Posted on 1/15/126 by Bob Magee
AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage was LIVE from Phoenix, Arizona,
on TBS and HBO Max, and it was a gargantuan night of action,
including MJF’s first defense of his newly-won AEW World
Championship against ROH World Champion Bandido!
The night opened with Darby Allin finally securing his
coveted victory over PAC in a rematch from AEW Full Gear.
With the victory, Allin can now say he’s beaten all the
Death Riders, which means his journey to the AEW World
Championship is on the horizon.
In the main event, AEW World Champion MJF was able to retain
his Triple B against Bandido in a hotly contested affair.
After the match, MJF complimented Bandido before attacking
him with the AEW World Title, only for Brody King to make
the save for Bandido as Dynamite Maximum Carnage came to a
close!
Meanwhile, by winning a 4-Way Tag Match, the Don Callis
Family’s Mark Davis and Jake Doyle earned a future AEW World
Tag Team Championship match with FTR. They were able to
outlast JetSpeed, the Young Bucks and GOA in a wild match
that was a fantastic representation of just how deep the AEW
men’s tag division really is.
And we also saw the AEW World Tag Team Champions, The Babes
of Wrath, and AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander
suffer a tough loss to Triangle of Madness when Thekla
pinned Statlander.
Plus, “Hangman” Adam Page, Swerve Strickland and Kenny Omega
all expressed their desire to be the AEW World Champion once
again, as Omega will face Josh Alexander next week on
Dynamite, while Hangman and JetSpeed will face The Opps for
the AEW World Trios Titles this Saturday on Collision
Maximum Carnage!
All that and more happened on the first half of Maximum
Carnage! Here’s how it all went down from Phoenix!
Samoa Joe Sends Bryan Keith at Hangman
Earlier today, former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe said
“Hangman” Adam Page was a fool for still trying to get back
the AEW World Title, but because Joe and The Opps need to
prepare for an upcoming AEW World Trios Titles defense, he
was going back to the old West and put a bounty on Hangman
tonight! And a bounty hunter has come to claim his prize.
That’s when Bryan Keith joined Joe and sent Hangman a
message. He remembered when he got his first taste of
Hangman three years ago, and he got his ass beat like he
stole something. Today, Keith steals it back, and it’s time
to make it personal. Pay up!
Darby Allin def. PAC
After Allin made his entrance, PAC came through the crowd
with the Death Riders, but Renee Paquette managed to catch
PAC, telling the Death Riders that he was going to do it
alone tonight. As soon as PAC hopped the rail, he turned his
back to the ring to yell at fans, so Allin flew out of the
ring and sent PAC into the front row. Allin followed, and
the fight was on before the bell even rang! Allin took PAC
up the steps and all the way to the top of the first level.
PAC climbed onto the front of the second level and nailed
PAC with a Coffin Drop!
PAC retreated from Allin all the way back to the ringside
area, where Allin missed a charge near the guardrail, so PAC
turned it into a German suplex on the floor! PAC dragged the
steel steps away from the ring and threw Allin into the
steel with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex into the edges
of the stairs! PAC threw Allin in the ring and demanded the
bell be rung, which happened after Allin told referee Paul
Turner he was good to go. PAC nailed the momentum lariat
that’s won him multiple matches, but Allin kicked out at two
on a cocky cover by PAC! PAC stayed on Allin and
slingshotted him throat-first into the middle rope! PAC
trapped Allin with a bridging German suplex, but Allin
kicked out again, although he was clearly in rough shape.
Allin finally showed a sign of life when he fought PAC off
the top rope and followed with a missile dropkick! Allin
kept fighting with a Coffin splash followed by a dropkick to
send PAC back to the corner. PAC came back with a belly-to-
belly and then put Allin on the top for an avalanche belly-
to-belly suplex! PAC didn’t go for the cover and instead
sent Allin from the ring to the ramp with an Awesome Bomb!
Somehow, someway, Allin beat the 10 count, so the match
continued! A defiant Allin flipped the double bird!
