Posted on 8/27/126 by Bob Magee
All In week began with AEW Dynamite in Glasgow, Scotland, at
The OVO Hydro on TBS and HBO Max! We were just four days
away from AEW All In: London at Wembley Stadium, but there
was still much to settle, including who would be heading to
the Finals of the inaugural Continental Challenge Cup!
However, the night began with the challenger to the AEW
World Title this Sunday, Will Ospreay. Ospreay spoke to a
captivated crowd about his wrestling history and what it
meant to go through the journey of the United Kingdom
wrestling scene before moving on to New Japan Pro-Wrestling
and eventually to AEW. He said that when Omega brought up
his son, Ospreay’s respect for Omega disappeared and at
Wembley Stadium, he’s taking it all in front of his family,
friends and home country!
As for the C3 Finals, the first ticket was punched by the
AEW Continental Champion himself, Jon Moxley, when he
avenged a past loss to fellow Death Rider Claudio Castagnoli
by choking him out to get the Semifinal win. Later, Nigel
McGuinness battled through the pain of a pre-existing ankle
injury and all the damage Kyle O’Reilly could do before
tapping out O’Reilly to win the match! McGuinness could
complete an amazing story in front of his countrymen this
Sunday, but Moxley stands in his way.
We were supposed to hear from AEW Women’s World Champion
Willow Nightingale, only to find her injured backstage at
the hands of her All In challenger, Mercedes Moné, who
apparently did a number on Nightingale’s left hand!
Plus, Swerve Strickland beat Jack Perry in the main event,
and Andrade El Idolo got one up on MJF before they both
enter the Casino Gauntlet! All that and so much more went
down in front of an electric crowd in Glasgow!
Will Ospreay Recounts His Wrestling Journey Before All In
We opened All In week in Glasgow with the challenger for the
AEW World Championship this Sunday in front of his family,
friends and fellow countrymen in Wembley Stadium, Will
Ospreay!
Ospreay took the mic after an amazing reaction to harness
the crowd's energy.
Ospreay thanked the crowd, reflecting on the year since
they'd last spoken before his surgery, a year filled with
ups, downs, and doubt, wondering if he could ever get back
to this position, and if he did, whether he could win the
big one. He said people keep asking what it's like to be the
British wrestler fighting for the most important
championship in wrestling, but told them they needed to
understand what it's like to be a British wrestler first. He
talked about starting long before AEW or New Japan, working
up and down the country through England, Wales, and Northern
Ireland. Back then it was throwing yourself around that ring
from Friday to Sunday, only to look at your wage packet and
find it wasn't even enough to cover rent, so Monday morning
at 6 a.m. it was back to working building sites, building
every single day to fly the flag for the UK and represent
every fan from the top of the country to the bottom.
Ospreay said the UK truly is where the best wrestle, and
that he loved being one of the boys and girls chasing the
same dream, learning from icons of British wrestling like
Doug Williams, Zack Sabre Jr., Mark Haskins, and Jody
Fleisch. He paid tribute to those no longer with us,
including Chris Adams, Ricky Knight, Lionheart, and other
departed legends of the British scene, saying he wanted to
find out tonight if he really is the best. He admitted that
when people mention the best in the world, it's hard to look
past AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, saying he wanted Omega
to know, even watching from home, that there isn't a man
alive who respects him more, citing his accomplishments and
accolades and calling him the best wrestler of the decade.
Ospreay said all that respect went out the window the moment
Omega mentioned his son, warning there's no way he's losing
on Sunday because of the promises he has to keep to everyone
watching, including giving Omega the fight of his life and
leaving that stadium with memories for a lifetime, promising
him you don't mess with a man looking after a boy. He said
there's a debt that's needed paying for far too long, to
everyone who saw him from the start, to his mom, his dad,
his wife, and his boy, and that it's time to bring it home.
He closed by saying he’s going to show the world that heroes
are just ordinary people capable of extraordinary things,
and that this Sunday, he's taking it all.
AEW Continental Challenge Cup Semifinal Match: AEW
Continental Champion Jon Moxley of the Death Riders def.
