This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite emanates from the F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee. Will Ospreay and Buddy Matthews battle in singes action. Toni Storm, Willow Nightingale, and Kris Statlander compete for the number one spot in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet. The men’s roster competes in their own Casino Gauntlet. Kenny Omega returns and more!
We break it all down in this week’s AEW Dynamite recap!
Will Ospreay vs. Buddy Matthews
Matthews and Ospreay lock up, with the former shoulder-tackling the latter. Ospreay looks for an Os-cutter but Matthews blocks it. Matthews chops Ospreay, then lands a dropkick. Ospreay fights back with a kick of his own.
Ospreay rocks Matthews with right hands, then a kick to the head. Matthews sends Ospreay up and over the top rope. Ospreay with a springboard elbow for a near fall. Matthews connects with a kick to Ospreay’s jaw, then the back of his head. Matthews follows up with a backbreaker.
Matthews and Ospreay trade kicks. Ospreay goes for the Os-cutter again, but Matthews catches him and throws him into the edge of the announce table. Matthews nails him with a knee along the barricade. He charges in again, but Ospreay catches him with a thrust kick before following up with an Os-cutter. The referee begins to count, which Matthews barely beats. Ospreay levels him with a dropkick and Os-cutter for a near fall.
Matthews ducks his first Hidden Blade, but Ospreay hits the second. Ospreay delivers a series of kicks and elbow strikes. Matthews retaliates with a kick of his own. Ospreay looks for another Os-Cutter, but Matthews blocks it again and counters with a kick to the back Ospreay’s head. Ospreay plants Matthews with a Styles Clash for another near fall, then calls for another Hidden Blade. He hits it for the win.
Winner: Will Ospreay
After the match, Ospreay tells the crowd to give it up for Buddy Matthews. Ospreay says both Matthews and Brody King don’t need a leader. Ospreay says if he ever needs a man in his corner, he’s got him. Ospreay and Matthews shake hands.
We Hear From Private Party
Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen emerge alongside indie star extras for a VIP celebration following their recent title defense . MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin interrupt. MVP makes it clear that his clients are coming for the AEW Tag Team Championships before joining commentary for Lashley’s match.
Mark Briscoe vs. Bobby Lashley
Briscoe shoves Lashley, then chops him. Lashley plants him with a Flatliner. He follows up with a German suplex and a shoulder tackle in the corner. Lashley slams him to the mat, then whips him into the corner. Lashley charges in with a splash. Briscoe ascends the top rope, but Lashley catches him on the way down. Briscoe goes flying out of the ring. Lashley levels him on the outside.
Back from break, Lashley knocks Briscoe to the outside with a big elbow off the apron. Briscoe emerges from under the ring with a chair, hitting Lashley with it. Briscoe sets up the chair in the ring, using it as a platform to jump off of. Briscoe jumps onto Lashley again, then ascends the top turnbuckle. He descends with an elbow drop. Lashley kicks out of his subsequent pinfall attempt. Lashley bounces back with a back elbow and a spear. He applies The Hurt Lock, prompting the referee to call for the bell.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Post-match, Private Party rush down with chairs in their hands in order to save Briscoe from a Hurt Syndicate beating. The Hurt Syndicate retreat.
AEW World Title #1 Contendership Casino Gauntlet
Adam Page and Jay White kick off the action. They trade chops. Page lands a pair of right hands. White fights back with more chops. They exchange more chops until White rolls up Page for a two count. Page looks for a Buckshot Lariat, but White blocks it. Page and White go up top, with the latter landing a superplex.
Wheeler Yuta enters third. White rocks him with a Blade Runner, but Page breaks up the pinfall attempt that follows. White nails him with a chop. Page responds with a fallaway slam and a clothesline in the corner. Page sends White up and over, then hits a flying lariat on him and Yuta. Swerve Strickland’s music hits to tease his arrival, but it’s actually Ricochet that enters fourth.
Back from break, Page and White send Ricochet and Yuta flying over the top rope. Adam Cole enters the match fifth. He rocks Page with an enziguri and superkick. Ricochet looks for a springboard splash, but Cole rocks him with a mid-air superkick. Cole follows up with a Panama Sunrise on him for a near fall. Daniel Garcia enters sixth.
Garcia and Cole trade elbows. Cole sweeps him off his feet, but Garcia levels him right back. Garcia rains down right hands on Page, Cole, and White in the corner. Yuta and Garcia exchange slaps. Yuta thumbs him in the eye. Ricochet and Yuta dumps Garcia to the outside. Powerhouse Hobbs enters seventh. He launches Ricochet to the outside, then does the same White, Cole, and Yuta in the ring. Hobbs throws Page across the ring as well.
Back from another break, Hobbs flips Ricochet inside out. White tries to overpower Hobbs, but is no match for him, so he gets slammed. White trips him in the corner. Roderick Strong enters next, laying out Page with a backbreaker. He slams Yuta before Ricochet takes him down. Cole, Garcia, and Strong stomp away at Ricochet. Hobbs rushes in with a double clothesline on Cole and Garcia. White spikes Ricochet. Yuta plants White right after. Lance Archer enters next, slamming Strong onto Cole. Archer catches Ricochet mid-crossbody, then tosses him aside. Hobbs tosses Ricochet across the ring as well. Hobbs powerslams Archer, but Archer slams him right back. They then trade strikes.
