AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 5
The Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament kicked off Wednesday on Dynamite, forcing AEW world champion MJF to partner with rival and top contender Adam Cole.
That match headlined a broadcast that also featured the latest in the Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament and scathing remarks from former world champions Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.
What went down when All Elite Wrestling visited Rogers Place in Edmonton, and who advanced in both of the tournaments?
Find out with this recap of the July 5 broadcast.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced in advance for Wednesday's show were:
- Tag Team Eliminator: Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee vs. Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy
- Tag Team Eliminator: Adam Cole and MJF vs. unannounced opponents
- Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament: Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho
- Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta
- Promos from Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho
Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland
2 of 8
AEW kicked off its Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament with a quarterfinal match pitting Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin against the reunited—for one night at least—Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.
Former AEW tag team champions Strickland and Lee dominated early, thanks in large part to the fury of the latter.
However, a babyface comeback and a moment of miscommunication on the part of the aggressors allowed Cassidy and Allin to score the win and advance.
This was a good, fast-paced match that saw the continued in-ring chemistry of Cassidy, Allin and Strickland, plus the power-based offense of Lee, and the fans were totally into.
The result was a strong contest to kick off the show and set the tone for the rest of AEW's version of the old Battlebowl gimmick in WCW.
Result
Allin and Cassidy defeated Lee and Strickland
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Allin appeared to have motivated Lee during a pre-match promo, daring him to find the unstoppable force he once was rather than standing on the apron and whining about teaming with his old partner, Strickland.
- At least early on, Lee was the most over guy in the match according to fan reaction.
- With Allin trapped under the steel stairs, Lee walked up them while carrying Cassidy on his back. The image was extraordinary, a rare "never before seen" spot in an industry running out of them.
- Cassidy caught Strickland with the Last Supper for the pinfall victory. If played right, they will be able to tell an entire story around Strickland's inability to beat Allin in AEW.
- A great video package introducing us to Nick Wayne, featuring Allin, was aired.
- Backstage, Hook again attacked Jack Perry, with the heel narrowly escaping for the second week in a row.
The Acclaimed vs. The Blade and The Bollywood Boyz
3 of 8
The Acclaimed scored an extended enhancement win Wednesday, teaming with Daddy Ass to defeat The Blade and The Bollywood Boyz in a trios match.
The segment was less about the contest and more about the warning from Harley Cameron to the victorious trio, continuing what is a budding rivalry. Not necessarily a good one at this point, but a rivalry nonetheless.
It feels like The Acclaimed have cooled down from the days when Max Caster and Anthony Bowens were drawing the biggest pops on the show.
It would behoove Tony Khan and AEW to figure out how to get back there because having multiple molten-hot acts is never a bad thing.
Result
The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass defeated The Blade and The Bollywood Boyz
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The wacky "tag team partners who hate each other" trope continued as MJF and Adam Cole worked out together in a pretaped video package.
- Caster made a Canadian wildfires quip in his rap that did not go over quite as well as he probably hoped it would.
- It was nice to see Gurv and Harv get some TV spotlight. Always solid in-ring performers, they earned this opportunity.
- Cameron issued a warning to The Acclaimed after their victory, to which Daddy Ass responded in a familiar fashion...in a way a degenerate may.
- The commentators threw to a video of Eddie Kingston winning the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship, followed by a promo from Jon Moxley in which he told his friend to answer his phone.
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Chris Jericho Promo
4 of 8
Don Callis played on prior history with Chris Jericho as he marched to the ring, interrupting The Ocho's promo and offering him a spot in his "family."
Toying with the idea of recreating himself one more time, Jericho responded simply with a "maybe."
The unanswered question created a cliffhanger that will create renewed interest in the veteran after he had become somewhat stale. It also presumably puts him in the middle of the feud between Callis and The Elite.
That is unsurprising and incredibly smart, as Jericho finds ways to both reinvent himself and remain relevant.
This ends with him either creating a union with Callis that makes them the most insufferable set of heels in AEW or sees him become an enormous babyface after suckering the most hated man in the company into a false sense of security.
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The fans in Edmonton were red-hot for Jericho, clearly appreciating him and all he has accomplished over the course of his Hall of Fame career.
- Callis taking credit for an idea that put The Ocho on the map was totally on-brand. Ditto Jericho, who took credit for Callis being in AEW.
- "My new family is going to be based on trust," Callis said, setting the stage for an offer to the veteran to join him in changing history one more time.
- "My answer is...'maybe.'" Jericho replied, ending the segment on a cliffhanger.
Adam Cole and MJF vs. The Butcher and 'Daddy Magic' Matt Menard
5 of 8
Adam Cole may be eyeing MJF's AEW World Championship but before they inevitably clash for the top prize, they teamed up for the first time as part of the next Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament quarterfinal.
"Daddy Magic" Matt Menard and The Butcher formed competent competition, nearly knocking off the higher-profile tandem, but Cole eventually won the match for his team.