Claudio Castagnoli of the Death Riders
Before entering the arena, Jon Moxley got hyped up by the
Death Riders, though Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta
hung back while Moxley received his usual slaps from Marina
Shafir before walking to the ring alone. Back in that same
hallway, Castagnoli prepared with the rest of the Death
Riders, including their customary huddle, before also making
his way to the ring alone for this Death Rider versus Death
Rider C3 Semifinal!
The crowd exploded at the bell as Castagnoli took Moxley
down by locking fingers in a grapple at the opening
exchange. Castagnoli worked Moxley to the corner and broke
cleanly, but Moxley came out swinging with a chop.
Castagnoli fired back with chops and uppercuts of his own,
working Moxley over around the ring. Moxley came back with a
chop that Castagnoli simply brushed off, tried again with
the same result, and the two traded shots until Castagnoli
scored a double leg takedown, unable to lock in a headlock.
Moxley rolled through for a pin but only got a one-count.
Castagnoli dumped Moxley over the apron and knocked him to
the floor, following him out, but on the outside Moxley took
Castagnoli down and locked in a figure four.
Back on their feet, Castagnoli took Moxley down and giant
swung him on the floor, sending him crashing violently into
the barricade. That big move let Castagnoli take control of
the match for the next couple of minutes. Back in the ring,
Castagnoli went for the Neutralizer, but Moxley backdropped
out of it and slapped him across the face. A cocky Moxley
told Castagnoli to bring it, only to be sent through the
ropes to the outside. Castagnoli dove through after him and
connected on a dive that sent Moxley into the barricade.
Moxley got back into the match but was clearly favoring his
left arm, hitting Castagnoli with a clothesline in the
corner and mounting him with punches before Castagnoli
carried him out of it. The two exchanged big strikes until
taking each other down with a simultaneous clothesline.
Both men stumbled to their feet and met forehead to forehead
in the middle of the ring, setting off a strike battle that
Moxley appeared to be winning until Castagnoli fired up and
unloaded a barrage of uppercuts. Moxley stumbled up again,
and Castagnoli took him down with a backslide, but Moxley
spun out of it and dropped him with a cutter. Moxley tried
to fire himself up, backed into Castagnoli looking for a
Paradigm Shift, but Castagnoli escaped and slammed him to
the mat, locking in an armbar that he transitioned into a
rear chinlock, swinging Moxley around by the hold. While
still holding the chinlock, Castagnoli grapevined his legs
around Moxley's torso. Moxley fought free and rolled through
for an armbar attempt of his own, but Castagnoli locked his
hands together to block it. Moxley kept working the grip
until Castagnoli lifted him for an extended giant swing!
Castagnoli went for a Sharpshooter, but Moxley cradled him
for a two-count. Castagnoli answered with an uppercut for a
two-count of his own, then came firing out of the corner
with a huge running uppercut that sent Moxley to the
outside. Moxley struggled to get up but caught a look at the
Continental Classic Cup, seemingly willing himself back to
his feet, only to walk into a stomp from Castagnoli! Moxley
kicked out at two to keep his championship reign alive!
Castagnoli measured him for another uppercut, but Moxley
slipped out of the charge, and Castagnoli grabbed him by the
waistband for a Riccola Bomb attempt. Moxley landed on his
feet and dropped Castagnoli with a Paradigm Shift, but
Castagnoli kicked out at one, sending the crowd into a
frenzy!
Moxley bounced off the ropes, grabbed Castagnoli, and
dropped him on his head with a Death Rider for a two-count!
Mox quickly transitioned into a choke. Castagnoli fought
back up to his feet, but Moxley adjusted his grip to the
Bulldog choke and locked it in tighter, putting all his
weight onto Castagnoli's back. Castagnoli passed out, and
the referee called for the bell! Moxley advances to the C3
Finals this Sunday at All In: London, where he'll face
either Kyle O'Reilly or Nigel McGuinness!
AEW World Tag Team Champion Adam Copeland & Young Bucks
(Matt and Nick Jackson) def. Don Callis Family's Jake Doyle,
Brian Cage & Rocky Romero
Adam Copeland entered first to a rousing ovation as Glasgow
happily serenaded him, before the Young Bucks made their way
to the ring wearing ring gear in somewhat similar colors to
Copeland's, even though they'll meet for the AEW World Tag
Team Championships in just four days. Copeland started
things off with Jake Doyle and made no ground trying to take
him down with a shoulder block on multiple occasions, before
Doyle knocked him to the ropes. Matt Jackson made a blind
tag, and when Doyle charged, Copeland moved, letting Jackson
catch him in the gut with a shoulder. Jackson flipped over
Doyle, and both he and Copeland dropped him with a double
elbow.
