AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 12
The second semifinal match in the Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament pitted Ruby Soho against Skye Blue, just one high-stakes bout on a night chocked full of tournament action.
Adam Cole and AEW World champion MJF continued their reluctant partnership, as did Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, as they sought victories in the semifinals of the Blind Eliminator Tournament.
Who emerged from those three blockbusters and was Chris Jericho able to knock off the high-flying Komander in singles action?
Find out with this recap of Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite.
Match Card
1 of 8Announced in advance for the July 12 episode were:
- Blind Eliminator Tournament Semifinal: Adam Cole and MJF vs. Big Bill and Brian Cage
- Blind Eliminator Tournament Semifinal: Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia
- Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament Semifinal: Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho
- Komander vs. Chris Jericho
- Nick Wayne vs. Swerve Strickland
Komander vs. Chris Jericho
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Chris Jericho battled Komander to kick off this week's show, the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society conspicuous by their absence.
No worries, though, as The Ocho was able to absorb the unorthodox, high-flying offense of his opponent and ultimately tapped him out to the Liontamer for the win.
The match was a solid one that, while it a bit disjointed in the closing moments, played to both men's strengths. Komander hung with a legend and Jericho earned the win without interference from his cohorts, which bled into his continued hesitance to join the Don Callis Family in the post-bout promo.
It would appear as though Jericho is nearing another babyface turn and, given that he has done all that there is to do as a heel at this point in the company, that is hardly a bad idea. The former world champion has always managed to adapt and evolve, most of the time ahead of the curve.
Do not be surprised to see him do it again.
Result
Jericho defeated Komander
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Jericho wisely wrestled the match to his strengths by slowing the pace and not trying to keep pace with his opponent. It made for a better match and helped him build heat because of how cerebrally he cut off the masked competitor's momentum.
- The commentary team did not sell Jericho's Codebreaker to Komander out of nowhere nearly enough. It was a significant finisher, that his opponent kicked out of, and the entire spot was treated like any other in the match.
- Jericho tapped Komander out with the Liontamer for the win.
- Don Callis arrived and produced a video of him and Jericho with Bad News Brown from 1995, but was unable to get a straight answer out of The Ocho in regard to joining the Don Callis Family.
Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia
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Sammy Guevara may want nothing to do with the Jericho Appreciation Society at this point but he will have to stomach partnering with Daniel Garcia for at least one more week after the duo upset Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin in the semifinals of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament.
Swerve Strickland intensified his rivalry with Allin, interfering and costing the babyfaces the match, while Guevara's act of contrition afterward by extending his hand to Darby furthered his upcoming character switch.
The match was a ton of fun. The pace was fast, the crowd was hot and the chemistry of all four competitors was on full display. The finish was solid, enhanced an ongoing rivalry, and set the stage for potential revenge on the part of Allin later in the show when Strickland battles his protege, Nick Wayne.
Result
Guevara and Garcia defeated Allin and Cassidy
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- MJF and Adam Cole bonded over the new AEW: Fight Forever video game in a brilliant vignette that is going to accidentally get this wacky, mismatched team over big time if the creative forces aren't careful.
- Garcia and Guevara exhibited signs of dissension, with the latter forcing his way into the match by tagging his dismayed partner.
- Garcia is too good for this dancing sports entertainer nonsense.
- Prince Nana of The Mogul Embassy interfered, attempting to get Garcia to break Allin's skateboard over Cassidy's back. The distraction of the referee allowed Swerve Strickland to rock the face-painted competitor with a jumping knee.
- Guevara defeated Allin with the GTH and appeared disappointed with the outcome, offering his opponent a sign of respect as his babyface turn continued.
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Adam Cole and MJF vs. Big Bill and Brian Cage
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The most unexpectedly great, mismatched pairing in recent memory continued to roll Wednesday as Adam Cole and AEW World champion MJF defeated Big Bill and Brian Cage to advance to the finals of the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament.
The champion and his top contender will battle Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia next week after they weathered the storm that was their bigger, stronger opponents.
The match was solid, the post-match promo was tons of fun and the company may very well have lucked into a pairing that is going to massively over just in time for them to go their separate ways ahead of their inevitable championship clash.
The most interesting development is the manner in which MJF is, purposefully or not, creating tension between Cole and his loved ones Britt Baker and Roderick Strong as he steals his attention.
Perhaps this is how The Devil ultimately screws Cole over, leaving him without his girlfriend, his best buddy and the AEW title.
Result
MJF and Cole defeated Bill and Cage
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Prior to the match, both Roderick Strong and Britt Baker (via phone call) were dismayed over Cole apparently taking a liking to MJF.
- MJF trying a bodyslam on Bill, feigning a back injury, and yelling, "Mother of GOD!" was great stuff. Who knows where he will be working in 2024, but he is going to make a ton of money, and deservedly so. The guy is gold.
