AEW Dynamite Beach Break 2026 Winners, Grades and Reaction

From the BayCare Sound in Clearwater, Florida, All Elite Wrestling presented Beach Break, a special July 8 edition of Dynamite including high stakes championship action.

MJF made Kenny Omega put his AEW World Championship dream on the line to get one more golden opportunity. Would The Salt of the Earth make The Cleaner regret that choice?

Konosuke Takeshita finally got his hands on Kyle Fletcher one-on-one. Would The Protostar take his International Championship? Who would win the Casino Gauntlet to challenge Thekla at Redemption?

Check out all the major results and grades below for Beach Break 2026.

Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Last Time in Action: Jericho defeated J.D. Drake (Collision, June 27); Tommaso Ciampa defeated BEEF (Collision, June 6).

The Psycho Killer tried to sneak attack Jericho during his entrance, but the veteran slipped through the crowd to come up behind Ciampa. The two brawled on the beach-themed stage before the official match.

Even once they got to the ring, they fought physically, culminating right before the commercial break in a Fairy Tale Ending on the steel steps that broke open Jericho.

Back from break, Ciampa hit a diving Air Raid Crash for the near-fall. Jericho struggled to battle back, but he caught The Psycho Killer with a Codebreaker when Ciampa tried to use a sand-filled bucket.

The Psycho Killer blasted Jericho with a pair of Running Knee Smashes for a dramatic near-fall, but when he went for another, Y2J turned it into the Walls of Jericho.

After distracting referee Aubrey Edwards by grabbing the bucket again, Ciampa threw sand into Jericho's eyes to set up a Running Knee for the win.

Afterward, The Psycho Killer blasted Jericho with a steel chair and threatened to use a drill, but security convinced him to leave.

Ciampa vs. Jericho was the first strong feud built for Beach Break but was overshadowed by the massive matches AEW announced last week to fill out this card.

Still, these two did the work to sell this match-up. Ciampa kept the physical and brutal edge that has made him such an easy fit in AEW.

To his own credit, Y2J is back to consistent performance in the ring. He cannot keep up with the top athletes but no longer looks like he is struggling to compete at all as he was before his recent hiatus.

This will not be the end of this story, much like Jericho vs. Ricochet. While Y2J is not a star that should ever lose easy in AEW lore, this should end in elevating Ciampa, not pushing him to the back of the line.

It was nice to see him win tonight, but what matters is how the rivalry ends, likely at Redemption.

Result

Ciampa def. Jericho by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Kenny Omega opened the show backstage, interviewed by Renee Paquette. The Cleaner spoke with confidence about what he would bring to win the gold.
• This outdoor amphitheater was one of the coolest venues AEW has performed in for a while, giving similar vibes to Daily's Place with a better setup.
• It is a shame that only outside shots could catch the setting sun on the beach though.
• Furthermore, the beach-themed stage was a fun setting and gave this match a unique vibe, particularly the frequent use of sand.
• The Brawling Birds beat up men at a bar nearby, glad to be working together again. Hopefully, this is the start of their road to the tag titles.

International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Kyle Fletcher

All Elite Wrestling

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle Fletcher

Last Time in Action: Kyle Fletcher defeated El Phantasmo (Collision, July 2); Konosuke Takeshita alongside Darby Allin and The Conglomeration defeated MJF and The Don Callis Family including Fletcher (Forbidden Door, June 28).

Takeshita and Fletcher tested each other early. The Alpha and Protostar both hit hard, but Fletcher found his opening to take control with a strong attack on the right elbow.

The Alpha dived desperately on The Protostar on the floor going into the commercial break. Takeshita fired back after the break with a Hitodenashi Driver and Wheelbarrow Suplex on the apron.

The two fired off their strongest offense, teasing hitting their best offense, until Takeshita connected on the Raging Fire. Fletcher got his foot on the rope after a slow cover.

The Protostar caught Fletcher with a Shear Drop Brainbuster but only for two. However, the damage was done, allowing Fletcher to win definitively with the Corner Brainbuster.

After another commercial break, Mick Foley arrived to interview Fletcher where The Protostar denied his friendship with Takeshita.

Kevin Knight arrived to mock Fletcher for taking so long to get gold again before Andrade El Ídolo arrived to make clear he was also coming after Family gold.

The Family ran after Andrade, only to get ambushed by him and Darby Allin with the help of an exploding skateboard.

It was never a question if Takeshita vs. Fletcher was going to be good. It was only a question of how good it would be.

The answer was emphatically great. These two work a similar style that often leads to epic encounters, and it felt like both had given their all by the time of the finish.