Nick tagged in as Brian Cage entered, but the Bucks flipped
out of the grasp of Doyle and Cage, avoided their charges in
the corner, and alternated clotheslines before meeting in
the middle of the ring for a high five and a double bulldog.
Rocky Romero came in and ran the Bucks into each other, but
they turned things around with an assisted sunset flip. Matt
grabbed Cage by the head with his feet, allowing Nick to
knock him off the apron with a kick to the head. Romero sent
Matt to the corner, but he hopped to the apron and delivered
a running PK to Doyle. Romero charged Matt, who was ready
with a shoulder to the gut, then springboarded back into the
ring with a facebuster, came back through the ropes, and
tried a moonsault onto Cage, who caught him and hit a
twisting fireman's carry slam on the apron.
Nick was left isolated away from his corner as the Don
Callis Family clearly worked to keep him cut off. Cage held
him up for a delayed vertical suplex to show off his power,
but that gave Nick the chance to cradle him for a two-count.
He ducked a clothesline and kicked Cage in the back of the
head, leaving both men down. Nick crawled toward the corner,
but Cage got up first and knocked Copeland and Matt off the
apron. He sent Nick back to the Callis Family corner, but
Nick was ready and kicked both Doyle and Romero to the
floor. He avoided a charging Cage and went back to his own
corner, but found no one there to tag. Unsure what to do,
Nick charged back at Cage, who lifted him up and over onto
the second rope, clobbered him from behind, and climbed up
to put him on his shoulders. Cage went to lift him, but Nick
shifted his weight and snapped him over with a Hurricanrana.
Matt and Copeland worked to fire up the crowd, which helped
Nick scramble to the corner, where he reached for a tag that
was accepted by Cope, though it appeared he was reaching for
his brother Matt instead. Copeland came in anyway,
immediately running across the ring to knock Romero off the
apron, then took Doyle down with a flying shoulder tackle
and unloaded on both Cage and Romero to send them out of the
ring. He dropped Doyle with a flapjack and lined up for a
spear, but Doyle stopped it dead with a giant body block.
The Bucks came in to go after Doyle, who blocked their
double superkick attempt, but Nick took him down with a leg
sweep before the two connected on the superkicks to send him
out of the ring. Cage came in and ate a pair of superkicks
himself. Romero tried Sliced Bread #2 on Matt, but Matt
flipped over onto his feet, and the Bucks tried another
double superkick, only for Romero to duck, nearly catching
Copeland instead in a near-repeat of what happened between
the Bucks and Christian Cage after last week's Dynamite main
event. In the confusion, Doyle rolled up Copeland for a two-
count.
Copeland ended up isolated in the corner, and the Don Callis
Family capitalized with repeated attacks, Doyle dropping him
with a fireman's carry backbreaker before Cage picked him up
for a spinning fireman's carry slam, with Romero finishing
the sequence with a Sliced Bread #2, even after all that,
Copeland kicked out. Cage threw Copeland to the apron, and
on the opposite side of the ring on the floor, the Bucks
took out Romero and Doyle. Cage stood on the second rope to
lift Copeland for a superplex, but Matt superkicked his leg
out from under him. Matt picked up Cage as Nick came flying
off the top rope with a Swanton Bomb. Doyle tried to come in
and ate a pair of superkicks followed by a dropkick from
Nick, and the Bucks hit a pair of superkicks on Cage to
knock him to the floor. They missed on Romero again, and he
took both of them down with a double Hurricanrana, seemingly
having their number all night. Romero began his customary
goal celebration prematurely and never saw the pair of
superkicks coming that knocked him out from behind. The
Bucks then dove to opposite sides of the ring to take out
Cage and Doyle, while back in the ring, Copeland speared
Romero for the pinfall victory.