- The build to the bodyslam was some expert storytelling that paid off with a big pop from the fans. It's the little things and MJF does them extremely well and to great effect.
- Cole blasted Cage with the Boom for the win.
- "That double clothesline is coming. Adam, it's coming," MJF said and when it does, the pop will eclipse that of the bodyslam exponentially.
Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament Semifinal: Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho
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Ruby Soho is one step closer to winning the Owen Hart Memorial Women's Tournament following her semifinal victory over Skye Blue Wednesday.
The match was a hard-fought one that saw Soho have to go it alone after her Outcasts teammates were barred from ringside, and she did just that.
There were parts that were a bit off, with some of the action disjointed down the stretch and Soho appeared to take a nasty bump on her face, but the match accomplished what it had to.
It would have been nice to see Blue make it to the finals of the tournament but she has the opportunity to build momentum moving forward and develop into a top-tier babyface in the future.
Result
Soho defeated Blue
Grade
C
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Sadly, the fans in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan do not appear to be as into Skye Blue as those stateside. She was building great momentum as an underdog babyface but the fans here were more anti-Outcasts than pro-Blue.
- Referee Stephon Smith ejected Toni Storm and Saraya from ringside, seemingly ensuring the match remained one-on-one, but not before the heels sent Blue knee-first into the ring steps.
- Soho worked over the knee of her opponent and scored a significant win all by herself, cashing her ticket back to the finals of the same tournament she fell just short of winning a year ago.
Nick Wayne vs. Swerve Strickland
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Nick Wayne was set up to succeed in AEW before his match with familiar foe Swerve Strickland ever started and he lived up to the expectations heightened by the video packages that preceded his debut.
He hung in with one of the more underrated in-ring performers in AEW and nearly knocked him off were it not for Prince Nana's interference at the last second.
Wayne ultimately fell to the JML Driver as Strickland ramped up his aggression late.
This was a strong introduction to a young competitor Tony Khan and AEW brass hope will be a foundational player for the company well into the future and he could not have been in there with a more giving, selfless worker than Strickland, with whom he had worked in his independent days.
That the match served to intensify the rivalry between Allin and Swerve was a nice bonus.
Result
Strickland defeated Wayne
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- AEW's production team did a fantastic job of the vignette leading to Wayne's debut. He had every opportunity to succeed before the bell ever rang and that is a testament to the dedication of management to treat the young man like a big deal.
- Wayne delivered his Wayne's World finish but Prince Nana put Strickland's foot on the bottom rope, breaking the pin. Moments later, Strickland delivered the Last Call but his opponent kicked out at two.
- Allin watched from the apron as Strickland nearly separated the shoulder of his opponent and put him away with the JML Driver.
The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club Announce Their Fifth Teammates
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Kota Ibushi is coming to All Elite Wrestling.
After years of expectations from fans that the heralded star would join his teammate and friend Kenny Omega in the company, he finally will.
Ibushi was announced as the fifth member of the babyface side of the Blood & Guts Match on next week's show, reforming The Golden Elite with Omega, The Young Bucks and Hangman Page in their war with The Blackpool Combat Club.
Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita and Don Callis revealed Wednesday that Pac will join the heels as that team's fifth competitor, rekindling The Bastard's company-long feud with Omega.
Despite coming late, Ibushi's arrival is still a big deal for fans of the promotion and his work with Omega in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. His debut next week will be a big deal, social media will run wild and the result will be hotly anticipated match.
Where the story goes from there, and if it benefits anyone other than The Golden Elite, will be the real question.
Grade
A, if only because it delivered the reveal that everyone had hoped for
Top Moments and Takeaways
- The Ibushi announcement was met with a nice pop, but it felt as though the chants of "cowboy s**t" for Page were equally as loud, something that few could have imagined given the anticipation for Ibushi's debut.
- The Pac reveal was great because there is such a wealth of history between him and Omega dating back to the debut of AEW. Breaking him off from Death Triangle teammates, and babyfaces, The Lucha Bros feels like an appropriately timed decision anyway. At least for now.
Overall Grade
8 of 8This was the best episode of Dynamite in a number of weeks.
Every segment meant something, every vignette built to something else, and there was more focus than in recent broadcasts.
Maybe that is due to the company's efforts to ramp up the hype for a significant show, live from Boston next week, or because of the impending All In event from Wembley Stadium in London.
Whatever the case, this was a show where there was clearly a vision, with stories that Tony Khan and the creative team obviously wanted to get over with the audience.
We had the Jericho dilemma, Wayne's debut, the great Cole-MJF stuff, the dissension between Guevara and Garcia and the major reveal to cap the night off.
Sprinkled in between were QT Marshall and Harley Cameron's ongoing rivalry with The Acclaimed, Hook's neverending pursuit of Jack Perry and Jake Hager's hesitancy to commit to the Jericho Appreciation Society when The Ocho himself will not.
There was a lot to like about this show and, hopefully, the company can build momentum coming out of it.
Grade: B+
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