AEW Dynamite Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights From Dec. 3

The December 3 edition of AEW Dynamite continued the Continental Classic and Women's World Tag Team Championships Tournament at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana.

"Timeless" Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa met Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir in a Hardcore Holiday Deathmatch to determine who would advance to the finals of the women's tag tournament.

In C2 action, The Death Riders collided as Jon Moxley faced Claudio Castagnoli in the Blue League.

Pac faced the current Unified champion Kazuchika Okada while Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight collided in the Gold League.

AEW world champion Samoa Joe met his next challenger, Eddie Kingston, face-to-face ahead of their title bout at Winter is Coming next week.

This promised to be one of All Elite Wrestling's best nights of pure action, delivering wild tournament matches from start to finish.

Samoa Joe and Eddie Kingston

Tony Schiavone announced that everyone was banned from ringside for this face-to-face, but Samoa Joe did not let Schiavone host the face-to-face, sending him to the announce table.

The Samoan Submission Machine clearly explained that The Opps used The Mad King.

Kingston was more focused on who Joe had become, promising to "eat you alive" next week if Joe did not bring the old-school ROH legend next week.

Between Collision and Dynamite, The Mad King has proved fully that he is back, at least on the mic. This was the kind of mic work that made Kingston a star.

He took Joe's best threats and warnings and fired back with such confident focus that it seemed to rattle The Samoan Submission Machine.

It seems impossible that Kingston could possibly dethrone Joe in The Samoan Submission Machine's first title defense, but the crowd was absolutely ready to see The Mad King with that title tonight.

If the crowd supports Kingston with this much ferocity next week, it should be easy to suspend disbelief and believe The Mad King could win the big one.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments and Observations

• The crowd was completely behind Kingston in this one, not even a "Joe's gonna kill you" chant. For the story, hopefully that continues next week.
• Joe explained that he was not dressed up for this because "it would be like wearing a suit to a petting zoo".
• The Samoan Submission Machine also explained that he sent Hook to Joe to understand what it was like to live at the "third place table".
• The Mad King questioned what made Joe become a "sellout", personally insulted by him talking about arriving in a private jet.

C2 Gold League: Pac (3) vs. Kazuchika Okada (0)

All Elite Wrestling

Kazuchika Okada and Pac met for the first time in the ring in over a year to gain momentum in the C2.

Last Time in Action: Pac defeated "Speedball" Mike Bailey (Collision Thanksgiving, November 27); Kazuchika Okada lost to Kyle Fletcher (Dynamite Thanksgiving, November 26).

Pac went for his running rebound clothesline multiple times in this fight with Kazuchika Okada, but The Rainmaker always had an answer.

Even when The Bastard finally landed it, The Rainmaker reversed the follow-up Brutalizer attempt into a surprise pin for three.

Few men bring more out of Okada than Pac. Their chemistry is obvious every time they compete.

This was not as good as their Dynasty match last year, but that was a massive bar to reach.

This was a simpler contest, built on Okada's frustrations in matching the hard-hitting offense of his opponent. The Rainmaker put over The Bastard as truly dangerous.

Okada needed this win for the sake of advancing in his bracket. Typically, 10 points are needed to advance, so The Rainmaker cannot afford another loss against anyone.

Result

Okada (3) def. Pac (3) by pinfall.

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

Don Callis joined commentary and argued often with Bryan Danielson, who saw faults in Okada's game plan.

Okada countered the running rebound clothesline of Pac with a high jumping dropkick.

Mark Briscoe announced backstage that he would be facing Daniel Garcia in his first TNT Championship defense at Winter is Coming in Cardiff, Wales.

Chicken also facilitated a conversation between Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong ahead of their C2 match that only angered Strong.

Ricochet and GOA teased that everyone wanted a shot at his National Championship. He not only promised to defend against Dalton Castle at ROH Final Battle but also a lucky "charity case" on Collision.

C2 Gold League: Kyle Fletcher (3) vs. Kevin Knight (3)

All Elite Wrestling

Kyle Fletcher took a commanding lead in the C2 Gold League by defeating Kevin Knight.

Last Time in Action: Kyle Fletcher defeated Kazuchika Okada, and Kevin Knight defeated Darby Allin (Dynamite Thanksgiving, November 26).