Christian Cage came out to the ring, but had words for the
Bucks, telling them to sit down and shut their mouths while
he conducted his business, saying he doesn't associate with
people beneath him, and that's exactly what the Young Bucks
are to him. He acknowledged their influence over their
careers, but drew a line between influence and being legends
like himself and Copeland, the type of legends matches get
named after, the type pay-per-views get named after, and
promised that this Sunday at Wembley Stadium, with the tag
titles on the line, the Bucks would learn the difference
between influence and legendary firsthand. Matt fired back,
noting that pay-per-views have been named after them too,
but asked if anyone had ever named a company after him. He
added that last week's superkick to Cage's face was an
accident, but if Cage kept running his mouth, it wouldn't be
one this week.
A shoving match broke out, and Cage kicked Matt low. Nick
responded with a superkick to Cage, only for Copeland to
spear Nick in retaliation. Copeland seemed fired up and
angry at first, but appeared to have second thoughts once he
got back to his feet. Cage stumbled up and posed with the
title as a visibly perturbed Copeland stormed out of the
ring, leaving the Bucks to recover on the floor.
Willow Nightingale Laid Out By Mercedes Moné!
Willow Nightingale's music hit, but the AEW Women's World
Champion never appeared on the entrance ramp. Instead, the
broadcast cut backstage, where Mercedes Moné stood over an
injured Nightingale, who was grasping her left hand in pain,
with Nightingale's AEW Women's World Championship and a
steel chair lying beside her.
Moné mockingly apologized to the crowd, saying they wouldn't
be hearing from Nightingale tonight, and told her that this
would be her last Dynamite as champion. Moné added that she
had taken away Nightingale's ability to speak and vowed to
take away her championship too. She then grabbed Nightingale
by the mouth, telling her that her smile would be gone for
good on Sunday. Picking up the AEW Women's World
Championship, Moné said this would also be gone for good,
before dropping it next to Nightingale's body. She then
walked away laughing, leaving Nightingale writhing on the
ground, whimpering in pain and clutching her injured left
hand.
Don Callis Announces Mark Davis is in the Casino Gauntlet
Backstage, Don Callis and Mark Davis stood with Renee
Paquette. Paquette joked that she hoped Callis was well
rested from his vacation, since several Don Callis Family
members had high-stakes matches on tap at All In weekend. He
assured everyone he was feeling refreshed, then dropped a
bombshell. No matter who won the AEW World Championship
match between Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega, he had a
surprise in store, because Mark Davis had drawn a number for
the Casino Gauntlet Match. Callis declared that if that
number got called, Davis would settle his score with
Andrade, roll through the Casino Gauntlet, and bring the AEW
World Title back home to the Don Callis Family!
Andrade Outsmarts MJF and Sends Him Running!
Andrade’s music hit, and the crowd began dancing in
anticipation, but he never came out, and the music changed
to MJF’s, who immediately made way out wearing his Triple B.
MJF had something to say!
MJF told the crowd it was great to be in “sunny Ireland,”
before mocking the fans as a bunch of drunken degenerates.
He revealed that he'd paid off a few gentlemen “to warm up
Andrade” for this weekend so that Andrade wouldn't be there
that night. MJF said the true champion was in the building,
and dismissed Andrade's act as nothing special, claiming he
could do the same routine of coming out in a T-shirt,
wearing fake jewelry, and taking a photo with an attractive
woman from the crowd. He joked that finding an attractive
woman in Scotland was next to impossible by his standards
back home, but decided one fan in the crowd would do,
although he insulted her first. Before taking the photo, MJF
said he had one question.
While MJF had his back to the barricade, Andrade showed up
behind him and said, “How you know?” MJF turned around, and
Andrade blasted him before sending him into the ring.
Andrade unloaded on MJF with knees and went for The DM, but
MJF escaped up the ramp. Andrade held up his AEW National
Championship in the ring as MJF yelled that he was the one
true champion.
Jericho is in the Casino Gauntlet and In Action on
Collision!
The first-ever AEW World Champion Jericho made big news by
declaring for the Casino Gauntlet on Sunday. This would be
Jericho’s first Casino Gauntlet! Jericho said he knows all
about how big it is to wrestle in Wembley Stadium. He
wrestled Will Ospreay there! Jericho also said he’ll be in
trios action on Collision alongside “Speedball” Mike Bailey
and Komander against Tommaso Ciampa, Nick Wayne and Mark
Davis in a possible preview of the Casino Gauntlet with all
six men declared for the match!