PAC hopped down from his perch on the top rope, but
immediately grabbed at his ankle, which was the source of a
significant injury in the past. Allin smelled the blood in
the water and picked PAC’s ankle, but PAC escaped to the
outside. Allin quickly found a second wind and scurried to
the top rope to hit a Coffin Drop to PAC on the floor!
Allin put PAC on the apron and hit another Coffin Drop,
although he definitely caught some of the corner of the ring
in his go-for-broke attempt to put PAC away for good. Back
in the ring, Allin squished PAC in the corner, but that
seemed to do more damage to Allin’s back. He charged in for
a second time, but PAC pulled the referee in front of him,
and Allin took him out! Allin put PAC in a Scorpion Death
Lock, and PAC tapped, but with the referee taken out, there
was no one to call for the bell. Wheeler Yuta, who lost to
Allin on Collision two weeks ago, hit the ring with a chair.
Allin was ready for him and dropkicked the chair into Yuta’s
face! He disposed of Yuta with a Scorpion Death Drop and
turned his attention back to PAC. He dropped PAC with
another Scorpion Death Drop and put PAC’s ankle in a chair.
Allin crushed the ankle with a Coffin Drop from the top and
locked in the Scorpion Death Lock once again, so PAC had no
choice but to tap out!
Allin wins and has defeated all the Death Riders! Allin
celebrated as the Death Riders and medical personnel checked
on PAC!
“Hangman” Adam Page def. Bryan Keith
Keith came to the ring with Big Bill, who decided to get on
the apron as the bell rang to distract Page. Keith tried to
attack Page from behind, but Page was prepared for it and
turned the tables on Keith as Bill dropped back to the
floor. Keith avoided a high boot from Page and hit one of
his own before moving on to chops on Page. Keith missed
another big boot attempt, so this time, Page connected with
one of his own. Page hammered on Keith in the corner and
sent him to the apron. Page tried a springboard clothesline
to Keith, but he ducked, so Page clotheslined Keith in the
back of the neck. Page flew onto Keith with a plancha to the
floor. He continued to hammer away at Keith on the outside
before throwing him back in the ring to follow up with
chops. Keith escaped a fireman’s carry, so Page floored him
with a rolling elbow. Big Bill caught Page’s attention long
enough for Keith to nail Page with a torpedo headbutt. Keith
was all over Page after the opening!
Page bounced back when he avoided a charge in the corner,
although when Page tried to come back at Keith, he was ready
with a drop toehold into the middle turnbuckle. Keith hit a
knee strike followed by an exploder suplex to get a two-
count! Page was able to turn things around with a fallaway
slam. The two men traded reversals until Page smashed Keith
with a sliding lariat. Keith kicked out at two! Keith
avoided another rolling elbow and trapped Page in a pinning
predicament for a surprise two-count. Page charged at Keith,
so Keith reversed it into an overhead belly-to-belly suplex
into the turnbuckles! Page was in deep trouble, but he
managed to kick out in time!
Keith took too long to go for a Tiger Driver, which allowed
Page to escape and drop Keith with a clothesline. Page
hopped onto the apron to set up a Buckshot Lariat, so Bill
grabbed his leg behind the referee’s back. Page kicked Bill
away, so Keith slid to the outside, and Page came off the
apron with a moonsault, which Keith avoided and returned to
the ring. Keith kept the referee distracted while Bill
goozled Page, but Swerve came out of nowhere to choke Bill
with a chain, followed by a shot to the back of the head.
Page got back on the apron to hit Keith with a Buckshot
Lariat for the three count!
Hangman, Swerve and Kenny Omega are All Coming for MJF!
Swerve and Prince Nana joined Page in the ring, and Hangman
had a microphone!
“Bryan, Bryan, you try to collect your bounty now, dumbass!”
Page said Samoa Joe was not man enough to fight him himself,
so he sent Bryan Keith after him. Page said he’s going to
take everything from Joe!
Swerve grabbed the mic to deliver a message to MJF.
