The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.23.26

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 09.23.26

Well, that’s it for the Blue Jays’ season. What a turnaround from being two outs away from winning the World Series last year.

Live from Fishers, IN

Your hosts are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone & Taz

Meanwhile, the Demand complains about thrown together tag teams, unlike themselves.

Meanwhile, Creed and Kofi summarize the ridiculous feuds Swerve had with the Demand and Brodido. “Did you even have any friends before we showed up?”

AEW World Trios title: Swerve Strickland & The New Level v. Ricochet & GOA

Winners defend against Brodido on the PPV. Swerve and Ricochet trade flips and Swerve hits him with a backbreaker, but Ricochet dropkicks him. Over to Creed, and he chops on Kaun in the corner and dropkicks him into the ropes. They double-team Kaun on the apron and Kofi comes in with a crossbody for two. More double-teams from the New Level, but Ricochet pulls Kofi to the floor and they go to work on Creed with a double slam. Toa chokes him out as we take a break. Back with Creed coming back with a legsweep and then diving onto Kaun, but Toa comes in from off-screen with a pounce that sends him flying into the announce table. But then Swerve hits him with a House Call kick on the floor before Ricochet flies over the post and dives on Swerve. The Demand hits a Doomsday Device off the timekeeper’s table for good measure. Back in the ring, Creed manages to fight back with a superkick on Ricochet and it’s hot tag Kofi. He runs wild with dropkicks and takes Kaun down with something resembling a rana but they went sideways fast on it. Kaun comes back with a suplex into a senton from Toa for two. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and Creed takes a nasty bump to the floor off a backdrop, and the GOA double-team Kofi in the corner while Ricochet dives onto Creed as well. GOA with the pendulum faceplant on Kofi, but it only gets two. Kaun with a cutter and Ric goes up with the 630 splash, but Swerve saves. Kofi fights them off and makes the hot tag to Swerve, who kicks Kaun to the apron and stomps him to the floor. Back in the ring for a flatliner on Toa, but he no-sells it. So Creed tries the same and it also fails, but Kofi superkicks him into a 450 from Swerve, which gets one as Ricochet saves with his own 450! Back to Kofi, but Toa catches the wacky kick, so Creed powers him up onto his back for a death valley driver. But then Kaun catches him with a Pedigree, and everyone hits the big bombs. Kofi can’t get the SOS on Toa, so Swerve adds the House Call kick to help, and Kofi finishes the move and pins Toa at 17:24 to retain. Incredible opener with crazy highspots non-stop after the break. ****1/2

Afterwards, this brings out Hangman and Brodido, and Page wants to know why Swerve is suddenly messing with him again after 5 months away. Creed thinks Hangman has bad info on Swerve because he’s been nothing but cool to them. Brody: “It’s been three weeks!” Swerve accuses Hangman of abandoning multiple partners and they have a staredown and continue their tense relationship.

Meanwhile, Will Ospreay and Mike Bailey chat with Renee in advance of their Death Rider tag match tonight. And Speedball joins up with the United Empire to cement their team.

Meanwhile, Thekla clarifies that Willow is a dumb bitch, but she’s the violent bitch. And Thekla is FOR THE CHILDREN so she’s gonna be nice tonight and have a good time watching Skye Blue.

Elminator match: Jon Moxley v. Dezmond Xavier

Xavier grabs a headlock to start and takes Mox down with a headscissors, but Mox rakes the back and then retreats to the floor off a rana. Back in the ring, Moxley puts him down with a big boot and we take a break. Back with Moxley trying and failing at a Gotch piledriver, and Xavier tosses him and follows with a dive. Back in the ring, Xavier beats on him with chops and a standing shooting star for two. Moxley puts him down with a german suplex, but Dez escapes a powerslam and hits a cutter for two. Mox tries the choke and Xavier escapes that, but Moxley puts him down with a lariat. Xavier goes up and misses, allowing Mox to dropkick him into the corner, and then hook the choke in the middle of the ring. And Xavier taps at 10:21 to end a pretty easy night for Moxley. Had moments but no one in the arena was buying Xavier as a threat. **1/2

Meanwhile, Steven Borden and Darby Allin do a promo that is interrupted by Adam Copeland, who warns that any future tag team title shots go through him.

