AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights for October 7
For 30 years, Chris Jericho has created a legacy for himself as one of the very best ever to lace a pair of boots, and Wednesday night on Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling paid tribute to its most recognizable star.
The celebration of all things DemoGod headlined a show that also featured a high-profile, high-stakes Dog Collar match pitting Cody against TNT champion Mr. Brodie Lee.
Those two events alone made the October 7 episode can't-miss. What else went down on this week's broadcast and how did it affect the road to Full Gear on pay-per-view?
Find out with this recap of Wednesday's show.
FTW Championship Match: Will Hobbs vs. Brian Cage
The renegade FTW Championship was up for grabs in the night's opening match as "The Machine" Brian Cage defended against Will Hobbs in a battle of the big men.
The competitors wasted little time throwing haymakers and seeking that early upper hand. Hobbs flattened Cage with a crossbody for two and slugged away at him in the corner.
The Machine turned the tide in his favor, executing a picture-perfect standing moonsault and working a headlock. Hobbs fought his way out, fired off consecutive clotheslines and followed with a shoulder-block takedown.
A powerslam followed for a near-fall, and moments later, Hobbs uncorked a German suplex. A mid-ring collision brought both men to their backs. They exchanged rights and lefts before Hobbs delivered his Last Will and Testament spinebuster for a frustrating two-count.
Cage recovered and picked up the win.
After the match, Taz rose from the commentary position and issued an ultimatum to Hobbs: join Team Taz or endure a beating at the hands of Cage and Ricky Starks. Darby Allin made the save, clearing the heels from the ring as Taz issued further threats.
Result
Cage defeated Hobbs
Grade
B
Analysis
This was a damn fun hoss fight between two big badasses. They threw everything they had at each other, and ultimately, it was Hobbs who succumbed to the intense physicality of the match.
Allin made the save as he continues his battle with Team Taz, a battle that one assumed ended with his win over Starks. The question now is whether Allin should be concerned about a potential betrayal from Hobbs, who never really did turn down Taz's offer.
Either way, hopefully this story writes its final chapter rather than overstaying its welcome because it has been a strong showcase for all involved to this point.
AEW Tag Team Championship Match: The Hybrid2 vs. FTR
The Hybrid2's Jack Evans and Angelico became the latest team to benefit from FTR's 20-Minute Brush with Greatness, challenging AEW Tag Team champions Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood for the titles while The Young Bucks watched backstage on a monitor.
Heading into the break, Harwood and Wheeler seized control of the bout, targeting Evans' knee and working him over in their corner of the ring. Evans delivered an enzuigiri, but Harwood brought him back to the mat. Evans eventually created enough separation to tag Angelico into the match.
The submission specialist took the fight to his opponents, applying stereo submissions to them. The action broke down as the commentary team suggested the tag champions had underestimated their challengers.
Evans missed a twisting leg drop in an ugly spot and then followed up with a springboard moonsault, but Wheeler broke up the pin. He sent Angelico into the guardrail while Evans scored a near-fall on Harwood. Dax followed up with a nasty lariat and a Tiger Driver for two.
Ultimately, FTR took to the skies to pick up the win as Jim Ross suggested the finish was a dig at the Bucks.
After the match, the Bucks were shown backstage, just before they blasted the cameraman with a double superkick. From there, Best Friends made their way to the ring and confronted FTR. Trent labeled himself and Chuck Taylor "backyard comedy wrestlers" before calling Harwood and Wheeler "weenies."
Taylor revealed they will challenge for the tag titles next week before a brief scuffle led to Best Friends holding the tag titles high overhead.
Result
FTR defeated The Hybrid2
Grade
B-
Analysis
Another week, another solid entry into FTR's tag title reign.
Evans and Angelico were up for the task, delivering a solid performance that reminded fans they are capable of more than being Dark's resident tandem. Conversely, FTR again proved it can work with opponents of any style and deliver a quality match.
Best Friends interrupting the post-match proceedings and announcing next week's title match gives fans something to look forward to and pays off what has been a spectacular year for Trent and Chuck Taylor. So over are they, and so good have they been, that winning the titles would almost be a storybook ending of sorts.
Unlikely, sure, but it would not be so far out of the realm of possibility that it would not be appropriate. Especially on the heels of their extraordinary street fight against Santana and Ortiz a few weeks back.
Dog Collar Match for the TNT Championship: Cody vs. Mr. Brodie Lee
Driven by the determination to put his most crushing defeat behind him, Cody entered an ultra-dangerous, ultra-violent Dog Collar match in an attempt to brutalize Mr. Brodie Lee and win back his TNT Championship. Lee, on the other hand, sought to make it 2-0 against the crown prince of AEW and continue The Dark Order's reign of dominance in recent weeks.
John Silver and Anna Jay joined Lee at ringside, while Brandi Rhodes accompanied her husband. A quick shot to the face of Silver by Cody with the steel chain connecting him to his opponent left the punching bag of Being The Elite bloodied.
Silver again took a shot outside the ring, but this time, Lee capitalized, using the chain to clothesline Cody in the ring. Busted open himself, Cody found himself at the mercy of the relentless Lee. Using the chain to dish out a low blow, followed by a Russian leg sweep, the challenger momentarily turned the tide in his favor.