Fletcher was not ready for the spirited fight of Knight, almost losing this one. He just managed to catch The Jet with the brainbuster in time to seal his victory.

Don Callis took the ring with The Young Bucks' money as well as Hechicero and Josh Alexander.

Matt and Nick Jackson ran down to grab the money, but Kazuchika Okada arrived to take out his former friends.

"Jungle" Jack Perry, Luchasaurus and eventually Kenny Omega helped even the odds against The Family, but The Family kept a hold of the money.

It is rare Fletcher competes with someone near his age, but the 28-year-old Knight worked this as the hungrier man against the 26-year-old Fletcher.

That dynamic spoke to the evolution of The Protostar, who has become such an established star in AEW. He gave back to Knight, making him look like a world-beater despite ultimately falling short.

This was the best match of the tournament so far, and it is a high bar for the rest of the field.

At this early stage, these two men are fighting for the title of in-ring MVP of this tournament, and The Jet feels best positioned to break out when it is all over.

The follow-up segment and brawl was silly fun to keep the feud going. The sheer numbers of The Family were on display, but the faces took advantage of Okada and Fletcher's post-match exhaustion.

The Elite and Jurassic Express stood tall this time, but they may still need even more help to fight The Family at full strength.

As a small criticism, it would have been nice to see a more dramatic Okada turn against The Young Bucks given their history.

Result

Fletcher (6) def. Knight (3) by pinfall.

Grade

A (for the match)/C (for the follow-up segment)

Notable Moments and Observations

Excalibur announced that Allin was admitted to the hospital after his match last week against Knight.

The early stretch of this match was all Jet, who ran over and even openly mocked The Protostar into the commercial break.

Knight got such wild height on a springboard clothesline that the crowd thought it might win the match.

The Jet teased the UFO Splash, but Fletcher tripped him and teased the corner brainbuster. Knight countered himself into a Coast-to-Coast.

Knight followed up with the UFO, but The Protostar got his knees up into a small package for a close near-fall.

Fletcher sold that he was hurting after the match and did not want to be there. He was the first to suffer The Young Bucks' wrath in the follow-up.

Perry bit the fingers of Okada when he tried to flip him off.

Omega took his sweet time to make the save in an ugly Christmas sweater.

Hardcore Holiday Death Match: Timeless Love Bombs vs. MegaProblems

Last Time in Action: "Timeless" Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa won over Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir as well as The Sisters of Sin and Babes of Wrath to allow them to pick the stipulation for this match (Full Gear, November 22).

The Timeless Love Bombs fought with pure passion to overcome the brutal efficiency of The MegaProblems, but they needed help.

That help came in the form of a returning Luthor in the guise of Santa, distracting Shafir to allow Storm to stab her with a shoe for the victory.

This could have absolutely closed the show given the stakes. It was the least technical match of the night, but it was pure violent fun.

It was a showcase of why the women in AEW thrive in this hardcore environment, always finding ways to make the most of the wildest weapons and spots.

Storm and Mina kept the pace fast throughout, earning a big win to put them in good position to capture the Women's World Tag Team Championships next week.

It is hard to call the finals of this tournament. Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron need the victory more, but Mina also has yet to win AEW gold.

Either team would be worthy champions to carry the company's newest championships.

Result

Storm and Mina def. Shafir and Bayne by pinfall to advance to the finals of the Women's World Tag Team Championships Tournament.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale spoke in a pre-tape hype video for their finals clash about their history.
• Storm set the tone by breaking a champagne bottle on Shafir's head then stabbing Bayne with the sharp remains.
• Mina's weapon of choice was a barbed wire candy cane that she locked in the mouth of The Megasus.
• Storm sent Bayne through a table off the apron with a Storm Zero.
• The Problem locked in Mother's Milk on The Venus, who fought out by stabbing Shafir in the face with a broken pool cue.
• Mina hit Shafir with a diving Slingblade onto a steel chair for a near-fall that The Megasus broke up.

The Opps vs. The Dark Order

Last Time in Action: Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds and John Silver lost to The Bang Bang Gang (All Out: Zero Hour, September 7, 2024). This is the first time Powerhouse Hobbs, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata have teamed together.

While The Dark Order fought hard against The Opps, they were overwhelmed by the power of their opponents.