While it is somewhat surprising for The Alpha to lose the International Championship after just 46 days, it makes sense when factoring in Takeshita's upcoming G1 Climax hiatus from AEW.

Fletcher adds more gold to his name and a higher profile title than the TNT Championship, solidifying his claim as one of the best young stars in AEW at 27 years old.

Takeshita should come back for his gold around the time of All In, likely setting up a triple threat also featuring Kazuchika Okada.

The post-match interview felt like an awkward fit for Foley, but it would be nice to see this lead to him working with those in opposition to The Don Callis Family in the future.

Andrade is already fitting well as a babyface, but this felt like it was running long by the time The Family started chasing him.

Result

Fletcher def. Takeshita by pinfall to win the International Championship.

Grade

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

Notable Moments and Observations

• MJF interrupted Will Ospreay during a Renee Paquette interview, starting a brawl that security had to break up.
• Callis on commentary put over both men, even while calling The Alpha a "scumbag".
• The crowd was unsurprisingly behind both men despite the story since they have both been established as the future megastars of AEW.
• After the finish, The Don Callis Family came out to celebrate with Fletcher while The Conglomeration arrived to help Takeshita.
• Foley pointed out his wonderful painted shoes with his (one sadly passed last year) dogs on them, calling them the source of his joy.
• Callis made clear Andrade could challenge a returning Mark Davis but only if he beat Jake Doyle next week.

Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley vs. The Workhorsemen

Last Time in Action: Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley defeated The Swirl (Dynamite, July 1); Anthony Henry and JD Drake lost to Eddie Kingston and Hook (Saturday Tailgate: Full Gear, November 22).

While Ospreay and Mox came in the obvious favorite, The Workhorsemen took advantage of their lack of tag team cohesion to control the action into the commercial break.

Back from break, The Aerial Assassin fought to the corner to get the hot tag. With some extra encouragement from Marina Shafir, Mox took over.

Ospreay laid out Drake with an impressive Styles Clash while Mox hit Henry with a Piledriver. They followed with a Death Rider/Hidden Blade combo on Drake to win.

While it is always nice to see Henry and Drake in the ring, they have almost no credibility on AEW television, so this was never even a question, much like Mox and Ospreay's match with The Swirl.

The goal to these matches is more to show what these two can do together against tag teams with far more chemistry.

The crowd had fun. Two good wrestlers got a rare AEW spotlight. There is nothing much to complain about beyond this going a bit longer than it likely should have.

If AEW keeps this steady pace though, Mox and Ospreay could become an exciting tag team, maybe even challenge for tag gold soon.

Result

Mox and Ospreay def. Henry and Drake by pinfall.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Once again, Ospreay considered leaving with The Death Riders but chose to play to the crowd more instead.
• Mox teasing a struggle to lift Drake only for Ospreay to get him up for the Styles Clash was a great spot.
• In a pre-tape, Hikaru Shida told fans while she held the TBS Championship, TBS stood for "The Best is Shida".

Casino Gauntlet for an AEW Women's World Championship Match

All Elite Wrestling

AEW Women's Casino Gauntlet

Full Participants List: 1. Athena. 2. Maya World. 3. Skye Blue. 4. Mina Shirakawa. 5. Rina. 6. Julia Hart. 7. Thunder Rosa. 8. Willow Nightingale.

This started as a normal Casino Gauntlet battle past the first commercial break, but the action turned with the arrival of Hart.

The Sisters of Sin began to impose their will, knocking around security and using chairs, kendo sticks and trash cans to beat down anyone in their way.

The battle raged on including an O-Face to Rosa that almost sealed the win for Athena. Willow's arrival was the big surprise of the match where she ran over everyone, especially after The Fallen Goddess.

After Maya helped take out Blue, Willow sealed the victory with a Babes with the Powerbomb on Hart.

Afterward, Thekla caught Willow with a Spear. The Divine Dominion laid out The Sisters of Sin to set up Mercedes Moné to lay out both Thekla and Willow.

Often, Casino Gauntlets are worked in a fast action style. The women took a different approach this time, leaning into the hardcore edge that comes with no disqualification in this format.

This allowed The Sisters of Sin to dominate the action and set the stage for the return of Willow, who was clearly winning from the moment she stepped into that ring.

She looked unstoppable, running through the rest of the field to deliver an emphatic victory and set herself up quickly for Thekla.

Thekla vs. Willow could have been the original plan for All In before Willow's injury took her out of the Owen.

