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AEW Dynamite Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before Dynasty 2026
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of the go-home episode of AEW Dynamite before this weekend's Dynasty PPV.
Here's a look at what All Elite Wrestling advertised for this week's show:
Let's take a look at what happened on Wednesday's episode of Dynamite.
A Wild Opening
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As soon as the show started, the camera went backstage to see Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley brawling. The rest of the Death Riders showed up to outnumber him, but then a few stars from United Empire and Alex Windsor showed up to even the odds.
All 10 fought in the parking garage. Windsor and Marina Shafir battled into the arena first, followed by the men. Ospreay's team ended up with the upper hand, so he grabbed a mic and talked about recruiting them for the fight.
This felt like something WWE might do to open a show instead of AEW, but the way it was executed was great. This was energetic, pushed the feud forward a bit, and brought in some fresh faces.
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Don Callis Family vs. Darby Allin, Bandido and Jack Perry
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The opening match saw Andrade El Idolo, Konosuke Takeshita and Mark Davis take on Darby Allin, Bandido and Jack Perry in a trios bout.
Allin and El Idolo began, but Andrade tagged out to Takeshita immediately and then left the ring, seemingly leaving The Callis Family high and dry.
The babyfaces took advantage of the situation and went after the two remaining opponents. Allin grabbed a mic and yelled for El Idolo to return and stop being "Don Callis' b---h." It was all a ploy so Takeshita could take control as Andrade came back.
The best part about this match was the mix of styles. Davis and Takeshita relied on their power, Bandido and El Idolo were more technical, and Allin and Perry focused on taking risks. It was a nice blend that made for a fun performance.
The match did reach the point of chaos when it became hard to remember who was legal once everyone was fighting, but most of the time, it was easy to follow.
Both teams had plenty of offense, so it never felt like one side had a huge advantage. El Idolo ended up getting the pin on Perry to score the win.
Result: The Don Callis Family defeated Allin, Perry and Bandido
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata
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The TBS Championship was on the line when Queen Aminata challenged Willow Nightingale for the belt. Aminata has been recovering from an injury, so this was her first big opportunity since returning.
Aminata took control immediately with a spinning neckbreaker, so Nightingale had to play catch-up for a while. She had the upper hand until after the commercial break, which is when Willow began to fight back.
It felt like this match was designed to give Aminata a lot of time to look good in her return before Nightingale eventually prevailed. It was a nice way to give her the spotlight without making the champion look weak at her expense.
You can tell these women know each other well because they made each other look good with their selling, especially whenever Aminata got more aggressive.
Nightingale got the win with the Babe With the Powerbomb to retain her title in a great showing for both competitors. They shook hands after it was over to show some sportsmanship.
Result: Nightingale defeated Aminata
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Chris Jericho Returns
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After making his quick return last week, Chris Jericho was greeted with a warm welcome by the Edmonton crowd in his home country of Canada.
He said he wanted to sign his contract in the ring in the same province where he had his first match just 100 kilometers away.
Jericho said he loves pro wrestling and he worked to get into great shape so he could return and help make the business the best it can possibly be. He just wants to help build AEW and help pro wrestling.
As he was about to sign his new contract, The Demand showed up on the stage. Ricochet came out and simultaneously complimented and insulted Jericho on both his physique and overall career. Jericho told him he just made the list and the crowd popped.
It looks like we will get Ricochet vs. Jericho at Dynasty. This was a good segment and accomplished exactly what it needed to do. Jericho looked genuinely excited to be back.
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mascara Dorada
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A Casino Gauntlet match was announced to find a new TNT champion at Dynasty. Tommaso Ciampa took on Mascara Dorada to determine their spot in the match.
As you would expect, this was a fast-paced and exciting match from the moment the bell rang. Dorada is a celebrated high-flyer, and Ciampa is one of the most versatile guys you will find.
They put on a great, competitive match that never slowed down unless they were selling something big. After a solid effort, Ciampa hit his signature running knee for the pin and the win. If they had 5-10 more minutes, this would have been a show-stealer.
Result: Ciampa defeated Dorada
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
Cage and Cope
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Christian Cage and Adam Copeland came to the ring to talk about their upcoming match against FTR at Dynasty.
Trent Beretta, Rocky Romero, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler showed up and attacked Cage and Cope. Stokely Hathaway was there, too, but he didn't do as much damage.
At this point, this segment felt somewhat pointless because there isn't much more AEW can do to build up this match. It was fine, but it was also filler.
Grade: C
United Empire vs. Death Riders
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Henare, Callum Newman and Francesco Akira teamed up with Will Ospreay to take on Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia and Pac.
This match went off the rails almost immediately. A ladder was brought into the ring and Akira took out the whole stable as the show cut to a break.
This bout was pure mayhem, which sometimes made it hard to follow, but it never stopped being entertaining. This was a great way to utilize United Empire before the PPV and showcase them to any fans who might not watch NJPW.
Ospreay scored the win for his team by pinning Moxley, giving him momentum heading into their singles match on Sunday. Ospreay tried to keep attacking Mox, but Claudio saved him.
Result: United Empire defeated Death Riders
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
The Final Word
8 of 8The show went into overtime and ended with Kenny Omega giving an interview in the ring about his upcoming world title match against MJF. After he was done, MJF came out to issue his response.
MJF tried to hit a cheap shot, but Omega thwarted him and took his Dynamite Diamond Ring off his finger to end the show with his signature catchphrase and pose.
This week's go-home Dynamite ahead of Dynasty was a solid show, but some fans might think it was a little light on action and heavy on promos, which is a fair assessment.
In some ways, this felt more like how WWE would produce an episode of television than AEW, but that is not a bad thing because everything still had the AEW vibe to it.
Every match was a highlight this week, and every promo segment served a purpose. The only thing that felt unnecessary was the FTR vs. Cage and Cope segment.
Grade: B+
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