AEW Dynamite Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights Before All In 2026

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and grades of the final AEW Dynamite before All In on Sunday.

Wednesday's Dynamite featured the final two matches in the ongoing Continental Cup Challenge, with the winners set to face off this weekend at Wembley Stadium in London.

We heard from lots of Superstars before their matches this weekend, including Will Ospreay, Willow Nightingale, MJF and Andrade El Idolo.

Let's take a look at what happened on the August 26 episode of Dynamite at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Billy Goat Speaks

Dynamite kicked off with Will Ospreay heading to the ring to talk about his upcoming world title bout against Kenny Omega on Sunday.

He talked a bit about his journey from needing neck surgery to fighting for the most important title in AEW at Wembley Stadium. He also reflected on cutting his teeth in the business in the United Kingdom.

He said nobody respects Kenny Omega more than he does, but it all went out the window the moment Kenny mentioned Will's son in their exchanges.

The promo ended without anyone interrupting him, which was probably the right call. This segment was under 10 minutes and accomplished its goal. It was simple by design.

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The Scottish fans gave Ospreay a very warm welcome, which was to be expected given his UK roots.
• It's going to be interesting to see how the Wembley crowd reacts to Omega on Sunday. AEW has been trying to make him feel more like the villain of this story, but it hasn't been working.

Jon Moxley vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Last time in action: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Daniel Garcia (Collision, August 22), Jon Moxley defeated Jay White (Dynamite, August 19)

The first semifinal match in the Continental Cup saw Death Rider allies head into battle as Jon Moxley took on Claudio Castagnoli.

Neither man was in a hurry to make this violent, so they started with a very simple test of strength, which Castagnoli won by bringing Mox to the mat. Moxley made the mistake of trying to chop him, so the Swiss star made him pay with some stiff return shots.

It wasn't completely one-sided, but there was a good stretch of time when Castagnoli was firmly in control, especially during the first half before the break.

Moxley slapped Castagnoli after the show returned, provoking him and allowing the continental champion to take control. Both men looked like they were favoring different limbs, but they never slowed down.

Some people may have found the pace a little on the slow side, but they picked up in the second half. They made it feel like every spot mattered instead of rushing from move to move. The match felt hard-fought even if it wasn't brutal and violent.

Castagnoli did a good job building hope, but we all knew how this match would play out. Moxley got the win to advance to the finals on Sunday with the Bulldog Choke. This was a really entertaining match that favored selling over pace.

Result: Moxley defeated Castagnoli

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• It would have been cool if the random draws for these matches happened on TV so we knew they were really random.
• Doing the big swing to send Mox into the barricade was a cool spot.
• Castagnoli used the big swing a couple of times in different ways.

Don Callis Family vs. Young Bucks and Adam Copeland

Last time in action: The Elite defeated The Don Callis Family (Dynamite, August 19), Death Riders defeated Cage, Cope and Bucks (Dynamite, August 5)

Adam Copeland teamed up with Nick and Matt Jackson for a trios match against Brian Cage, Rocky Romero and Jake Doyle.

Cope and Doyle started for their teams with a standard lockup into a shoulder block sequence. Doyle didn't go down when Copeland tried, so Matt tagged in for some double-team action.

The Bucks did some of their signature tag team offense on all three opponents as Copeland watched from the apron, looking impressed. This was a pretty standard AEW trios match. It ebbed and flowed, both teams had periods of being in control, and all six men got a little bit of time in the ring on offense and defense.

The action was good, but this is one of those times when the result was as predictable as it gets. The Bucks and Copeland getting the win was the right choice seeing as they have a big PPV match this weekend, but it felt like a missed opportunity.

If the Bucks and Copeland had suffered a breakdown in communication that cost them the match, it would have created more tension for their title bout this weekend while giving a couple of members of The Don Callis Family a needed win.

After Copeland got the pin for his team, Christian Cage came out and spoke about why he and his teammate will win on Sunday.

Cage kicked one of the Bucks, so the other one superkicked him, which led to Copeland hitting a Spear.

Result: Young Bucks and Copeland defeated The Don Callis Family

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The announcers said this was supposed to be an eight-man tag, but Christian Cage refuses to team up with the Bucks again. Cage was not at ringside for backup.
• The Family needs better entrance music. The simple theme works fine for Don, but the group needs more when it wrestles.
• The Bucks and Copeland had similar colors for their gear, which is always nice to see from a team, even if it's temporary.

MJF Can Do That

Andrade El Idolo's music hit for a scheduled promo, but MJF ended up coming out instead. He insulted the Scottish crowd before saying he hired a couple of guys to beat up Andrade before All In.

He talked about how he can do everything El Idolo can do, but he can do it better. He tried to take a picture with a fan in the front row, but she looked disgusted.

El Idolo showed up in the crowd and attacked his All In opponent. The national champion sent MJF retreating up the ramp to end the segment.

This was the definition of short and sweet. It didn't really add anything to their feud, but it was a fun moment.

