The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 02.04.26
By Scott Keith on 5 February 2026
The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 02.04.26
In important personal news, I wiped my Intel MacBook clean of all Liquid Glass and went back to Sequoia and OH MY GOD I can type at a normal speed in Word again without the computer lagging. I hugely regret ever going to Tahoe and definitely wouldn’t recommend it unless you have a Silicon Mac. Unfortunately I had to erase the whole computer to downgrade, but that’s why I save everything in the cloud anyway.
Live from Las Vegas, NV
Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Taz
We actually get some SNME style promo bites to start, as we hear from MJF and Brody and Kenny and Don Callis and the Babes and Megabad.
The Death Riders v. El Clon & Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander
Pac works a headlock on the mat and they trade freaky takedowns and battle to a stalemate off that. It’s quickly a donnybrook and they all brawl, but Takeshita takes care off all the Death Riders and brings Clon back in for another showdown with Pac. Clon with the freaky bridging Pele kick, but Pac puts him down with a german suplex. Alexander trips him up and Clon hits a moonsault as we take a break. Back with Alexander slugging it out with Pac and he hits a northern lights suplex for two. We get a slugfest from Mox and Takeshita and everyone runs wild, with Clon moonsaulting Pac on the floor and then Mox hitting everyone with a tope. Takeshita cradles Daniel Garcia for two and hits the Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Garcia blocks the knee strike and fights back with chops, but Takeshita puts him down with the wheelbarrow suplex and then hits the power knee for two. I’m not buying this Garcia no sell deal. Raging Fire finishes at 13:49, however. This was a weird dynamite with Takeshita clearly a babyface in a team full of heels, and Moxley a babyface in a team full of heels, but people were really into Moxley v. Takeshita. A very fun opener. ***1/4
Meanwhile, Swerve denies being out of the World title picture, despite the loss to Andrade last week.
Meanwhile, Will Ospreay has successful neck surgery and it’s an awesome video package, but he’s still out for a long time. That’s gonna be a big one when it happens.
Orange Cassidy & Toni Storm v. Jordan Oasis & Brittanie Brooks
Toni is now donning her own denim suit for solidarity. Orange offers a free shot to Oasis and then tricks him for a dropkick, and it’s over to the women. Toni throws Brooks around with hairtosses and hits her with a german suplex and we get some wacky double-teams from the babyfaces, leading to Oasis taking the hip attack, and Orange Punch to finish at 2:51. Afterwards, Toni and Orange both express regret for signing the hair match, but Toni was ACTING and is actually quite confident. BRAVA!
Meanwhile, Darby Allin is skating around Vegas, minding his own business, and the War Dogs pull up and kick his ass again, apparently not having gotten it out of their system on Collision, and then lock him in the trunk of a car. I presume that Darby doesn’t know how he is, but he’s got armor in his belly. From the 16th century. Conquistador, I think?
Hangman Page v. Mark Davis
Davis beats on Hangman with chops to start, but misses a senton and Page puts him down with a sliding lariat and dropkick. They trade chops and Davis actually wins that battle, but they fight to the floor and Page hits him with a lariat out there. Back in, Davis catches him with a neckbreaker and puts him down with a corner clothesline, and then smashes him into the railing as we take a break. Back with Davis in control with a superplex attempt, but Page sweeps his legs out and gets two. Page hits him with a lariat on the apron and teases a powerbomb onto the desk, but Davis blocks that. He tries another smash into the railing, but Hangman moves this time and moonsaults him off the bleacher. Back in the ring for a really nice moonsault that gets two. Davis with a backdrop driver and he tries a powerbomb, but Page reverses to a cradle for two. Davis CLOBBERS him with a lariat and follows with a powerbomb for two. He winds up for another lariat, but Page escapes that one, and hits a Deadeye for two. They trade tombstone reversals and Page hits one of the ramp, and back in for the Buckshot to finish at 11:25. This was a HOSS FIGHT. Man I feel bad for Davis for losing another partner but he went out and made the most of his shot here. ***1/2
Afterwards, promises to kick MJF in his balls and win back the World title. I support this.