On the arena floor, Lee used the chain to rag-doll Cody and then set up the timekeeper table, evil intentions clearly in mind. Before he could use it, Cody dropped him heading into the break. The American Nightmare delivered a package piledriver off the ring apron and through the table, busting Lee open.
Cody whipped Lee with the chain and then pounded away at the face of the champion. In response, Lee attempted to hang his opponent over the top rope. Cody fought through it but walked right into a sidewalk slam for two.
Lee threw a chair at Arn Anderson, who destroyed an interfering Alex Reynolds with a spinebuster, only to suffer a chain shot to the midsection.
Cody delivered a moonsault for two. He followed with Cross Rhodes, but a fired-up Lee kicked out at one, shaking his head in defiance of his opponent. Ultimately, that defiance would fuel him only so far, as Cody delivered a vicious Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory.
The Dark Order stood in disbelief before assisting their leader while Anderson, Brandi and Dustin Rhodes joined the victor in the ring.
An emotional Cody vowed to stick with the fans and then issued a challenge for a TNT Championship match on next week's show. Orange Cassidy accepted.
Result
Cody defeated Lee to win the title
Grade
A
Analysis
A hell of a wrestling match.
This was every bit the violent, bloody affair we were promised. It took viciousness and physicality to a new level. And it was all appropriate and made sense within the context of the match. There was no broken glass. There were no thumbtacks or barbed wire. There was the chain and the hatred of the two men attached to it.
Even in defeat, Lee looked like a double-tough badass while Cody was the resilient babyface, absorbing punishment and hanging around just long enough to finally put his opponent away and make history as the first two-time TNT champion.
Next week's match with Orange Cassidy should be hella fun, if nothing else.
Big Swole vs. Serena Deeb
No. 2 contender to the AEW Women's Championship Big Swole battled veteran competitor Serena Deeb in singles action.
A competitive start gave way to a neckbreaker between the ropes for Deeb, who gained the upper hand heading into the commercial timeout. She expertly picked Swole apart and applied an octopus submission, looking to force a tapout.
Back from the break, Deeb and Swole smacked heads, allowing the latter to regroup and find her footing again. A big headbutt to the heart put Deeb down for a count of two. Swole fought out of a piledriver attempt and delivered a big uppercut.
She followed with a rolling elbow for the pinfall victory.
Result
Swole defeated Deeb
Grade
C+
Analysis
Imagine how much better this would have been without the commercial break right in the middle. Even with the picture-in-picture, it felt like it cut off the momentum the competitors were building for the match. That most of Deeb's offense came during the break, a lot of it that really put her over as a cerebral wrestler, only hurt the overall presentation of the match.
She was great here.
If there was a positive, it is that this is the best Swole has looked between the ropes to date on Dynamite. She gets better with every opportunity (not held inside a dentist's office), and it is no surprise that AEW officials would want her to be in the thick of things in the title picture.
Hopefully, she can continue building her in-ring game, showcasing her personality and connecting with audiences because she has character, which is as important to overall success as anything.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Dr. Luther and Serpentico
The main event of this very special celebration of Chris Jericho's 30 years in professional wrestling saw Le Champion team with Jake Hager to battle Serpentico and a man The DemoGod spent years teaming with and opposing in Japan, Dr. Luther.
Jericho delivered a Lionsault to Luther during the commercial break. Serpentico downed Hager but ate a standing vertical suplex, a la Davey Boy Smith. As action spilled to the floor, Luther delivered a somersault senton that wiped The Inner Circle out at ringside.
Back inside, Luther delivered a knee from the top rope for two. He stumbled a bit before coming off the top rope and driving Jericho's head into the mat. Luther held on to Jericho, allowing Serptentico to come off the top rope with a Meteora.
Luther used Floyd the baseball bat to stun Jericho, but Le Champion answered with the Judas Effect for the win.
After the match, chants of "Jericho" rained down from the stands. He thanked the fans before MJF insincerely interrupted the proceedings. He produced Clownico Le Clown, who held another gift. The gift? A photo of MJF.
The DemoGod broke it over the clown's face and destroyed him with the Judas Effect. He teased dissension with MJF before laughing it off and ending the show in a Saturday Night Live-esque manner, complete with credits attributing everything to Jericho.
Result
Jericho and Hager defeated Luther and Serpentico
Grade
A
Analysis
This was, like Jericho's career as a whole, unselfish.
To say the least.
It was a nice touch to put Jericho in there with Luther, a longtime friend and partner. He made Luther look great, really putting him over and selling for him out there in an attempt to give the deathmatch icon a bit of shine in the U.S.
While Luther was obviously a step or two slower than he was at his peak, he still got major exposure on prime-time cable TV, and that can be attributed to Jericho's willingness to put others over to an extent very few of his caliber would ever even consider.
Speaking of which...
MJF being a self-absorbed jackass and interrupting the proceedings, cutting off Jericho's promo, was in-character and further evidence of an impending showdown between the two top heels in the industry (not named Roman Reigns, thank you very much).
Furthermore, it allowed MJF to continue building his star at the expense of a Jericho eager to ensure the future of the business by putting over its young stars of tomorrow.