AEW Continental Challenge Cup Semifinal Match: Nigel
McGuinness def. The Conglomeration's Kyle O'Reilly
Despite traveling similar paths throughout their careers,
this marked the first time O'Reilly and McGuinness had ever
gone one-on-one. As O'Reilly made his way to the ring,
McGuinness soaked in a warm reception, doing his best to
hide just how badly injured his ankle was, with adrenaline
perhaps masking the pain on his face.
At the bell, O'Reilly and McGuinness each got tangled up
going for early submission attempts, breaking cleanly each
time. O'Reilly tried again, but McGuinness simply walked out
of it. O'Reilly then controlled McGuinness's wrist as
McGuinness made multiple attempts to escape, only for
O'Reilly to keep getting the upper hand. McGuinness finally
broke the cycle by moving referee Aubrey Edwards into
O'Reilly's path, tricking him into thinking it was
McGuinness, which allowed McGuinness to roll O'Reilly up,
though there was no count. O'Reilly got up, clearly
frustrated and annoyed, and kicked at McGuinness, who
stepped away before firing back with a throat thrust and
several shots to the chest. O'Reilly answered by locking in
a guillotine, but McGuinness quickly escaped, and O'Reilly
lit him up with a flurry of kicks and strikes.
McGuinness began favoring the injured ankle as he tried to
create distance, but O'Reilly pulled him to the apron and
slammed the ankle into the ring. As McGuinness limped on the
floor, he turned around into a flying knee from O'Reilly.
Back in the ring, with McGuinness clearly hurting, O'Reilly
continued working over the injured leg, locking in a leg
lock. McGuinness tried everything to escape, including
chopping away at O'Reilly, who shook it off and cranked the
hold in tighter. McGuinness finally escaped by countering
into a heel hook, forcing O'Reilly to let go.
McGuinness then shifted his focus to O'Reilly's left arm,
wrenching back on the elbow, and O'Reilly seemed to sense he
needed to escape before real damage was done. McGuinness
tried to bounce off the ropes with a lariat clothesline, but
O'Reilly saw it coming, since it's a move he uses himself.
O'Reilly sat McGuinness up and connected with a springboard
PK, but only got a one-count. He went for a cross
armbreaker, and McGuinness fought to keep his hands clasped
together. Just as it looked like the grip might break,
O'Reilly transitioned into an ankle lock, but McGuinness got
to the ropes. After breaking the hold, O'Reilly went right
back to stomping the bad ankle.
O'Reilly then tried to pull McGuinness's arm down across the
top rope on the apron, but McGuinness broke free, hit a
gutshot, and snapped O'Reilly's throat across the ropes.
McGuinness pulled O'Reilly up and over the top rope by the
neck, looking for a Tower of London, but O'Reilly landed on
his feet and locked in a sleeper hold. O'Reilly chopped at
the bad leg before rolling back into a rear naked choke.
McGuinness broke free and rolled O'Reilly up for a near-
fall, then tried again for the pin, but O'Reilly reversed it
into a bridge, and McGuinness was able to kick out in time,
O'Reilly was now sporting a large welt under his right eye.
Both men got back to their feet and traded strikes,
McGuinness using a series of uppercuts to send O'Reilly into
the ropes. O'Reilly tried a lariat of his own, only for
McGuinness to duck behind him and roll him up for a two-
count. O'Reilly escaped and got a near-fall of his own, then
rolled McGuinness onto his stomach, trapping his left arm
behind his back as the welt under O'Reilly's eye continued
to swell. McGuinness tried to roll through into a crossface,
and O'Reilly briefly escaped before McGuinness rolled
through again and locked it back in. O'Reilly fought to a
submission attempt, but McGuinness escaped, only for
O'Reilly to grab the bad ankle again in a single-leg crab.
McGuinness clawed at the ropes, barely making it in time,
the pain evident on his face.
Once again, both men desperately stood and exchanged strikes
once more, O'Reilly eventually taking the lead again. He
whipped McGuinness to the ropes, but McGuinness came back
with a Les Kellett-inspired lariat on the rebound for a two-
count. McGuinness then pulled O'Reilly back up and locked in
the London Dungeon on the damaged left arm, and O'Reilly had
no choice but to tap out! McGuinness has won it, punching
his ticket to the C3 Final against AEW Continental Champion
Jon Moxley this Sunday at Wembley Stadium, where the winner
will walk out as both Continental Champion and the first-
ever holder of the Continental Challenge Cup!
Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada Have Tense Words
Renee Paquette stood backstage with Don Callis and Kyle
Fletcher. She asked Callis whether he was confident in his
strategy to keep the AEW International Championship in the
Family, given what fans saw last week between Fletcher and
Kazuchika Okada. Callis fired back, asking Paquette what she
thought she saw and telling her not to believe her own lying
eyes. He explained that there's always competition among
alpha athletes, but at the end of the day, he expects this
family to run the play as called.
Paquette then turned to Fletcher for his take. Fletcher said
he'd made it clear last week that he trusts Callis with all
his heart and owes him so much, and that he was one hundred
percent willing to run the play at All In. He added that the
real question was whether Okada would be willing to do the
same. Okada showed up, insisting that family is the most
important thing, and that he could be trusted. Fletcher
pushed back, asking what exactly he could trust Okada to do,
since he'd been jumped from behind by Takeshita last week
and Okada was nowhere to be found. Okada snapped back that
Fletcher was always thinking about himself, before
repeating, "Family, Kyle. Family."
AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion & CMLL
World Women's Champion Persephone def. TBS Champion Maya
World & The Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor)
World and Bayne started things off, with Bayne easily
overpowering World on multiple occasions before sending her
to the corner and unloading with shoulder blocks. Bayne
tagged in Kross, who continued the assault with boots to
World before tagging in Persephone. Persephone stayed on
World with a chop in the corner and a back elbow, then
charged again, but World ducked and tagged in Windsor.
Persephone charged at Windsor, and the two exchanged
waistlocks until Windsor tagged in Hayter. Windsor sent
Persephone off the ropes into a Manhattan drop, and Hayter
kicked Persephone to the mat.
Windsor flipped Persephone up to allow Hayter to drop her
back down with a running boot. Windsor cleared out the
opposite corner as Hayter put Persephone in a neutral
corner, and the two hit clotheslines on Persephone in the
corner. Hayter then whipped World across the ring, where she
jumped off Windsor's back for a flying attack on Persephone.
The Brawling Birds grabbed Persephone out of the corner with
a double suplex, then held her down for World, who came off
the top with a moonsault. Hayter covered, but Persephone
kicked out at two.
Persephone managed to create enough separation to distract
the referee, allowing Kross to blindside Hayter with a
clothesline from the apron. Hayter found herself in trouble,
trapped in the Divine Dominion corner as Kross and
Persephone double-teamed her, which Bayne finished off with
a bridging German suplex. World and Windsor broke up the pin
before the count.
The Brawling Birds and Divine Dominion then squared off,
trading shots until Bayne knocked Windsor down and Hayter
knocked Kross down. Hayter and Bayne ran at each other from
opposite corners and collided with simultaneous
clotheslines. As both women tried to stir, Hayter made the
tag to World, who came in like a house of fire, unloading on
Kross and quickly taking her down with a head-scissors
takeover. World reversed a whip into the corner and came off
the second rope with a leaping leg lariat, holding on for a
two-count. World tried to pick Kross up for a bridging
fallaway slam, but Bayne stopped it and attempted a
chokeslam on World, who reversed it into a stunner. When
World turned around, she was clobbered by a big boot from
Kross. Windsor came back with a headbutt to put Kross down
and followed with a pair of kicks to keep her grounded, only
for Persephone to spear Windsor.
Hayter immediately grabbed Persephone for a backbreaker
across the knee, and Bayne came flying out of the corner
with a clothesline that nearly flipped Hayter head over
heels. Bayne picked World up alongside Kross for Divine
Intervention, but the Brawling Birds made the save with a
pair of German suplexes. Persephone came off the top with a
dropkick to take down both Hayter and Windsor. Persephone
hit a big lariat on World and picked her back up for a
Crucifix Powerbomb, but World escaped, sent Persephone into
the ropes, and caught her coming back with an innovative
stunner. World covered, but Bayne pulled her out of the ring
to break up the pin. Bayne and Kross then put the boots to
World on the floor, but Hayter came off the apron with a
cross-body to take out Divine Dominion. They caught her,
however, so Windsor leaped off the top with a cannonball to
take everybody down at once.