While AEW should not forget Thekla's rivalry with Stardom in the future, Willow is the biggest name that could be challenging The Toxic Spider right now.

She had plenty of history with The CEO, setting her up as a possible if not likely competitor to dethrone Thekla at Redemption.

Moné working with Megan Bayne and Lena Kross is also intriguing, but the coming weeks will determine how strong this trio is.

It is a shame that this match did not do a bit more with the other competitors involved, but at least Athena looked like a real threat and will hopefully remain on AEW TV in the future.

Result

Willow won the Casino Gauntlet to earn a shot at Thekla's AEW Women's World Championship at Redemption.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Thekla joined commentary while Moné watched from a high beach chair on the stage.
• Rina played the face on Collision against Athena, but she was playing her more natural heel role in this contest.
• The crowd went wild for the surprise return of Willow, especially a loudly screaming fan in the audience.
• "Jungle" Jack Perry confirmed in a pre-tape that he had officially re-signed with AEW.
• "Speedball" Mike Bailey also told Renee Paquette that he was challenging Mark Davis on Collision for the National Championship.

AEW Men's World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Kenny Omega

All Elite Wrestling

MJF vs. Kenny Omega

Last Time in Action: MJF successfully defended the AEW Men's World Championship against Mark Briscoe (Dynamite, July 1); Kenny Omega defeated Zack Sabre Jr. (Forbidden Door, June 28).

The Cleaner teased immediately going for the One Winged Angel, but The Salt of the Earth poked him in the eye and flipped both men over the rope.

The two battled into the crowd then eventually the stage, teasing V-Triggers and Heat Seekers along the way.

Omega turned the tide after kicking MJF off the apron through the announce table. The Salt of the Earth responded with a brutal Tombstone Piledriver on a standing steel chair.

Omega stopped another Heat Seeker attempt while MJF avoided another V-Trigger and One Winged Angel.

The two fought in the corner where MJF reversed a One Winged Angel into a second-rope Poisonrana followed by a Heat Seeker for a shock last-second kickout.

Will Ospreay arrived to take away the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but when Omega hesitated to hit MJF with the world title, MJF low blowed him and blasted him with the gold.

Omega managed to kick out instantly and hit a trio of V-Triggers followed by the One Winged Angel to win.

While the most hyped match between MJF and Omega was at Dynasty, the two have had two better matches on television, benefiting from a tighter pace.

These two got good time and made the most of it, sprinting through many memorable spots that also highlighted the unbelievable athleticism of Omega, even at 42 years old.

It helped that this match quickly went into overtime, making clear any next move especially after the final commercial break could finish the contest.

Even with the heavy heat leaving both men exhausted down the stretch, they delivered an excellent TV match that sold why Omega needed this one last run as world champion.

The final sequence was especially classic for The Cleaner, giving him an emphatic fighting spirit kickout into his best offense to seal a hard-fought victory.

Omega vs. Ospreay is almost certainly the All In main event, and it should be interesting to see how AEW builds that match in the next month.

These two have played friendly for a long time, but Omega is unlikely to be the fan favorite in Wembley Stadium against Ospreay.

Result

Omega def. MJF by pinfall to win the AEW Men's World Championship.

Grade

A+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Justin Roberts gave Omega his longest and most complete introduction of his career ahead of this contest.
• MJF wore gear emulating the style of Bam Bam Bigelow, who retained WCW tag gold at Bash at the Beach 1999.
• Despite a traditional match on paper, these two battled into the crowd and jumped off around the stage, including a Moonsault off Mercedes Moné's chair.
• The announce table spot looked extra vicious due to the way it cracked on impact, more like a wooden table than a usual announce table.
• The graphics afterward showed that Omega would face Ospreay at All In, but there is still a pay-per-view in Redemption to get through.

Final Word

It is hard to quibble over AEW basically delivering a PPV on free television, which was what this show felt like.

It was tightly paced with two of the best matches AEW can deliver right now in Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle Fletcher and MJF vs. Kenny Omega.

This show also sold that anything can happen on the road to All In with a pair of championships changing hands in those unforgettable contests.

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jericho and the Women's Casino Gauntlet were also strong matches coupled with a solid if somewhat overlong Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley vs. The Workhorsemen.

The main issue was that the in-ring action far surpassed any non-wrestling content, and AEW may have made a mistake by cutting away from the matches so often.

One more match instead of the frequent backstage interviews and oddly paced Don Callis Family promo would have sealed this as an all-time great show for AEW.

Instead, it will still stand as one of the best of the year thanks to the wild highs from Beach Break.

Final Grade: A-