“If you just so happen to come out victorious with that
championship around your waist, I, no, we will be coming
after you. Relentlessly. And since it’s 2026 now, I have a
New Year’s resolution. It’s been a while since I had the AEW
World Championship around my waist, and that’s what this
fanbase wants to see, am I right? So this year we get back
on the top of the mountain, and we make whose house?”
The crowd responded, “SWERVE’S HOUSE!” But Kenny Omega’s
music hit, and he joined Swerve and Hangman in the ring!
Omega said he figured, why not come out now when three of
the greatest challengers for the AEW World Title are in the
ring at the same time! He said he thinks they all have
something to prove. He needs to prove that he’s still the
god the fans thought he was, and if they believe, then he
believes. He knows getting the AEW World Championship isn’t
as easy as the snap of a VP’s fingers, and he has to win
some matches first. So whether it be friend or foe, he’s
coming for the AEW World Title.
Page said it looks like there are three of us who want the
AEW World Championship, but they can’t do this together.
Page said if he crosses paths with Omega on the way to the
championship, may the best man win. Page left the ring, as
Omega had some words for a seemingly annoyed Strickland. He
and Nana left the ring, but before Omega exited, he was
interrupted by the Don Callis Family on the stage.
Callis said he had something to say and that he’s always
been a fan of MJF! If Omega wants to get back to the AEW
World Title, he needs to win some wrestling matches. So why
doesn’t he face the man who broke Kota Ibushi’s leg, the
“Walking Weapon” Josh Alexander?!
Omega said he could barely hear “Uncle Don” over all these
people, but if that’s a challenge, Omega knows he has to win
some matches. And he has some time tonight, so if the people
will have it, if Tony will have it, and if Don will have it,
he will make his record sparkling clean to get back to the
AEW World Championship. Don said Omega forgot how this
works, and he says when this happens, so that they can do it
next week, and they left. Omega told the fans tonight was a
very big first step towards getting back to the AEW World
Championship, but now he must bid them adieu. Goodbye and
good night! BANG!
We then learned that Tony Khan made Omega vs. Alexander
official for next week’s Dynamite!
Brody King Will Face Jonathan Cruz in a Standby Match!
Renee Paquette tracked down Brody King to get comments on
Bandido’s AEW World Championship match with MJF later
tonight, especially since King said he’s first in line after
Bandido wins. Before King could say anything, Jonathan Cruz
interrupted and told King to tell his masked partner never
to punch, hit, or suplex him ever again. King said, "Sure
thing,” but now it’s his turn because they have a standby
match! Cruz, who was wearing a suit, said he wasn’t dressed
to compete and ran away. King said, “See you soon, Jon!”
Brody King def. Jonathan Cruz
We returned from commercial with Cruz in the ring, as King
made his way down the aisle with a big smile on his face.
Cruz, who was still not dressed to compete, threw shoes at
King, which did absolutely nothing. Before King had his
jacket off, Cruz bounced off him and fell to the mat, as the
bell rang. King missed a charge in the corner, so Cruz went
to the top and was swatted away by King on the way down.
King crumpled Cruz with a Gonzo Bomb for an immediate
victory! King took off his ring jacket to celebrate, then
delivered a message to Bandido. He wanted Bandido to beat
MJF from pillar to post, and it will be an honor to step in
the ring with the new AEW World Champion!
We took a look back at the physical confrontation between
MJF and Bandido from last week that saw Bandido stand tall
with the AEW World Championship.
4-Way Tag Match (Winners Earn a Future AEW World Tag Team
Championship Match with FTR): The Don Callis Family’s Mark
Davis & Jake Doyle def. JetSpeed (“Speedball” Mike Bailey
and “The Jet” Kevin Knight, the Young Bucks (Matt and Nick
Jackson) and GOA (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun)
Don Callis and AEW National Champion Ricochet were on
commentary to watch their respective teams in this high-
stakes affair. The Bucks dove onto Doyle and Davis at the
bell while JetSpeed did the same to GOA on the opposite
side. The Bucks and JetSpeed met in the ring and then dove
past each other to switch their targets, with JetSpeed
taking out Doyle and Davis while the Bucks took out GOA! The
Bucks and JetSpeed came back to the ring and traded
reversals until all four men went for dropkicks at the same
time. The beef got in the ring as the Callis Family and GOA
disposed of JetSpeed and the Bucks and faced off until
JetSpeed attacked with missile dropkicks. The Bucks and
JetSpeed tried to punch their way through Davis and Liona
and only made progress when it turned into a one-sided
chicken fight!