After the match, MJF wished Cole a happy birthday and ended up with cake in his face as the No. 1 contender to his title got one over on him.
MJF obnoxiously trying to buddy up with Cole is great stuff because, sure, it's a total con but it also suggests that he is still just a dude who wants to be liked by friends.
It is only a matter of time before he betrays Cole, but until then, this has been much more fun than expected.
Result
Cole and MJF defeated Butcher and Menard
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- MJF doing the babyface entrance by high-fiving fans and copying Cole's mannerisms was superb stuff. How Cole held it together is anyone's guess.
- Cole denying MJF the double clothesline was a great moment. There was heartbreak painted across the AEW world champion's face.
- MJF produced streamers and a birthday cake, which predictably ended up in the face of the heel.
- "Thank you, my friend," Cole said in some kind of appreciation for his newfound partner's efforts.
Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament: Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho
6 of 8
There will be no repeat winner in this year's Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament, thanks to incessant interference from The Outcasts as Ruby Soho eliminated defending champion Britt Baker Wednesday night.
There was a ton of interference from Saraya and AEW women's champion Toni Storm en route to the finish, which was a clever callback to last year's finish involving a victory roll.
The match was rarely crisp and clean, but Baker was booked as strongly as any babyface has been in AEW. She looked like a world-beater, moments from overcoming three women, only to be denied at the last second by undetected chicanery.
Soho advances to battle Skye Blue, who has to be considered one of the favorites in the competition. Hopefully, Baker can prove integral in preventing a repeat of this week's result.
Result
Soho defeated Baker
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- AEW followed up the Jericho cliffhanger by having Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia confront him, leaving a question mark over the Jericho Appreciation Society. The Ocho said they cannot rely on him forever. This was a small, common-sense development that positions Garcia and Guevara to go off on their own without doing a full-blown breakup of the JAS so that it can be revisited down the road.
- Baker wearing pink and black in the first round of the Owen Hart tournament was a nice touch, especially as the winner of the inaugural competition.
- Storm and Saraya interfered on behalf of Soho, who delivered No Tomorrow, but Baker still kicked out at two.
- Recalling the finish from last year's tournament, Soho executed a victory roll, tied up Baker's legs and used Storm for added leverage to score the tainted victory.
- Skye Blue confronted Soho after the match, staring her down in a preview of next week's semifinal.
Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta
7 of 8
The main event of Dynamite was a solid wrestling match that saw Kenny Omega defeat Blackpool Combat Club's Wheeler Yuta, overcoming his potentially serious head and neck injuries—not to mention interference from Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita—to win.
The booking here felt a bit too in-your-face, with Omega doing his best impression of a classic WWE heel by overcoming all the odds and still pulling off the win. It is a trope that AEW has been wise to avoid for the most part, which made this one stand out all the more.
Would it have really hurt Yuta to score a signature win by exploiting injuries that already existed and would have given Omega an out?
If there was one major complaint, it was the timing issues with the post-match stuff, which saw The Elite make the save for Omega, only for Dark Order to show up and pull a chair away from "Hangman" Adam Page.
It's clear AEW has introduced Dark Order here as a side story for Page, but it completely undermined them and that tale by making them an afterthought in the closing minutes.
This was not your typical, "see what happens next week" finish that builds suspense but, rather, one that felt like AEW mistimed the conclusion of the show.
That cannot happen.
Result
Omega defeated Yuta
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Omega bumped the back of his head and sold the effects of it, recalling the Tiger Driver '96 that ended his bid to make it 2-0 against Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door.
- Yuta stood on the head of Omega, giving zero cares about the well-being of his opponent.
- Omega teased difficulty in getting Yuta up for the One-Winged Angel due to his injuries, and his rival countered into the Seatbelt pin for two.
- Callis attempted to interfere in the match, only for Konosuke Takeshita to deliver a Blue Thunder Bomb. Yuta followed with a splash for two, and Omega responded in classic John Cena fashion by overcoming the odds for the win.
- Takeshita and Claudio Castagnoli attacked after the bell until The Young Bucks and Page made the save. Dark Order prevented Page from using a chair on Castagnoli.
Final Grade
8 of 8
Wednesday's show was centered on two major storylines: The buddy shtick with MJF and Adam Cole, and the latest in the battle between Don Callis and Kenny Omega.
Callis recruiting Chris Jericho was one of the big angles and at least makes sense given The Ocho's history with Omega.
It will be interesting moving forward to see if that plays into things at all or if Jericho provides an emphatic "no" to the must untrustworthy persona in AEW.
The Cole-MJF stuff was good fun and, at least for the duration of the tournament, should make for great television.
The animosity and hatred between them will be ramped up eventually, though, as AEW turns its attention toward All In and what should be a championship clash between them.
The rest of the show featured solid-to-good wrestling, highlighted all of the top acts and capped things off with a quality main event.
No harm, no foul, except for the show-closing angle timing, which the producers are going to have to improve.
Final Grade: B
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