The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.02.26

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.02.26

Live from Allen, TX

Your hosts are Excalibur & Tony Schiavone

Meanwhile, we FINALLY get a recap video of a PPV on the fallout show, as they push the replay and show how awesome it was. I’ve been waiting for them to do something like that forever.

Will Ospreay joins us to start after winning the AEW World title and putting on one of the greatest matches of all time. And Will looks like the happiest man alive to be wearing that title and legitimately touched by the fans’ reaction to him. He puts over Kenny Omega and notes that he was the best wrestler in the world 364 days of the year, but not on Sunday. And although he struggles to think of himself as The Guy, he has the belt now and that makes him the standard and the best and the Billy Goat. Moving on, he’s going to bring the United Empire to AEW while Callum holds down the fort in Japan. But then Ricochet interrupts and puts over Ospreay, before taking all the credit for Will’s career and demanding the first title shot. And then Gabe Kidd interrupts and he’s also salty, which seems to set up a 5-on-1 beatdown, but the United Empire saves and we have a main event for tonight.

Meanwhile, at All In, the New Level debuts in AEW and wins the Trios titles right away. I actually think New Game Plus would have been a better name and would have worked for chanting as well. But they didn’t ask me. As usual.

World Trios title: Swerve Strickland, Austin Creed & Kofi v. The Rascalz

Swerve takes Reed down with a headscissors and drops him with a Snake Eyes into a big boot. Over to Creed and he takes Xavier down and SWEEPS THE LEG into a senton and it’s over to Kofi for some double-teams. Wentz comes in and Kofi moonsaults off Creed’s shoulders into a splash for two. Swerve gets caught in the Rascalz corner and triple-teamed, but the champs toss them and Kofi hits them with a dive as we take a break. Back with Creed making the hot tag to Kofi, and it’s a Boom Drop on Reed into a suplex from Swerve that gets two. Xavier catches Swerve with a rana for two, but Swerve fights off all three until they team up on him and Wentz drops him with a german suplex for two. Kofi hits Xavier with an SOS on the floor and we get everyone hitting dives before Reed hits Creed with a cutter to the floor while taking out Swerve with a rana at the same time in an amazing spot. Back in the ring, Xavier tries a handspring and Swerve kicks his head off in mid-air, and then New Level double-teams him and Swerve finishes with a House Call at 13:08. A spectacular opener and New Level looked like they were having the time of their life working with the Rascalz out there. ****

The Young Bucks join us after having a quick moment with the New Level on the way to the ring. The Bucks would like a rematch, but FTR interrupts and they snipe at each other, as the Bucks point out that FTR was saying I Quit last time they faced Cope & Cage. So the champs come out and Christian tells FTR to “take a 50% pay cut and go elsewhere”, but Cope challenges both teams to a ladders/chairs/tables or maybe a chairs/tables/ladders match at All Out for the tag team titles. Although legally speaking they are not calling it a TABLES, LADDERS AND CHAIRS or “TLC” match in any form, we can’t stress that enough.

Meanwhile, the United Empire needs a fifth guy for the main event, so Callum Newman produces Andrade amidst some friction with Will.

TNT title: Darby Allin v. Mark Davis

Davis clobbers Darby off his skateboard on the way to the ring and then chops him down on the floor and runs him into the railing. Darby gets hurled over the timekeeper table and we take a break. Back with them brawling into the crowd, and Darby hits him with a coffin drop off the balcony and then clotheslines him over the railing and back to ringside. Darby whacks him with the skateboard, so Davis smashes him with an elbow and runs him into the announce table. Into the ring for the actual start of the match and Davis tosses Darby into the corner and then tosses him with a german suplex. Davis with an elbow to the head for two, and a lariat gets two as we take another break. Back with Davis tied to the corner via tag rope, but he manages to slam Darby with one free hand and then puts him down with a corner clothesline for two. Davis misses another lariat, but he gets a sleeper and Darby cradles him for two. Darby charges and Davis backdrops him, but Darby hits a Code Red for two. Davis bails to the floor and Darby hits him with a tope and then a missile dropkick to the floor and they’re both down. Back in the ring, Darby hits him with the coffin drop on the way in, twice, and pins him to retain at 9:33. Another awesome match as these two had crazy good chemistry together and Davis was able to match Darby’s manic energy. ****

Afterwards, the Callis Family hits the ring for the beatdown, but Steven Borden hits the ring and throws some impressive dropkicks to chase them off. But the Josh Alexander returns from injury and attacks Sting Jr from behind, allowing Davis to take him out with the piledriver.

