AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 6
The 40-year history between Adam Copeland and TNT champion Christian Cage culminated Wednesday night in Montreal in the main event of AEW Dynamite.
The highly anticipated bout headlined a show that also included the latest in the Continental Classic Gold League and an AEW Women's World Championship defense by Toni Storm.
Find out what went down, what it means for those involved moving forward and more with this recap of the December 6 broadcast.
Match Card
1 of 7Announced in advance for Wednesday's show were:
- TNT Championship: Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage (c)
- Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Mark Briscoe
- Continental Classic Gold League: Jay Lethal vs. Jay White
- Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Rush
- AEW Women's World Championship: Skye Blue vs. Toni Storm (c)
Continental Classic Gold League: Jon Moxley vs. Rush
2 of 7
Jon Moxley earned three more points in the Continental Classic by kicking off Wednesday's show with a hard-fought victory over Rush.
A hard-hitting, high-impact match, it saw El Toro Blanco elevated even in defeat. It was the best he has looked to this point in his All Elite Wrestling career.
Rush kicked out of the Death Rider and lost only by referee stoppage, having never actually tapped out to the bulldog choke.
Moxley continued his streak of dominance in the tournament, setting up must-win scenarios for both Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe, neither of whom has earned a point in the competition.
Result
Moxley defeated Rush, won three points
Grade
B+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Rush delivered an overhead throw that ended with Moxley's arm trapped under both men and the former AEW world champion momentarily nursing the limb.
- Neither competitor earned a sustained advantage, really hammering home the competitive nature of the match.
- Backstage, Jay Lethal and Jay White cut pre-taped promos about their match later in the night.
Continental Classic Gold League: Swerve Strickland vs. Mark Briscoe
3 of 7
Swerve Strickland joined Jon Moxley with nine points in the Continental Classic Gold League with a victory over Mark Briscoe that also served to mathematically eliminate the Ring of Honor great from the tournament.
The match was as good and competitive as you would expect given the talent involved, and it went long enough to tease a potential time-limit draw, but Strickland was able to deliver the Swerve Stomp and secure the win.
Strickland's upward momentum is undeniable, and he will be world champion within a year if it continues at this rate.
After the match, Samoa Joe hit the ring for a tag bout with MJF against The Devil's henchmen, only for a video to reveal that the world champion had been attacked backstage. He rushed to the aid of his Worlds End opponent, essentially calling that match off.
Result
Strickland defeated Briscoe
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Hangman Page and MJF had a tense backstage altercation that started with the former addressing Strickland before nearly coming to blows with the AEW world champion. Joe inserted himself in the picture before the two came to blows.
- Strickland is enormously over with the AEW fans and a guy who could dethrone MJF tomorrow and be believable as world champion. That is a testament to his own performance and the booking that has put him in that position.
- Briscoe does little things extremely well. For example, Strickland dumped him off the ropes and to the mat below. Rather than lying there and waiting on Swerve, he popped up and caught him with an uppercut. It helped preserve the idea that this is a legitimate contest more than laying there and waiting for his opponent to jump on him.
- Perhaps that's why it's so surprising to see Briscoe eliminated first in the Continental Classic tournament.
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AEW World Women's Championship: Skye Blue vs. 'Timeless' Toni Storm
4 of 7
"Timeless" Toni Storm successfully retained her AEW Women's World Championship with a win over a game Skye Blue, who continues to improve with every outing.
This isn't the first time the two have met, nor will it be the last, but it was the wily Storm who scored the win with a roll-up. She was immediately confronted by her prospective next challenger, Riho, who rushed the ring and cleared her from it.
The idea of upstaging Blue, who has a greater upside, is a questionable decision. That Riho has not been involved on TV consistently in any meaningful way does not help matters.
Yes, she is a former champion, but there has to be more attention paid to actual storytelling instead of cycling competitors in and out of title contention. It is lazy, uninspired booking, even if the in-ring work masks some of it.
Result
Storm defeated Blue to retain
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Backstage, Strickland confronted Moxley before Excalibur officially revealed they will clash next week as part of the special Winter Is Coming episode of Dynamite.
- Ben Mankiewicz introducing Storm was a great example of celebrity involvement because it played to the character involved.
- Storm was the star on display here, but Blue continues to thrive with every big-time opportunity she receives. With that said, she really should win some of these matches before she earns a reputation for always being the runner-up.
Continental Classic Gold League: Jay Lethal vs. Jay White
5 of 7
Jay White made up for his loss to Swerve Strickland a week ago by defeating Jay Lethal and eliminating him from the Continental Classic Wednesday night.
The win put Switchblade at six points in the tournament while ensuring the only role Lethal will play moving forward is that of a spoiler.
A good match between two guys instrumental in the latter days of Ring of Honor, it continued a streak of quality in-ring action out of the Continental Classic this week.
Result
White defeated Lethal
Grade
B
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Somewhere, Vince McMahon is struggling to find out how fans can figure out which competitor is which when both are named "Jay." Time to rename one of the guys "Gideon D'Artagnan" or something worse.
- White is on another level right now. He is as smooth between the ropes as anyone, to the point where everything he does looks effortless. It may be a comparison that makes some scoff, but his ease of movement is reminiscent of Randy Orton.
- Lethal suffering the same fate as Briscoe in the form of an early mathematical elimination from the Continental Classic says a lot about how much influence ROH carries in AEW, huh?
TNT Championship: Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage
6 of 7
It was clear when Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland for the TNT Championship was announced for free television that it was likely to end with chicanery and nonsense to set up a higher-profile contest.
Such was the case Wednesday as a finely wrestled match descended into an overbooked mess as referee Bryce Remsburg took a bump, Shayna Wayne (mother of Nick) turned heel on Copeland, and Cage won with a sickening shot to the neck of his former friend to set up an injury angle.
The closing moments of this one were...a lot.
Sure, Remsburg had to be bumped or distracted to set up Wayne's interference, but why did she need to be involved here? What sense does it make that she would align herself with Cage after all that he has said and done to her family?
There will likely be some contrived reasoning related to her son and his relationship with Cage, but that was the last thing this bout needed.
A perfectly fine match, though not necessarily on the level of anything else on the show, this was a fine appetizer for what is to come. But if this ends up being the only one-on-one meeting between Cage and Copeland, it was a major letdown.
Result
Cage defeated Copeland to retain
Grade
C+
Top Moments and Takeaways
- Loud "ole!" chant to start the match.
- Copeland countered a Spear with an Impaler DDT in a fun reversal spot and near-fall. Cage followed up with a Killshot later that netted him his own two-count.
- Ref bump, double Spear spot, chicanery...ugh.
Overall Grade
7 of 7
Had this show stopped prior to the main event, it would have been one of the better episodes of Dynamite in 2023.
The Continental Classic provided some great in-ring action, Storm and Blue showed out in a fun championship battle, and we got a hell of a tease for MJF vs. Hangman Page.
Unfortunately, the match everything was hyped on was Copeland vs. Cage and that did not deliver. There is no other way to put it. The bout itself was fine, not great and not bad, but the screwiness of the finish dragged down a show that had been leaning toward an A+ grade.
Even with that said, though, it was still a great event and one of the top-tier Dynamites in a long time.
Grade: A
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