Kyle O’Reilly arrives next, taking out Yuta on the ramp. He levels Archer with a dragonscrew on the ropes. Strong, Cole, and O’Reilly triple team Page. Hobbs fights off all three men until Garcia jumps onto his back. Garcia, Cole, Strong, and O’Reilly take down Hobbs. Jeff Jarrett looks to enter next, but Yuta attacks him from behind. They brawl to the back.
Meanwhile, Hobbs plows through Cole, Strong, and O’Reilly in the ring, then sends Archer over the top rope and to the outside. Hobbs hits a spinebuster on O’Reilly for the win.
Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs
After the match, Hobbs tells Renee Paquette that Jon Moxley was the one who brought him to AEW, and next week, he plans to make him his b*tch.
We Hear From Jeff Jarrett & MJF
Jeff Jarrett is standing in the ring. He asks himself if he still has what it takes to climb the mountain again. MJF interrupts. He tells Jarrett he is looking at the longest reigning and greatest AEW World Champion. MJF says he wants the title back, but the world title scene seems busy right now. MJF says none of the contenders are worthy of the title, but Jarrett might be. MJF claims that Jarrett has not been completely honest with the people, noting that his contract is only for one more year. MJF insinuates that Jarrett now only has one year to prove that he’s still got it. MJF offers to help Jarrett become world champion one more time if Jarrett promises to let MJF have the first title shot in return. MJF asks Jarrett if he accepts.
Jarrett tells MJF just because he was on top once, doesn’t mean he will again. Jarrett calls MJF a one hit wonder. Jarrett says all kidding aside, he knows the road ahead of him will be hard. Jarrett, however, is prepared to crawl back to the top of the mountain. Jarrett points out that instead of entering the gauntlet, MJF chose to scheme tonight. Jarrett says he will make the most of his 2025, but MJF isn’t included in those plans. Jarrett officially declines MJF’s help and walks away.
Adam Copeland (aka Cope) Calls Out Jon Moxley
Copeland addresses Jon Moxley’s recent actions, including the Death Riders going after FTR. Copeland calls that a massive mistake. Copeland says he has fought through a lot and is an entirely different animal than everyone else. Copeland recalls wrestling through past injuries, such as his broken leg while battling Malakai Black last year. Copeland tells Moxley to tell him what he’s done that he hasn’t before.
The Death Riders’ music hit, with Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Yuta walking through the crowd. FTR attack them from behind. Marina Shafir grabs Copeland’s leg as a distraction, allowing PAC to hit Copeland with a briefcase. Claudio and Yuta wipe out FTR on the floor as Moxley chokes out Copeland in the ring. Moxley reveals a plastic bag, but before he can use it, Powerhouse Hobbs walks to the ring. The Death Riders retreat.
Backstage, Harley Cameron calls for a non-title match against Mariah May. May agrees, then promising to rip Cameron’s head off.
Casino Gauntlet #1 Spot: Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander
All three attempt quick pinfalls. Nightingale kicks Statlander to the outside, then shoulder tackles Storm. She lays her out with a spinebuster. Statlander returns, trading falls with Nightingale. Nightingale drops Statlander with a shoulder tackle, then sends Storm to the floor. Storm runs back in, only for Statlander to send her back to the outside. Storm ascends the top rope, taking down both her opponents with a crossbody. Statlander blocks a sunset flip from Storm. Nightingale then launches Storm’s face in between Statlander’s legs.
Nightingale and Statlander work together for a fallaway slam to Storm. Storm fires back with elbows on Statlander. Statlander rocks Storm with a kick. Nightingale plants Statlander with a lariat. Statlander dropkicks Storm into the corner. Nightingale spears Statlander out of nowhere, then whips Storm into her. Nightingale charges in with cannonball on both of them. She follows up with a Death Valley Driver on Storm for a near fall. Storm stuns Nightingale with a jawbreaker, then Statlander with a German suplex.
Nightingale suplexes both Storm and Statlander. Storm rolls up Nightingale, but Statlander breaks it up. Statlander pushes Nightingale to the outside. She plants Storm with the Night Fever for the win.
Winner: Kris Statlander
Backstage, Toni Storm says it was an honor to be out there with Nightingale and Statlander. Next week, though, she plans to do her best in the Women’s Gauntlet.
Kenny Omega Returns To Dynamite
Omega reflects on his Diverticulitis diagnosis, which was followed by a rollercoaster ride of a year. Omega recalls asking about his recovery and when he could get back in a ring. Omega says his doctor told him he’d be lucky to return to his everyday life, let alone wrestling. Omega confirms he was in the hospital four more times, where he questioned his future in wrestling. Ultimately, he decided to return to the people. Omega says he found his purpose in Japan and tonight, which is showing that he is the best in pro wrestling.
Don Callis emerges on the stage. Omega runs after Callis and hits him. Brian Cage and Lance Archer rip Omega off of him, then fire off strikes. The action spills to the ring, with Kyle Fletcher joining in. Fletcher and Archer hold Omega back, allowing Cage to strike him in the midsection. Will Ospreay runs down with a chair, striking Archer with it on his way. Cage and Fletcher retreat, while Ospreay and Omega stare down one another.