As the Brawling Birds and Divine Dominion continued brawling
on the outside with the referee distracted, Persephone
grabbed World's TBS Championship and cracked her across the
head with it! The referee never saw it, and when he turned
around, Persephone was already on the top rope, coming down
with a frog splash to pin the TBS Champion!
Persephone grabbed both her CMLL World Women's Championship
and the TBS Championship, briefly holding both before
tossing the TBS title aside to celebrate with her own belt.
After that result, one has to wonder whether Persephone has
now earned herself a shot at the TBS Championship.
A Look Back at the Dangerous History of Darby Allin & Kevin
Knight
Before they meet on Sunday in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
for the TNT Title in Wembley Stadium, we looked at how the
match came to be, including Allin getting burned by pyro and
nearly having his neck broken by Knight last week on
Dynamite! Allin was lucky, but what kind of shape will he be
in at All In?
Swerve Strickland def. "Jungle" Jack Perry
For our main event, Swerve Strickland entered first
alongside Prince Nana, followed by Jack Perry, who entered
alone but clearly had the crowd behind him as they gleefully
waved their hands along with his electric entrance. At the
bell, Swerve pointed to the crowd while looking at Perry,
acknowledging what they were doing, before mockingly joining
in on the hand-waving himself.
The two stood face-to-face in the middle of the ring,
exchanging words, and Swerve put his hands behind his back
to offer Perry the first shot. Perry grabbed a headlock and
tried to send Swerve to the ropes, but Swerve easily put him
down with a shoulder block. Swerve ground Perry's face into
the mat, trying to teach him a lesson, but Perry answered
with a poke to the eye. Perry then got a head of steam and
took Swerve down with a shoulder tackle, posing to a
delighted crowd. Perry cartwheeled over Swerve and took him
down with a hurricanrana, but Swerve fired right back with a
big clothesline as he continued clearing his eye. Swerve
stomped Perry down and worked him into the corner with a big
chop, but Perry's continued needling allowed him to fire
back with a couple of shots of his own before Swerve shut it
down and beat him back to the mat.
Swerve sent Perry to the opposite corner and charged, but
Perry sent him to the apron. Swerve mocked the crowd before
trying to suplex Perry from the ring to the floor. Perry
fought free with a shot to the gut and dove over Swerve
looking for a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor, but Swerve
kicked him in the chest to break it up and ran down the
apron looking for a boot. Perry ducked and pulled himself up
to the apron, taking Swerve down with a kick to the knee. As
Swerve tried to get back to his feet on the apron, Perry
went to the second rope looking for a hurricanrana, but
Swerve caught him and violently slammed him into the
turnbuckle, the kind of cutthroat mentality Swerve had been
trying to teach Perry all along.
Swerve stayed in firm control after that vicious throw into
the ring post, and Perry only found brief glimpses of hope
before Swerve shut each one down. Swerve came off the second
rope with a diving European uppercut to Perry's back, then
mocked the crowd again by dancing and waving his hands, only
for the crowd to fire back with chants of "Whose house?
Swerve's house!" Swerve draped Perry over his back, locking
his feet between his thighs to stretch his back out in an
ugly-looking submission. Perry tried to reach the ropes, so
Swerve hooked the arm, but Perry used his free arm to elbow
Swerve and flipped around into an arm drag that sent Swerve
to the floor, appearing to catch his head on the apron on
the way down.
Perry slid under the ropes, but Swerve caught him and looked
for Big Pressure. Perry escaped and ran up the apron to hit
a slingshot spear on Swerve. Swerve bailed to the far side
of the ring, and Perry followed, diving between the ropes to
connect with him on the floor. Perry went back inside and
dove through the ropes for another shot, then wasn't
satisfied and called for a third, sailing over the top rope
and crashing down onto Swerve outside. Still not done, Perry
climbed all the way to the top rope and came down on Swerve
with a moonsault to the floor. Perry threw Swerve back
inside and ascended the top rope again, but as he tried to
get his footing with his back to the ring, Swerve was there
to meet him. Perry managed to elbow him away, and Swerve
backflipped off the top rope, landing on his feet. Perry
came off the top looking for a moonsault, but sailed over
Swerve, who also landed on his feet, though Perry was quick
enough to change course into a DDT. Perry covered, but
Swerve kicked out at two.