Matt dove to the outside and was caught. JetSpeed suffered
the same fate, but Nick took out everyone on the floor!
JetSpeed and the Bucks isolated Davis and Doyle in the ring,
but when Davis and Doyle collided with each other, they just
shook it off, so the Bucks and JetSpeed hit four superkicks!
They all went for BTE Triggers, but Doyle and Davis caught
all four men and powerbombed them in an unreal feat of
strength!
GOA hit the ring and cleared the Callis Family, but that
wasn’t enough for Liona, who hopped to the apron and nailed
a massive moonsault to the floor! That was out of the
Ricochet playbook, and he loved it on commentary!
Doyle and Davis dominated JetSpeed, so the Bucks tried their
hand and knocked Davis to the outside. They stayed on him
with a kick from the apron, followed by a stunner to the
floor! Nick came back in with a springboard crossbody to
Doyle for a two-count! All eight men wound up in the ring,
but after a reversal, the Bucks and JetSpeed dropped GOA and
the Callis Family with superkicks. They followed with a
coordinated aerial assault from the top rope all at the same
time!
Finally, the Bucks and JetSpeed fought each other, as Matt
and Nick took out Knight with superkicks, but when they
tried the same to Bailey, he avoided it and took down Matt
so he could hit his moonsault knees to the chest! Nick
immediately followed with a superkick on Bailey, and walked
right into a springboard clothesline from Knight!
Doyle got back in the ring but was sent back to the outside
by a dropkick from Nick. He tried to take on GOA by himself,
but they powered him down and to the outside. They turned
their attention to Matt and punished him in the corner
before crushing him with a double crucifix powerbomb! Knight
broke up the pin to keep the match alive! GOA threw Knight
back to the outside and went back to work on Bucks. Liona
had both Matt and Nick on his shoulder and tried to add
Bailey, but Bailey hit the Ultima Weapon to the Bucks, which
sent them and Liona crashing to the mat! Knight came flying
across the ring with a UFO Splash on Liona, but Kaun was
there to make the save. The Bucks cleared house with
superkicks, although it took four to take out Liona! The
Bucks hit a slingshot powerbomb to Bailey, but Knight rolled
up Nick for a two-count! The Bucks nailed Knight with the
BTE Trigger, but Ricochet came off commentary to pull out
the referee during the pin attempt!
While Ricochet argued with the referee, “Jungle” Jack Perry
came out of nowhere to clobber Ricochet, but was immediately
grabbed by GOA, only for the Bucks to hit stereo planchas to
make the save. Perry grabbed Ricochet and fought him into
the crowd. Back in the ring, Davis and Doyle had Knight
isolated until Bailey came in to even the odds. He hit a
roundhouse kick to Davis in the corner and went to the top,
but changed his mind in midair and tried to go after Doyle,
but was caught! Doyle powerbombed Bailey onto everyone on
the floor! Back in the ring, Davis spiked Knight with a
piledriver to get the win in their first match as a team!
Davis and Doyle are the #1 contenders to FTR’s AEW World Tag
Team Championship, which brought out Cash Wheeler and Dax
Harwood with Big Stoke in a wheelchair. They faced off with
Doyle and Davis in the ring, but it quickly turned into a
brawl that required a lot of security to break up!
SkyFlight Has a Busy Saturday for Collision Maximum Carnage
We learned that after their confrontation this past Saturday
on Collision, the newest member of SkyFlighy, Zayda Steel,
will face “The Problem” Marina Shafir of the Death Riders!
Plus, Dante and Darius Martin, along with Scorpio Sky, will
face the returning Kyle Fletcher, El Clon and Josh
Alexander!
