AEW Dynamite Quake by the Lake Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights
As All Out approaches on September 4, All Elite Wrestling rolled through Minneapolis for a special "Quake By The Lake" episode of Dynamite headlined by a star-studded main event for the AEW Interim World Championship as Jon Moxley defended against Chris Jericho.
Would Jericho be able to channel his Lionheart persona into a second reign as the top dog in AEW or would Moxley continue his second run with the gold?
Find out now with this recap of the August 10 TBS broadcast.
Coffin Match: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
The intense rivalry between Brody King and Darby Allin came to a head in the night's opening bout, a rare Coffin match.
The smaller of the competitors, Allin attacked from the opening bell and busted his opponent open with a thumbtack-filled skateboard.
However, the babyface's overzealousness proved costly as he failed to move King's considerable bodyweight and the big man took over control of the match.
As Allin looked to capitalize on a failed splash through a table by his opponent, The House of Black made its presence felt, complete with Julia Hart tripping him up. Sting ultimately made the save, emerging from the coffin to deliver a beatdown to Buddy Murphy and then confront Malakai Black.
With the sides evened up, Allin used King's own chain to choke him out and the heel dropped right into the coffin, awarding the enigmatic antihero of AEW another quality victory.
This was an energetic and hardcore way to kick off the show. From the start, there was no halt to the action. It was chaotic and bloody, the perfect conclusion to an intensifying rivalry between the combatants.
The arrival of Sting and his face-to-face with Black was the most intriguing moment of the contest, but it was the apropos finish, with Allin beating his opponent in the same manner in which he had been defeated by the heavyweight, that wrapped this up perfectly.
AEW leans on these hardcore bouts way more than it should, watering them down to the point that they mean less and less, but this was one of its better offerings and an improvement over the Barbed Wire match we saw a few weeks back.
Result
Allin defeated King
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Allin attacked prior to the bell, looking to negate the size and power advantage of his opponent.
- Allin delivered an avalanche Code Red that drew chants of "Holy s--t" from the fans in Minneapolis.
- King missed a big splash through a table at ringside and the commentary team questioned the decision given he could have won by tossing Allin in the coffin.
- Matthews opened the coffin and Sting popped out before obliterating him.
- Sting tossed the baseball bat to Black, but the heel refused to use it.
Tornado Tag Match: Lucha Bros vs. Rush and Andrade El Idolo; Luchasaurus in Action
After weeks of unmasking the Lucha Bros, Andrade El Idolo and Rush won a hotly contested Tornado Tag Team match against Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix, ironically after Penta unmasked himself late in the contest.
With his mask tied to the ropes, the elder brother sacrificed it to break up a pin and preserve the victory for a moment. Rush and El Idolo sent him to the floor, leaving Fenix to endure the Bull's Horns from the former and a hammerlock DDT from the latter as the heels earned the victory.
Like the opener, this was nonstop action from start to finish.
La Faccion Ingobernable has been red hot of late, and considering their role in Round 1 of the Trios Championship tournament against The Young Bucks and a mystery partner next week, it was the right call to heat them up with the win here.
Not only that, but it played to the established storyline in that the mask again proved the babyfaces' weakness.
This was good stuff that furthered a story, provided some strong in-ring action and heated up the heels.
After a break, Luchasaurus squashed Anthony Henry in a brief enhancement match. Afterward, Jungle Boy attacked Christian Cage backstage, but was quickly subdued by security in a nice little reminder of that ongoing program.
Result
Rush and El Idolo defeated Lucha Bros
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Excalibur put over Penta El Zero Miedo returning to his lucha libre background specifically for this match against La Faccion Ingobernable after months as Penta Oscura.
- Fenix launched himself off his brother's shoulders and splashed Rush.
- El Idolo inadvertently rocked his partner with a superkick.
- All four competitors unleashed their finishers in a sequence that ended with a quadruple down.
- The heels tied Penta's mask to the ropes and, with the outcome hanging in the balance, he unmasked himself to save his partner.
- Backstage, The Young Bucks asked "Hangman" Adam Page to be their partner in the Trios Championship tournament, but he revealed he will be in the corner of Dark Order instead.
Wardlow Has 7-Star Backup; Ricky Starks vs. Aaron Solow
Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt hit the ring, with the latter cutting a promo on the beatdown by the heel trio that left TNT champion Wardlow lying.
The War Dog interrupted and was backed up by Ring of Honor, IWGP and AAA tag team champions FTR.
The babyfaces cleared the heels out of the ring and stood tall. While the trio of Wardlow, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler is appealing and intriguing, this feud still feels like a step down for all three, even if the heels have seen their television time and stature increase in recent weeks.
Back in the squared circle, Ricky Starks followed up QT Marshall's invitation to join The Factory by battling Aaron Solow.
Solow was competitive but this was a showcase for Starks, who scored the victory with the Rochambeau Spear.