Swerve chopped away at Perry, who kept egging him on for
more, until Swerve finally had enough and kicked out Perry's
left leg to put him down. Swerve called for House Call, but
missed when Perry moved, and Perry superkicked Swerve while
he was down on his knees before backing into the corner to
set up his own flying knee. As he charged across the ring,
though, Swerve cut him off with House Call. Swerve went to
the top rope and stomped Perry, but Perry rolled through
into the Snare Trap, and Glasgow came alive cheering him on.
Swerve was in deep trouble in the middle of the ring but
managed to pull his hand free and bend back Perry's fingers
to escape. Perry rolled through and trapped Swerve again for
a near-fall, and Swerve avoided a follow-up running knee,
possibly looking for a Brainbuster, but Perry reversed it
into a hurricanrana and hooked the legs, only for Swerve to
kick out just in time.
With Perry cornered, Swerve went after him, but Perry
answered with a back elbow and went up to the second rope,
leaping back onto Swerve, who caught him on his shoulders
looking for Big Pressure. Perry slipped down, and Swerve
stood up as if setting up a pin attempt, but with Perry's
legs still trapped around him, Swerve instead pulled Perry
up by the hair and finished him off with Big Pressure for
the win.
After the match, Swerve held out his fingers to show just
how close Perry had come, but hadn't quite gotten the job
done. As the referee raised his hand, Swerve extended a fist
bump down to Perry on the mat, who accepted it in a show of
respect.
The Epic History of Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay
Dynamite closed with a special video package looking at the
preparations for AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and his
challenger Will Ospreay this Sunday at All In: London.
We saw the intense training of both men to prepare for what
might be the biggest match in both their careers, while also
being reminded of when Ospreay called Omega his hero earlier
this year. That brought us back to their first meeting 11
years ago in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, a legendary
independent promotion in Reseda, California that has seen
the best of the best wrestle each other before becoming
major stars. It was a fitting stage for their first
encounter, with a young, raw Ospreay taking on the man he
looked up to in Omega, who admitted he didn’t know much
about Ospreay other than the buzz he heard on the internet.
Omega won that first match and Ospreay chased that ghost for
the next decade, trying to get to Omega’s level. He tried
matching Omega’s achievements in NJPW, including winning the
IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay doesn’t believe Omega
has ever seen Ospreay as his equal.
That brought us to the press conference before Wrestle
Kingdom 17 in 2023, where Omega returned to NJPW and told
Ospreay that everyone would see he’s not quite ready to grab
the torch yet. Omega went on to defeat Ospreay to win the
IWGP United States Championship, which Ospreay admitted tore
his world apart, as Omega didn’t show mercy or remorse.
Omega didn’t see it as any different than Ospreay
disrespecting Omega when he showed up in AEW looking for
revenge and aligned himself with Don Callis. Ospreay would
win the bloody rematch, but did so by using a screwdriver
provided by Callis to spike Omega in the head. While Omega
had Callis but didn’t need him to beat Ospreay in NJPW,
Ospreay accepted and benefited from Callis’ interference
with the screwdriver. Ospreay said that he’s been thinking
about that for three years because the win meant nothing.
Ospreay called this match the biggest night of his life in
Wembley Stadium in front of his family, wife, mom and kid.
Omega knows there’s a lot riding on this for both men
because of the pressure Ospreay has to get the job done, and
he thinks Ospreay will fail again. Ospreay is adamant he has
to be better than Omega, but he has to do it away from
everyone else and by himself. He knows he can do it because
it’s been a 10-year chase.
With a look at more intense training regimens for both men,
we relived how Omega took out Ospreay with a One-Winged
Angel at AEW Redemption to officially begin their journey to
Wembley Stadium. Since then, the two have exchanged plenty
of words and barbs back and forth, although it was Omega who
took the opening to V-Trigger Ospreay and put him through a
table with a One-Winged Angel last week to end Dynamite.
As we were reminded of the words from Omega’s post-Wrestle
Kingdom 17 victory that pierced the confidence of Ospreay,
he’s made it crystal clear that he wants to beat Omega with
honor and pride. And he’ll do it when it matters the most.
Catch AEW Collision this Saturday from right back here at
The OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland on TNT and HBO Max at
8/7c!