Trios Match: Triangle of Madness (Thekla, Julia Hart and
Skye Blue) def. AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander &
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions The Babes of Wrath (TBS
Champion Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron)
Thekla teased, starting with Statlander, but gave way to
Hart, who Statlander quickly powered down. Cameron tagged in
and put Hart down with a Slingblade, which got a two-count.
She tagged in Willow, who slammed Hart and then dropped
Cameron onto Hart for a two-count. Hart escaped Willow with
a jawbreaker and tagged in Blue. Blue nailed Willow in the
corner, but Willow cartwheeled out and put Blue down with an
enzigiri. She clobbered Hart in the corner with repeated
clotheslines, but then Blue jumped on her back for a
sleeper! Statlander tagged in, as she, Nightingale, and
Cameron took turns running through Blue with quick strikes.
Cameron took over, but Blue escaped a suplex attempt and the
two traded shots until Blue hit a twisting neckbreaker from
the second rope to get a nearfall! Cameron remained in
trouble for the next few minutes, as she struggled to get
out of Thekla’s web.
Thekla ripped away at both sides of Cameron’s mouth and kept
her away from making a tag, as Sisters of Sin attacked
Nightingale and Statlander. Statlander got back on the
apron, as Cameron got away from Thekla with a hairmare and
made the tag to the AEW Women’s World Champion! Statlander
dropped Thekla with an elbow and then caught Hart from the
top with a backbreaker. She catapulted Blue into the corner
and nailed a knee to the side of Thekla’s head. Statlander
hit a spinning fisherman’s driver, but Blue broke up the
pin. Statlander fought off a double team by powerbombing
Hart, but Blue dropped Statlander with a DDT. Nightingale
came in with a spinebuster on Blue, only for Thekla to nail
a roundhouse kick. Cameron put Thekla down with a
backstabber. Statlander held Thekla for an assisted
slingblade by Cameron, and then Nightingale and Cameron
nailed a double senton, but Hart and Blue came back for the
save!
They put Cameron down with a swinging uranage only to eat a
double clothesline from Statlander! Thekla hit a kick and
rolling elbow to knock Statlander down, but Thekla didn’t
see Willow, who clotheslined Thekla to the mat! Nightingale
picked Thekla up for the Babe with the Powerbomb, but Thekla
escaped with a hurricanrana followed by an elbow strike to
the jaw. Thekla went for a spear, but Statlander shoved
Willow out of the way and took it herself! Thekla stomped
Statlander’s head to the mat and pinned the AEW Women’s
World Champion!
“Hangman” Adam Page & JetSpeed Challenge The Opps for the
AEW World Trios Titles!
As Renee Paquette tried to get a word with “Speedball” Mike
Bailey and “The Jet” Kevin Knight following their loss
earlier in the night, Swerve Strickland came by to pump up
both guys and called Knight the future of the business.
Paquette tried to ask Knight about that, but Hangman showed
up and said they might have lost their chance for the AEW
World Tag Team Titles, but not the AEW World Trios Titles.
Page said he promised to take everything from Samoa Joe, so
on Saturday at Maximum Carnage Collision, it’ll be Hangman
and JetSpeed vs. The Opps for the AEW World Trios
Championship! JetSpeed were in disbelief, but Hangman said
he’ll see them Saturday!
Before our main event, we learned that The Rascalz are
coming soon to AEW!
And Tony Khan made JetSpeed and Hangman vs. The Opps for the
AEW World Trios Titles official for Saturday on Maximum
Carnage Collision!
AEW World Championship Match: MJF (c) def ROH World Champion
Bandido
After the championship introductions, it was time for our
main event with the AEW World Title up for grabs! Bandido
rolled up MJF for a quick two-count to start the match,
which MJF shook off and went into taunting Bandido. MJF
stayed a step ahead until Bandido took down MJF with
lightning-fast offense and quick pin attempts. MJF thought
he escaped Bandido and called him a “dumbass,” so Bandido
responded by sweeping MJF’s legs and pointing his finger gun
at MJF. MJF came back with an eye rake, so Bandido dropped
him with a gorilla press slam. MJF bailed to the outside and
tried to slow a Bandido dive, so Bandido adjusted and hit a
dive to a different side, sending both men into the
guardrail!
