AEW Dynamite Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After Grand Slam

The February 18 episode of Dynamite from the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California, began All Elite Wrestling's full push toward Revolution.

MJF and Hangman Adam Page both won at Grand Slam: Australia, setting the stage for an AEW Men's World Championship rematch. They met face-to-face this week.

Kenny Omega fought Swerve Strickland for the first time. Willow Nightingale put the TBS Championship on the line against Marina Shafir, Megan Bayne and Mina Shirakawa.

Who would build momentum toward Revolution on March 15? What would The Salt of the Earth and The Cowboy have to say one-on-one in the ring?

Continental Championship Eliminator: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Mark Davis

Last Time in Action: Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita went to a 20-minute time limit draw (Grand Slam: Australia, February 14); Mark Davis alongside Takeshita and Josh Alexander lost to The Death Riders (Dynamite, February 11).

Moxley tried to set the tone but was quickly overwhelmed by the size and power of Dunkzilla.

The champion ducked a right hand, sending Davis into the steel post and drawing blood. Mox went after the injury to the delight of the "sicko" audience.

Dunkzilla fought back with a gutwrench piledriver for a near-fall. Mox slapped Davis, only to receive a clothesline.

The champion finally found his way to the win by catching Davis in the Bulldog Choke, forcing a submission.

This was a rousing success, particularly due to the way the fans bought into the physical threat of Dunkzilla in this contest.

The Sacramento crowd was rooting for Mox but also behind how much Davis was able to keep up with the champion throughout.

This was another strong Continental Championship Eliminator performance for Moxley, who should remain the titleholder at least until a rematch with Takeshita.

Result

Mox def. Davis by submission.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

The show started with Collision-style interviews from Mina Shirakawa, Willow Nightingale, Megan Bayne, Swerve Strickland, and Kenny Omega, hyping their matches later in the program.

Renee Paquette delivered an update on Mox's mindset before the match, stating he was still frustrated about the time-limit draw at Grand Slam: Australia.

Newly bald Wheeler Yuta had his hood up during Mox's entrance, much to the disappointment of Bryan Danielson.

Later backstage, The Death Riders challenged The Don Callis Family for Collision, and Mox wanted a no-time-limit rematch with Takeshita at Revolution.

The Don Callis Family accepted the challenge and made clear Callis wanted Claudio Castagnoli's CMLL World Heavyweight Championship.

The Young Bucks Lay Out FTR and Set the Challenge for Revolution

All Elite Wrestling

FTR and Stokely Hathaway aired out their grievances against The Young Bucks on Dynamite.

FTR tried to gaslight fans into believing it was The Young Bucks that started the fight last week.

Stokely Hathaway made clear how much he, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler hate the wrestlers in the back.

Matt and Nick Jackson arrived to Superkick FTR and Stokely and challenge FTR officially for a World Tag Team Championships match at Revolution.

This was a simple segment. The heels built heat, and the faces paid it off by shutting them up before setting the date for the next tag team match between these teams.

It was not anything to write home about, but FTR and Young Bucks have clearly established the dynamic of this rivalry.

There is another month for these teams to add more to the story, especially since Stokely started bringing up Matt and Nick's family in his hate rant.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

The crowd was especially loud in their hatred of Dax early on.

Nick was the only one to speak for The Young Bucks and kept things surprisingly curt in his challenge.

In a post-Grand Slam promo, Brody King declared he was going to get back into the title hunt starting next week on Dynamite.

Bryan Danielson got emotional talking about the late Kerwin Silfies, who passed away on Tuesday.

TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Marina Shafir vs. Megan Bayne vs. Mina Shirakawa

All Elite Wrestling

Willow Nightingale successfully defended the TBS Championship once again.

Last Time in Action: Willow Nightingale alongside Harley Cameron retain the Women's World Tag Team Championships against Megan Bayne alongside Penelope Ford, and Marina Shafir alongside Wheeler Yuta lost to "Timeless" Toni Storm and Orange Cassidy (Grand Slam: Australia, February 14); Mina Shirakawa defeated Viva Van (Collision, February 7).

Bayne and Shafir worked together when the pace of the action allowed, but Willow and Mina refused to stay down in this contest.

The dynamic eventually broke down with The Megasus Powerbombing Shafir into the timekeeper's area. Willow then took out Bayne with a German superplex.

A series of spinning strikes into the Uriken by Mina almost knocked out Willow, but the TBS champion managed to roll her up for three.

Some of the best work of everyone involved for this long sprint, even if the result was entirely predictable.

It was too soon for Willow to lose the TBS Championship, and Mina was always going to take the fall despite the crowd's investment in her underdog chance.