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Willow Nightingale was supposed to come out for a promo, but she was attacked backstage by Mercedes Moné.
• Chris Jericho announced a trios match for Collision during a quick backstage promo.

Nigel McGuinness vs. Kyle O'Reilly

Last time in action: Nigel McGuinness defeated Hechicero (Dynamite, August 19), Kyle O'Reilly defeated Orange Cassidy (Collision, August 22) 

The second semifinal match of the Continental Cup saw Nigel McGuinness take on Kyle O'Reilly. These are two men who are lauded for their technical ability, so it wasn't surprising to see them begin with a grappling exchange.

The crowd was clearly on McGuinness' side, but KOR was not being booed. This was probably one of the few times when either man could win and the fans would cheer because the quality of the wrestling was so high.

The way McGuinness has been able to maintain a high level of skill while only working a few random matches here and there for several years has been remarkable. He brings the best out of every opponent.

They did use some strikes eventually, but they were used sparingly because they were so focused on holds and takedowns. This wasn't as hard-hitting as you might expect, but it was a technical clinic and a fantastic display of their skills. It felt old-school in a way few matches do these days.

O'Reilly put up a good effort, but he was eventually forced to tap out to McGuinness' finisher. The London-born wrestler will now face Moxley for the continental title and cup on Sunday in his home city.

Result: McGuinness defeated O'Reilly

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Nigel's shirt was clearly a reference to Guinness. It looked almost close enough for Guinness to sue for trademark infringement.
• KOR getting visibly made when McGuinness outwrestled him was a nice character moment. You don't see O'Reilly look flustered very often.
• The way the announcers talk about McGuinness shows how much respect they have for him.

Divine Dominion and Persephone vs. Maya World and Brawling Birds

Last time in action: Divine Dominion won a squash (Collision, August 22), Persephone lost to Maya World (Dynamite, August 19), Brawling Birds won a squash (Collision, August 8)

Maya World teamed up with Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter to take on Persephone, Megan Bayne and Lena Kross.

Maya and Megan started for their teams, and The Megasus quickly took control of her much smaller opponent. They cornered her and used quick tags to keep her isolated for a bit.

The Birds and Divine Dominion will fight over the tag titles on Sunday, so they were the main story in this match, but the feud between Maya and Persephone was also highlighted throughout the fight.

These are six women who have all gained a lot of popularity in AEW, but the Scottish crowd was definitely giving Hayter and Windsor the most love.

While the majority of this match was enjoyable, it felt like they had to rush a little in order to fit everything they wanted to do in the time they were given. The pace was good, but some of the bigger spots didn't feel like they were sold enough.

The tag team feud may have been the focus, but Maya and Persephone had some of the best moments of the match together. While the ref was distracted, Persephone used the TBS title to knock Maya out, which allowed her to hit a frog splash for the win.

Result: Persephone and Divine Dominion defeated Maya and Brawling Birds

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada had a backstage segment, but there was no fighting.
• Divine Dominion have a pretty unique entrance. It wouldn't work for everyone, but it does for them.

Jack Perry vs. Swerve Strickland

Last time in action: Swerve Strickland lost to Will Ospreay (Forbidden Door), Jack Perry lost to Jon Moxley (Dynamite, August 12)

This week's main event saw Swerve Strickland take on the man he said wasn't on his level a few weeks ago, Jack Perry.

Jungle Jack went for a headlock, but Swerve easily pushed him away and took him down with a shoulder block. He got in Perry's face and talked some trash, but Perry poked him in the eyes.

The story of this match was Perry trying to prove himself while Swerve tried to prove he wasn't ready for the top spot yet. He was big-timing Jack at every turn and it made the former TNT champion feel like even more of an underdog.

The way they structured and paced the match was great. Both guys got to look strong, but they also did a good job making it feel like Swerve was the veteran out to teach the young guy a lesson.

While it would have been nice to see an upset victory for Perry, Strickland was the one who left with the W thanks to Big Pressure, but it's unlikely that this is the end of their story.

Result: Strickland defeated Perry

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Strickland can be a great babyface, but he feels so much more suited to being a heel.
• Perry's eye poke was hilarious for some reason. Swerve sold it perfectly.
• The way Perry fell from Swerve's arms into the steel steps looked brutal.
• Perry was really leaning into his high-flying side in this match. He hit some nice spots.

The Final Word

Wednesday's Dynamite was definitely designed to hype All In, but it included some strong performances to make sure the show stood on its own, too.

If you are a fan of technical wrestling, you're going to want to watch McGuinness vs. O'Reilly. If you like high-flying action, Perry and Strickland delivered. If you like watching allies fight, Moxley vs. Castagnoli is for you.

The two trios bouts also delivered some entertaining moments, but the women's match outshone the men's by a hair thanks to having a less predictable outcome.

This was the first time in several weeks that Dynamite didn't have an overrun, so it was a tight two hours of wrestling.

Grade: B+