The Young Bucks, Cope & Cage and FTR join us for a three-way promo before the PPV, and Matt notes that FTR are the Dudley Boyz of the match. Christian is looking forward to meeting the Bucks’ mom in Chicago, but Cope cuts him off. And then Matt calls Cope & Cage OLD and points out that Cope doesn’t have great luck jumping off ladders lately. And then it turns into a big brawl and people are jumping off ladders, with some poor security geek paying the price. Eh, this was fine.

Meanwhile, Willow chats with Renee about the PPV.

Tommaso Ciampa v. Jake Doyle

Ciampa beats Doyle down in the corner and hits him with a clothesline to the floor, and then knocks him off the apron with the knee strike. Back in the ring, he tries another knee but runs into the body block. Doyle with a short clothesline while Taz discusses farming and raw boned-type-stuff. They fight to the apron again and Ciampa hits him with a short DDT out there to set up a brawl on the floor. Doyle slams him on a chair out there and we take a break. Back with Ciampa getting two on Doyle and making the comeback before doing his own version of the Rainmaker pose. They slug it out and Doyle wins that one pretty handily, but Ciampa dropkicks him. Doyle with a powerbomb for two. Back to the floor as Doyle smashes him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Ciampa hits the knee strike to finish at 9:10. This was kind of a style clash but it was good. Should have been a faster and more definitive win for Ciampa, though. ***

Afterwards, Ciampa calls out Okada, but a tearful Okada answers and announces that he won’t be facing Ciampa tonight. But Ciampa gets his shot on Sunday, bitch. Match should be good but no one buys Ciampa as a serious challenger here.

TBS title: Persephone v. Hyan

Dr. Britt Baker DMD joins us on commentary, speculating that Hyan sounds like a pharmaceutical product. Persephone takes her down for two and they battle for the test of strength before Persephone cradles for two. She puts the boots to Hyan, but they trade cradles as the crowd sarcastically counts along. Hyan sends her to the floor and follows with a dive as we take a break. Back with a slugfest and Persephone powerslams her and follows with a quebrada for two. She slugs away in the corner but Hyan comes back with a clothesline and a high knee out of the corner. Back suplex gets two. They trade cradles again and Persephone gets a northern lights suplex for two. Hyan with a spear for two. Hyan misses a charge and Persephone cradles in the corner and holds the ropes for the pin at 9:00 to retain. This was pretty bad and the crowd was dead. *

Will Ospreay & Speedball Mike Bailey v. Claudio Castagnoli & Gabe Kidd

Bailey trades chops with Kidd and Kidd puts him down off that, but Bailey fires back with kicks. They brawl to the floor and fight on the desk while an amused Moxley clowns around on commentary, but Ospreay fires back with an elbow strike off the barricade onto Claudio. Back in the ring, the Empire double-teams Kidd for two, but Gabe bites the fingers to turn the tide. Claudio comes in and beats Will down while Moxley waxes poetic about the dichotomy of pro wrestling. The Empire hits them with a double dive to the floor, but Claudio comes back with a suplex on both guys as we take a break. Back with the Riders hitting a double slam on Bailey for two. Bailey fights them off, but can’t make the tag to Ospreay, so he hits Claudio with a moonsault to the floor instead. Back in, Kidd GOES FOR THE TOES for the sickos, so Bailey powerbombs him and makes the hot tag to Ospreay. He runs wild and slugs away on Claudio and adds a suplex and a corkscrew kick on Kidd for two. Hidden Blade misses, but he goes for the armbar instead and Claudio breaks it up. So the babyfaces do stereo armbars, but Claudio powerbombs Speedball onto Ospreay to break them up. So the Riders get all fired up and double-team Ospreay, who comes back with a cradle on Claudio for two. Claudio tries the Giant Swing, but Will reverses into a DDT for two and a Styles Clash to finish at 13:39. Really fun tag match to wrap up the Dynamite portion of the show. ***1/2

Afterwards, Ospreay offers his gratitude to the fans and how honored he is to be our World champion. He tells Moxley that Mox is getting dumped into the ocean with a Great White Shark on Saturday, and Jon quips “Do you feel like a champion right now?” Ospreay: “You’re damn fucking right I do.” Well good thing those WBD execs are in the building for that one.

And that’s where I drop out as usual, and I’m sure Niz will have the Collision portion covered. A decent show bookended by a pair of great matches.