This match especially shined when Mina or Willow was taking the lead, but Marina and Bayne also showed some interesting chemistry as potential rivals for the future.

The result protects The Megasus and The Problem, who could both be challengers again for Willow come Revolution.

Result

Willow def. Mina, Bayne and Shafir by pinfall to retain the TBS Championship.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

The crowd was heavily behind Mina, even more so than Willow.

The crowd also appreciated the "meat" exchanges between Willow and Megan.

Mina sold her frustration in the loss but ultimately accepted the handshake of Willow afterward.

Backstage with Renee Paquette, Kris Statlander announced she was not medically cleared while Thunder Rosa announced that she was and would fight Julia Hart on Collision.

Hangman Adam Page Wants Texas Death Against MJF

MJF started out clearly stating how much he hates Hangman Adam Page, especially because of the crowd's support and his two losses to The Cowboy.

The Cowboy let The Salt of the Earth go off for several minutes before turning his words back on him and making clear he hated MJF too.

Hangman called for Texas Death with the added stipulation that he would never challenge for the world title ever again if he lost.

MJF was interested in the second stipulation but wanted another week to pitch something besides Texas Death for the match that could end The Cowboy's title pursuit forever.

This was a phenomenal back-and-forth promo segment, particularly elevated by the fire of Hangman once he took over.

It ran long, but that is expected of any segment involving MJF, and it was arguably more on The Cowboy down the stretch.

Still, the overall point resonated. Hangman is willing to bet everything that he can beat The Salt of the Earth again, and he wants to end this rivalry for good at Revolution.

It should be interesting to see what MJF's counter-offer is for Revolution, but Texas Death is always a fan favorite. The only other answer that could make sense is an Iron Man match.

The second stipulation is a touchy subject in AEW lore, particularly since it was part of Cody Rhodes' reasoning for leaving the company.

It would be odd to see Hangman never challenge for the world title again, but stipulations like this are made to be rescinded down the line based on the story The Cowboy wants to tell.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

In a post-Grand Slam promo, Page promised to "end" MJF if they fought again.

MJF called out Hangman's unstated conflict in the upcoming Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland match.

The Cowboy hit home with his line about how similar they are, especially their "need" to be champion.

Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors vs. Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii

All Elite Wrestling

Tomohiro Ishii returned to action in AEW.

Last Time in Action: Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii alongside Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong lost to The Death Riders (Collision, October 18). This was the first time Gabe Kidd and Clark Connors have teamed up in an AEW ring.

After a physical back-and-forth especially between Kidd and Ishii, The Stone Pitbull suffered a hip injury that The Bullet Club War Dogs targeted.

Darby Allin came in to drag away "War Ready", leaving Connors alone to take an Orange Punch and Brainbuster for the Conglomeration victory.

This was not the greatest technical match, but it was a great showcase of the toughness of Ishii even as he slows down physically.

Hopefully, he was not actually hurt in this match and can continue to showcase what makes him such a unique performer.

For building The War Dogs in AEW, this was an unfortunate result. Kidd needs to get some momentum back in this rivalry with The Daredevil soon.

Result

Ishii and Cassidy def. Connors and Kidd by pinfall.

Grade

C

Notable Moments and Observations

Earlier in the night, Cassidy told Renee Paquette that he found a replacement for Roderick Strong with a returning Ishii.

The crowd went wild for the chop exchange between Kidd and Ishii.

It was hard to tell how serious Ishii's hip injury was as both Connors and the referee checked in, but he kept wrestling.

Hook cut a promo for The Opps saying he and Katsuyori Shibata were working on bringing in new recruits. This was genuinely hilarious with Hook's deadpan delivery.

The Brawling Birds vs. Viva Van and B3CCA

All Elite Wrestling

The Brawling Birds made their AEW TV debut on Dynamite.

Last Time in Action: This was the TV debut for The Brawling Birds as well as the pairing of Viva Van and B3CCA.

Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor found a solid fight in their first television tag team match, but Van and B3CCA wore down due to the physical offense.

The Brawling Birds finished the match with meet-in-the-middle clotheslines and a Two Birds, One Stone (Hart Attack).

This was not the best first impression for The Brawling Birds as they are still finding their in-ring chemistry.

Luckily, fans are already bought into both women as individuals, and they have an easy gimmick to sell. It will just be about making it work as a unit.

This was an obvious squash and did not take up too much time in selling what will make The Brawling Birds a problem for AEW's women's tag team division.

Result

Hayter and Windsor def. B3CCA and Van by pinfall.

Grade

C-

Notable Moments and Observations

B3CCA and Van were not matching, but they both had standout gear, especially B3CCA's sparkly white one-piece.

The camera awkwardly avoided their entrance poses.