Kenny Omega v. Andrade El Idolo
Winner of this gets Hangman in Australia for the #1 contender spot. They trade chops and Andrade sheds his first piece of clothing and then pokes Kenny in the eye, but Kenny puts him down with a knee to the floor, and then follows with a dive. Andrade suplexes him out there and they head back in the ring, for a battle on the top rope, and Kenny gets a superplex for two. You Can’t Escape for two. Andrade hits him with a flying forearm and tries for a figure-four, but Kenny cradles for two. Andrade with the Three Amigos, with the third one on the floor, and he stops for a photo op on the floor and then hits Kenny with a spinning dive and we take a break. Back with the double moonsault missing, but Kenny misses a knee strike and it’s a figure-four from Andrade. Kenny reverses and Andrade has to make the ropes (“El Ropo!” adds Callis helpfully) and they slug it out. Kenny comes back with the snapdragons and a V-Trigger in the corner, but Andrade reverses a One Winged Angel and hits the hammerlock DDT for two. Andrade with the running knees in the corner for two. They slug it out again and Kenny puts him down with the knee strike, but Andrade blocks a V-Trigger and they collide for a double down. Naturally this allows Don to send the screwdriver into the ring, but Swerve steals it. So Andrade goes with the ballshot instead and finishes with the DM at 16:43. Where was this Andrade last time around? Also I was very surprised by this result because I thought for sure they’d go with Kenny as the challenger at Revolution. Also this was a great fucking match. ****1/4. But then Kenny and Swerve have some friction over the result, and THAT’S probably another great PPV match on the way.
Meanwhile, Kris Statlander announces a rematch with Thekla, where she gets to pick the stips.
The Babes of Wrath v. Megan Bayne & Penelope Ford
Megabad quickly double-teams Willow, but she fights them off and they double-team Ford for two. Willow with a snap suplex for two. Bayne comes in and battles Willow in the corner before bringing her down with a top rope rana, and then out to the floor for a tope as we take a break. Back with Harley hitting Ford with a sling blade and a suplex for two. Megabad with a double suplex attempt, but Harley reverses to her own and everyone is out. The Babes try to double-team Bayne but Ford breaks it up and they hit a Doomsday Device on Harley to finish clean at 9:22 and earn the title shot. Kind of anti-climactic and they ran out of steam after the break. **1/2. Also I know it was a huge moment when Willow on the TBS title from Mercedes to end the year, but she has done absolutely nothing with it since then.
Meanwhile, Ciampa debuts and wins the TNT title, and then we get a promo from him backstage, and naturally the belt is now SILVY.
AEW National title: Ricochet v. Jungle Jack Perry
Perry hits him with a dive off the apron right away and into the ring for a spear before slugging away in the corner. That gets two. Ricochet puts him down and slugs away to take over, and then sends Perry to the floor for a suplex on the table as we take a break. Back with Perry fighting back and skinning the cat to set up a tope. Back in the ring, Ricochet powers out of a suplex attempt and takes Perry to the floor for a death valley driver out there. Back in with a slingshot clothesline and samoan drop for two. He tries to distract the ref and hit a low blow, but Jack evades that and comes back with a superkick. Ricochet puts him down with a lariat, but Perry DDTs him and hits a TKO for two. That sets up the Snare Trap, but GOA hits the ring and Toa pulls Ricochet to the ropes for the break. But then the Young Bucks counter and chase off GOA, and Ricochet runs Perry into the belt in the chaos and pins him to retain at 13:17. They had a good match but this National title is beyond worthless. ***
Meanwhile, the War Dogs present a video of them dragging Darby in a bodybag, though the desert, and then literally leaving him for dead. They should have made him dig his own grave first, like in Casino. Also glad to see Clark Connors got a job, because him and Kidd are an awesome team.
MJF v. Brody King
The crowd gives Brody a very aggressive “FUCK ICE” chant, which seems to surprise even MJF. Before we can start, Hangman distract MJF, and Brody chokes him out on the apron, hits the cannonball in the corner, and puts him away with the Ganzo Bomb at 1:10 to win the title shot. Well that was satisfying. And then Andrade hits the ring and lays out MJF for fun, and then Hangman takes out Andrade, but MJF kicks Page in the nuts, and then Brody takes out MJF with another Ganzo Bomb to stand tall at the end of the show.
The World title chaos is great stuff, and dare I say that AEW is cooking right now? I dare. This was another great show with a hot crowd in Vegas, with not one but TWO eliminator matches that actually went the way of the challengers, and a very satisfying ass-kicking for MJF to end the show and set up another World title match.