Meanwhile, MJF bitches about having to enter the Casino Gauntlet and prove himself to be the undisputed champion. And he blames Will Ospreay, and revenge is going to be coming.

Megan Bayne v. Alex Windsor

Bayne puts her down with a shoulderblock for two and throws chops in the corner, but Windsor comes back with a beatdown in the corner of her own. Bayne catches her with the fallaway slam, but Alex sends her to the floor and follows with a cannonball to the floor as we take a break. Back with Windsor bringing Bayne back in the ring with a DDT for one, and a middle rope clothesline gets two. Bayne comes back with a pair of german suplexes and a lariat for two. Windsor with a cradle for two to block a suplex, and Bayne gets a falcon arrow for two. Windsor slams her for two. They slug it out on the apron and Bayne sends her to the floor, but Windsor SWEEPS THE LEG and they collide on the floor for a double down. Bayne takes out her head piece at this point, and weirdly it completely transforms her face and she looks totally different without it. This leads to Jamie Lena getting into a brawl of their own, allowing Bayne to knock Windsor out with the title belt, and back in to finish at 10:47. Really hard hitting and fun match. ***.

Meanwhile, Nick Wayne gets all up in Jericho’s face, so Jericho calls him a douchebag and Nick kicks him in the nuts to get the last laugh.

Mercedes Mone joins us to celebrate finally winning the World title, and she notes that Willow is a bully that broke her nose, but DRUNK THEKLA interrupts. And she’s not down with a dumb bitch calling everyone else dumb bitches because that’s Thekla’s gimmick, and she wants the first shot at the title. The heel-heel dynamic made this a weird segment.

Meanwhile, Dr. Britt Baker DMD introduces the new TBS champion, Persephone.

Jon Moxley v. AR Fox

They do a bit of mat wrestling to start and Mox grabs a headlock, but Fox hits him with an enzuigiri. Mox dropkicks him out of the ring as we take a break. Back with Moxley slugging away in the corner and he hits Fox with corner clotheslines until Fox rolls into a cutter. Mox tries to slug him down, but Fox fires up and hits another cutter before going to the top with a swanton. That misses, and Moxley comes back with the lariat. Fox pops up to the top with a 450 for two, but Moxley hits him with the Death Rider and pins him at 8:22. Mox rocks Fox, cleans his clocks, sends him home in a box to make TikToks. Match was fine and kind of a style clash despite Moxley giving him a TON of offense. **1/4

Meanwhile, Kevin Knight complains about Kyle Fletcher dropping the ball at All In, but Don books them in a tag match on Collision. Okada stops by with his newly won title and reminds them that they’re a family.

Andrade, Will Ospreay, Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Henare v. Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, Ricochet, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona

We get the showdown between Henare and Toa to start and Henare gets himself over again with that, but Toa puts him down with a lariat. Connors comes in and the United Empire completely destroys him with double-teams and Akira gets two. Everyone brawls to the floor and Andrade hits the pile with a dive and we get a mass selfie at ringside. Ricochet powerbombs Akira onto the pile on the floor and we take a break. Back with Akira fighting off the heels and hitting Connors with a cutter, and it’s hot tag Callum Newman, who runs wild and puts everyone down with boots. Henare comes in with a samoan drop on Kaun and a senton for two. Henare gets caught in the ring and triple-teamed by the Demand and Ricochet gets two. Akira decides to fight the GOA by himself, but runs out of steam and decides to dive onto Kidd instead. Newman adds a dive and Ospreay comes into the match for the first time and slugs it out with Ricochet as they go flying around the ring and Will gets a kick for two. Ric with a handspring elbow and Connors comes in with a powerslam on Ospreay, but Henare just wrecks everyone with headbutts. And Connors gets left alone with Andrade and Ospreay, and they kill him until Will finishes with the Hidden Blade at 14:00. An incredibly chaotic main event that just kept getting wilder and wackier. ****1/4. Afterwards, the brawl continues with Gabe Kidd taking out Andrade outside and then going after Ospreay with a chair, but the Death Riders hit the ring and Moxley isn’t OK with this. So Kidd and Andrade brawl into the crowd, while Moxley gives Will his title back, and they both learn from the big screen that they’re fighting for the title at All Out. That one actually didn’t go the way I thought, as it seemed like they were building up to Callum Newman turning on Ospreay here and I thought they might just do that match as a filler at the PPV instead. Ospreay certainly has no shortage of challengers after tonight, with three of them making their case in the same show.

Show lost a little bit of steam with the Moxley match and the Mone celebration, but this was a hell of a post-PPV show otherwise with some great wrestling and an efficient build to All Out at the end of the month.