After the match, Nick Comoroto attacked but ate a big spinebuster. The heels tried a beatdown, but Starks escaped through the crowd.
Starks continues to trend upward, a young and charismatic star whose future is as bright as any. He is going to make AEW a ton of money when Tony Khan begins his push.
Hopefully, that push will not get sidetracked via a feud with The Factory, which would be a step down for the former FTW champion.
Result
Starks defeated Solow
Grade
C+ for the Wardlow-FTR union; C+ for Starks vs. Solow
Top Moments
- The pop for FTR was otherworldly and reflected a tag team that is as over as any other act in AEW right now.
- Backstage, an angry Powerhouse Hobbs pulled a TV off the wall upon seeing Starks' success.
TBS Championship Match: Madison Rayne vs. Jade Cargill
After 17 years as a pro, Madison Rayne sought to do what no woman before her was able to: defeat TBS champion Jade Cargill.
The phenom rode an impressive 35-match undefeated streak into her latest title defense, with Stokely Hathaway and Kiera Hogan accompanying her to the squared circle.
Cargill weathered an early attack by the new women's division coach and dominated throughout the commercial break. Rayne fought back but her opponent rocked her with a bicycle kick.
The champion countered an attempt at the Cross Rayne and delivered Jaded for the pinfall victory. After the match, Athena, disguised as a Baddie, attacked and cleared the titleholder from the ring.
This was a surprisingly one-sided match. Rayne got some offense in, but Cargill controlled the contest otherwise and scored a decisive victory.
Greater than anything that happened in the ring was both the announcement that Kris Statlander is out injured and the reemergence of Athena as a threat to Cargill's title.
While the injury suffered by Statlander was not disclosed, it does allow Athena to slide into the top contender's spot for a shot at Cargill while Toni Storm jumps to the top of the AEW women's title picture.
Result
Cargill defeated Rayne
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- Athena jumped the guardrail and attacked Cargill after the match, rekindling a rivalry that kind of fell off a few weeks back.
- Backstage, Storm expressed her intention to continue building momentum and setting up a match with world champion Thunder Rosa in the near future.
AEW Interim World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho
Emerging from the locker room under his Lionheart persona, Chris Jericho hit the ring for a shot at becoming a two-time AEW champion when he challenged Jon Moxley for the interim title in Wednesday's main event.
An electric atmosphere awaited the combatants, with the fans in Minneapolis excited about witnessing the industry giants square off for the top prize in the promotion.
Moxley was defiant in the face of his challenger but a ripped earring and a bloodied forehead put him on the defensive. The Blackpool Combat Club member fought back into the match with an armbar, but Jericho escaped and applied a submission of his own.
The action intensified with every passing moment as fans chanted "Fight forever," the result of the drama and excitement surrounding Moxley kicking out of the Judas Effect. The champion applied the bulldog choke, but the challenger escaped and applied the Liontamer.
Jericho's own face busted open after contact with the exposed turnbuckle. Moxley took advantage, escaping the submission and tapping the challenger out with the rear naked choke.
After the bout, another brawl between The Jericho Appreciation Society, Claudio Castagnoli, Ortiz and Eddie Kingston ensued until CM Punk made his return and cleared the heels from the ring.
Punk and Moxley came face-to-face in a tense staredown inside the ring before the latter flipped the returning competitor off and walked out. Punk stood tall to close the show.
The match was a battle between two grizzled veterans who could have easily gone the hardcore route but instead had a more traditional contest that only slightly went off the rails with the interference from Sammy Guevara close to the end.
Moxley going over felt like a foregone conclusion, but the layout of the match allowed for a few strong false finishes, particularly the Judas Effect spot.
The post-match was what will have everyone talking, with AEW looking poised to go with Punk vs. Moxley for the world title. It is a bona fide blockbuster, a legitimate main event that the company can (and should) build All Out around.
The ending of the show suggests that is exactly where things are going.
Where that leaves Jericho in time for the biggest show of the year is anyone's guess, but a showdown with Castagnoli should not be ruled out.
Result
Moxley defeated Jericho to retain
Grade
B+
Top Moments
- Moxley engaged Jericho in an exchange of chops and flipped him off in defiance of the challenger.
- Jericho ripped the earring out of the champion's ear.
- Jim Ross called BS on the "interim" portion of the championship designation.
- Moxley applied a crossface, a la former Jericho rival Chris Benoit. The challenger answered with the Walls of Jericho.
- Moxley delivered a double axe handle from the top rope to the floor and then pounded away at the face of his opponent.
- "Stay down!" a frustrated Jericho exclaimed.
- Moxley kicked out of the Judas Effect, making him the first to do so, according to Ross on commentary.
- Guevara tossed a weapon to Jericho, who used it to his advantage for a near-fall.
- The pop for Punk was thunderous and the crowd sang along to "Cult of Personality" to close the broadcast.