Hook and Shibata held Reynolds and Silver while Hobbs laid out Uno with a World's Strongest Slam to win.

Hangman Adam Page stormed the ring and went after The Opps. Security tried to calm things down, but The Cowboy took them out.

Afterward, backstage, The Cowboy threatened Hobbs and Shibata that he was looking for a fight and teased that they knew who he would be teaming up with.

This was a fine building block segment for this feud, but nothing was clearly accomplished for the week.

Hangman and The Dark Orders teased a returning connection. However, AEW has done so before without payoff.

The Cowboy got closer to taking out The Opps but was still held off for the moment.

The only real difference was that Samoa Joe is focused on Eddie Kingston for now, and Swerve Strickland did not appear this week.

The post-brawl backstage promo was the stronger element of this segment and teased a much bigger moment next week when Hangman and Swerve team up with a common enemy.

Result

Hobbs, Hook and Shibata def. Uno, Reynolds and Silver by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

Early in the night backstage, Hook, Hobbs and Shibata offered a chance at a World Trios Championship match to The Dark Order if they could win tonight.

Before The Dark Order headed out, Hangman agreed to not get involved in the match until it was over.

In his promo, Hangman took offense especially to Hook costing him everything and promised to get his gold back.

In a pre-tape, Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander issued a challenge to Julia Hart and Skye Blue for Collision while teasing Hayter wants a world title shot.

In a backstage interview, Mercedes Moné refused to acknowledge her loss to Stat and turned her focus to hyping her rematch with Red Velvet at ROH Final Battle.

Backstage, FTR warned The Bang Bang Gang about ruining their moment last week and told them to show up on Collision.

C2 Blue League: Jon Moxley (3) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (3)

Last Time in Action: Jon Moxley defeated Máscara Dorada, and Claudio Castagnoli defeated Orange Cassidy (Dynamite Thanksgiving, November 26).

Castagnoli delivered a masterclass in breaking down his opponent, wearing out Mox until he could hit the knockout blow with a running European uppercut for the three.

This was the first time in a while Mox has worked as a babyface in a contest, just trying to survive the offensive flurry of The Swiss Superman.

While Mox bleeding is common, the crimson mask was clearly set up as a reason for the crowd to rally behind The Death Rider.

The crowd was genuinely chanting "Moxley" just before the finish, which came faster than expected as the commentators repeatedly pointed out time ticking down.

Castagnoli won cleanly with strength over Mox at the 15-minute mark, and this likely sets the table all the more for the inevitable betrayal of The Swiss Superman.

While Mox looked stronger here than against Kyle O'Reilly, refusing to submit, he still was clearly overwhelmed by a man that is on a near-unstoppable rise to the top of AEW.

One of these days real soon, the show ending with The Death Riders together is the ring will spell disaster for the original Death Rider.

Result

Castagnoli (6) def. Mox (3) by pinfall.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• AEW showed highlights for Castagnoli's CMLL World Heavyweight Championship win last week.
• Mox came out with Shafir while Castagnoli fist-bumped Daniel Garcia, Pac and Wheeler Yuta during his entrance.
• During his entrance, Renee Paquette advised that Mox told her Castagnoli was going to have to earn this win if he really wanted it.
• Marina Shafir did not want to leave ringside despite the Continental Rules but eventually relented.
• The Swiss Superman repeatedly tested Mox with submissions, clearly playing on his supposed friend's exposed weakness in recent weeks.

Overall Show

All Elite Wrestling

"Timeless" Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa are one step away from becoming AEW's first Women's world tag team champions.

The C2 has already proved to be consistently strong television for AEW, giving a clear structure to the show each week.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Kevin Knight now stands as the gold standard of the tournament, though Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli was not far off in a much different style.

"Timeless" Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa delivered a wild fun Holiday Death Match with Marina Shafir and Megan Bayne to set the stage for a great finals next week.

Eddie Kingston reminded everyone of his greatness on the microphone to sell his match next week with Samoa Joe.

The only fault on the night was a forgettable Opps trio contest, but if AEW properly follows up on the return of Dark Order to AEW television, this could be an even more important show long term.

With so many strong stories building for Winter is Coming over the next two weeks and Worlds Collide at the end of December, AEW is delivering can't-miss TV.

Overall Grade: B+