita slams Allin into the steps and goes for the Power drive Knee, but Allin dodges and Takeshita hits the steps. Allin drops Takeshita with a dive through the ropes and gets him back onto the apron.
Allin goes for the Coffin Splash, but Takeshita catches him and delivers a Blue Thunder Bomb to the floor as the show heads to a commercial break, likely our final of the evening, as the action in this high stakes main event championship clash continues.
The show returns and we see Allin drive his shoulder into Takeshita’s midsection and goes for a roll-up. Takeshita rolls through and goes for the Powerdrive Knee, but Allin counters and locks in a guillotine. Takeshita gets free, but Allin goes for Code Red. Takeshita counters with a slam and follows with a wheelbarrow German suplex.
Takeshita kicks Allin in the fce in the corner before putting him up top. Takeshita delivers an avalanche German suplex and goes for the cover, but Allin kicks out at two. Takeshita delivers the Powerdrive Knee and goes for the cover, but Allin kicks out at two again. El Clon hits the ring, and Callis gives the diamond ring to Takeshita behind the referee’s back.
Takeshita tosses the ring away and Allin catches him with an inside cradle for a two count. Takeshita delivers an elbow strike and puts Allin up top. Takeshita climbs, but Allin counters with right hands and delivers an avalanche Code Red. Allin gets the coffin pinning combination, but Takeshita kicks out at two and rolls to the outside. Allin delivers the Coffin Drop and tries to get back into the ring, but Takeshita pulls him back to the floor.
Takeshita breaks the referee’s count and goes for a brain-buster on the steps, but Allin counters with knee strikes and slams Takeshita with a Scorpion Death Drop on the steps. Allin delivers a Coffin Drop to the floor and gets Takeshita back into the ring. Allin goes for the cover, but Takeshita kicks out at two. Allin goes for another Coffin Drop, but Takeshita gets his knees up and ges a two count.
Takeshita delivers another Powerdrive Knee and goes for a powerbomb, but Allin counters out and locks in a Scorpion Deathlock. Takeshita makes it to the ropes, but Allin immediately hits two Coffin Drops and gets the pin fall. With the victory, Darby Allin is still your AEW World Championship.
Winner and STILL AEW World Champion: Darby Allin
Hair vs. Title Match Set For AEW Double Or Nothing
Once the match wraps up, Darby Allin calls out MJF to the ring and says they have a contract to sign. MJF doesn’t sign the contract, and then says he is happy for Allin. MJF says he hopes Allin had fun holding his AEW World title, but he feels bad because Allin will never hold it again.
MJF says Allin has as much of a chance of holding the title again as Adam Page does, and then says Allin is a stuntman who has fifteen minutes of fame. MJF says Allin hasn’t made an impact and is just a little prock who got lucky.
MJF says Allin is too reckless to stay on top, and at Double or Nothing his legacy will be the guy who became a three-time World Champion by the age of 30. MJF says Allin brags about climbing to a mountaintop, but when it comes to professional wrestling MJF is the mountaintop.
Allin says he doesn’t care about legacy; he only cares about right now. Allin tells MJF he wants him to sign the contract, because at Double or Nothing he is going to make him a bald-headed bitch. MJF signs the contract and tackles Allin to the mat.
Allin flips the table over and knocks Allin out with a shot with the diamond ring. MJF holds the title in the air while standing over Allin, and then throws it down on him before leaving the ring. MJF comes back to the ring and goes for an avalanche Tombstone Piledriver, but Kevin Knight rushes out and makes the save. That’s how things wrap up. Thanks for joining us!