Back in the ring, MJF rolled away from Bandido, who perched
on the top, and went to the apron. When Bandido went after
him, MJF hung Bandido’s shoulder over the top rope. MJF
stayed on the shoulder and then hit a pump-handle driver for
a two-count. MJF stayed on Bandido in the corner, but when
Bandido had a small opening, he went to the top, only for
MJF to kick him down and slam him to the mat. MJF mocked the
Macarena, but Bandido turned a reversal into a nearfall. MJF
allowed Bandido to handspring to the ropes, but immediately
cut him off with a nasty kick. He went back to Bandido’s
shoulder and whipped him into the corner head over heels
before getting another nearfall. MJF paused to pose on the
top rope, as he had complete control.
MJF rolled into Three Amigos, but Bandido escaped the third
suplex and tried to punch his way loose. MJF kept wrist
control and bit Bandido! He tried for the third suplex, but
Bandido used his extraordinary strength to hit a stalling
suplex! Both men were down! After they both got to their
feet, Bandido nailed a tornado DDT followed by a one-armed
press slam! Bandido had MJF set for the 21 Plex, but MJF
escaped to the corner. He nailed Bandido with a back elbow
and stomped the bad arm from the top! MJF tried to lock in
Salt of the Earth, so Bandido rolled him into a near-fall.
MJF went to the floor, but Bandido was right behind him with
a huge somersault dive to the floor!
Back in the ring, MJF escaped another 21 Plex by rolling to
the floor and into the crowd, but Bandido went to the top
and flew into the crowd with a crossbody to MJF! He got MJF
back in the ring, but took too much time playing with the
crowd, which allowed MJF to hit an armbreaker. Bandido came
back with a boot to the face and a tornillo from the top for
yet another near-fall! Bandido hit a poisonrana, followed by
a Code Red for a two-count! MJF escaped in the nick of time!
Bandido went for another 21 Plex, but MJF hung on, as
Bandido’s injured arm prevented him from wrenching MJF over
his head.
MJF hit a boot to the jaw and sent Bandido to the apron for
a Heat Seeker, but Bandido blocked it, so MJF hit a
slingshot cover, and this time, Bandido kicked out at two!
MJF tried another Heat Seeker, and once again, Bandido
avoided it. MJF went for the slingshot cutter again, but
Bandido was ready with a kick. Bandido went to the top and
nailed a shooting star press, yet MJF kicked out again. MJF
flipped out of a 21 Plex and blocked a Code Red, which
turned into double-digit reversals into pinfall attempts
back and forth, yet no one would stay down! Bandido got MJF
on his shoulders and nailed the X Knee! Bandido finally hit
the 21 Plex, but he couldn’t hold the bridge for the pin
because of his injured arm. He finally rolled over to throw
an arm over MJF, but after a two-count, MJF immediately
grabbed the arm for Salt of the Earth! Bandido tried to get
to the ropes, so MJF released the hold and pulled him back
into the middle, where he locked on the LeBell Lock, as
Bryan Danielson called his own move on commentary! Bandido
had nowhere to go and passed out from the pain, so referee
Bryce Remsburg had to call for the bell. MJF retains!
MJF got a microphone after the match to address Bandido. MJF
said when everyone said Bandido would be AEW World Champion,
he laughed, but after wrestling him tonight, they’re right.
He said as much as it pains him to say this, “Bandido,
you’re gonna be a World Champion someday in AEW, which
unfortunately means I have to do this!”
MJF attacked Bandido with the AEW World Championship and
gestured that he wanted his mask! Before he could follow
through, Brody King hit the ring to run MJF off. King lifted
Bandido to his feet, and the crowd showed respect to the ROH
World Champion after a gutsy performance. We’ll see you back
here in Phoenix on Saturday night for Collision Maximum
Carnage!
Catch AEW Collision Maximum Carnage on Saturday, 8 p.m. ET/7
p.m. CT on TNT and HBO Max from right back here in Phoenix,
Arizona!
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!