Will Ospreay delivered another comeback promo, still leaving the mystery of his return date.

Kevin Knight vs. The Beast Mortos

All Elite Wrestling

Kevin Knight picked up another important win in his pursuit of singles gold.

Last Time in Action: Kevin Knight defeated Scorpio Sky (Collision, February 7); The Beast Mortos lost to Bandido (Dynamite: New Year's Smash, December 31).

Knight struggled to match the power of Mortos early, who pushed the pace against The Jet.

However, as the match progressed, Knight hit harder while Mortos struggled to match his continued speed.

A running splash from Knight could not quite put Mortos away, but the follow-up UFO Splash sealed the win.

This was a good match, though it felt like a last-minute addition due to a limited roster after the Australia trip for AEW.

Mortos should be on TV more as he maximizes his minutes and stood out clearly here with his speed and power.

It is a shame that the World Trios Championships have become so secondary during Hangman Adam Page's pursuit for the AEW Men's World Championship.

Luckily, JetSpeed have found regular TV time, especially Knight, who could be looking for a Kyle Fletcher rematch soon.

Result

Knight def. Mortos by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

Backstage before the match, Knight and "Speedball" Mike Bailey offered a World Trios Championship shot to LFI if Mortos won.

The crowd's most creative chant of the night: "He's a lawyer" for Mortos.

After the match, backstage, The Demand challenged Jet Set Rodeo for a Trios title match on Collision. "Jungle" Jack Perry also left another message in knife form for Ricochet.

Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland

Last Time in Action: Kenny Omega lost to Andrade El Ídolo (Dynamite, February 4); Swerve Strickland lost to Andrade (Dynamite, January 28).

The Cleaner and The Mogul started off fighting like competitors but grew more brutal as they struggled to pick up the win.

A V-Trigger got the first near-fall and turned up the tension. Swerve repeatedly sent Omega's head into the turnbuckles, but The Cleaner fought back with a Snap Dragon Suplex on the apron.

Swerve fought off another Snap Dragon and Suplexed Omega on the floor. Both returned to the ring where The Cleaner hit a wild Snap Dragon Superplex.

Omega accidentally caught Aubrey Edwards with a V-Trigger when Swerve pulled her in the way. It cost The Mogul a pin attempt after countering the One Winged Angel with a House Call.

Swerve followed up with a Swerve Stomp on the apron, catapulted the jaw of Omega into the ring turnbuckle, then hit a Swerve Stomp for a shocking near-fall.

The Cleaner fought back with a V-Trigger and Poison-rana, but Swerve fought off the One Winged Angel followed by a Swerve Stomp and Big Pressure to win.

Afterward, Swerve continued to do damage to Omega, hanging him with a chain and a Vertebreaker through the table.

An uneven show gets a perfect ending. This was a perfect match, making the most of the first-time moment.

These two have never fought before, but they battled like lifetime rivals, brutalizing each other with crazed focus.

At times, both looked like heels in their focused desire to hurt one another and pick up a win that could get them back into world title contention.

Of the two though, Swerve showed he was more willing to do anything to win, which he did.

He did not just defeat The Cleaner. He made a statement at his expense even past the bell.

This will likely keep Omega off TV for a while, setting the stage for a rematch whenever The Cleaner returns.

Meanwhile, The Mogul just found his "killer instinct" again and is a fearsome heel for anyone to contend with in the future.

This especially makes for an interesting dynamic with Hangman Adam Page going forward and suddenly makes it more likely The Cowboy might beat MJF again.

Result

Swerve def. Omega by pinfall.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments and Observations

Omega was pulling out the crazy face at times as he got more violent, but his best reaction was the shock when Aubrey went down.

Swerve's best reaction was when Omega kicked out of the Swerve Stomp. He sold his shift to complete heel mania after that moment.

It was somewhat surprising Hangman did not come out, even when Swerve was hanging Omega after the match. That will need to be addressed soon.

Swerve will also have to answer for pulling Aubrey into the V-Trigger at some point. That might be a worse heel move than his post-match attack.

Overall Show

Dynamite did not have the usual cohesion of the show to start 2026.

Individual segments were strong, especially the main event and Hangman Adam Page and MJF's face-to-face.

The Continental Championship Eliminator and TBS Championship matches were also strong matches for the night.

However, it was clear that certain elements were missing from the original plan for Dynamite, and the show heavily relied upon its best matches.

Still, it is hard to complain about a show with such a strong ending. Kenny Omega vs. Swerve Strickland was a pay-per-view main event on live TV complete with a heel turn that changes the complexion of the main event scene.

Next week's Dynamite has a tough act to follow in responding to that main event.

Overall Grade: B-