Our AEW Dynamite results for tonight include the beginning of the Continental Classic, as Ricochet will face Claudio Castagnoli, and Darby Allin will take on Brody King. Plus, Mark Briscoe will face Shelton Benjamin. Elsewhere on the show, Tomohiro Ishii will challenge Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship.
AEW Dynamite Card
The announced card is as follows:
- AEW Continental Classic Gold League Match: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
- AEW Continental Classic Gold League Match: Ricochet vs. Claudio Castagnoli
- AEW Continental Classic Blue League Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin
- ROH World Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup Qualifier Semifinal: Jamie Hayter vs. Queen Aminata
AEW Dynamite Results
A “November Rain” music video recaps AEW Full Gear.
The Hurt Syndicate Kicks Off The Show
The Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin) kick off the show. MVP calls Lashley and Benjamin two men who are head and shoulders above everyone else. He says that when MVP gives you an opportunity to join the Hurt Syndicate, it’s like a golden ticket. MVP says that Swerve Strickland is arrogant and notes that Lashley beat him at AEW Full Gear. He praises Strickland and highlights his success but says that Lashley is the most dangerous man in AEW.
MVP says they are there for titles and power, and they are the merchants of misery. MVP turns his attention to Benjamin and says they are the best in the industry.
Grade: B+
This was good for what it was. There’s no doubt that MVP is great on the microphone. He continues to make Lashley and Benjamin seem like major stars. As a former WWE Champion, Lashley definitely doesn’t need it, but it’s icing on the cake. MVP’s shot at Strickland is another clear indicator that the group’s feud with him is not done, but for now, at least Benjamin will focus on the Continental Classic.
AEW Continental Classic Begins
AEW Continental Classic Blue League Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin
Briscoe and Benjamin feel each other out early on. Benjamin gains the upper hand, but Briscoe rallies. Briscoe sends him to the outside and hits a dropkick through the ropes. Benjamin drops Briscoe with a suplex on the floor and slams him into the barricade. He sends Briscoe into the steel steps. Briscoe fires up with a dive through the ropes. Benjamin jumps up to the top rope and throws Briscoe to the mat.
Briscoe and Benjamin battle at ringside. Back in the ring, Benjamin suplexes Briscoe. Benjamin maintains the advantage. He grounds Briscoe. Briscoe rallies with a flurry of offense. He hits Froggy Bow for a two-count. Benjamin catches Briscoe with a German suplex and hits him with another. Briscoe gets a two-count with a pin attempt. Benjamin rocks him with a kick. He hits Briscoe with a kick for a two-count. Benjamin hits another kick and an exploder for the win.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Benjamin celebrates with Lashley and MVP.
Grada: A-
Benjamin and Briscoe both had a good showing here. Benjamin has been protected well since he arrived in AEW. He couldn’t really afford to take a loss here, but seeing Briscoe start the tournament with a loss was disappointing. It’s a long tournament, so there’s plenty of time to turn it around. Regardless, this was a good statement win for Benjamin.
Mercedes Moné Celebrates
NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion and TBS Champion Mercedes Moné, alongside Kamille, comes to the stage, and she comments on her win against Kris Statlander AEW Full Gear. Moné praises Statlander and says she’s one of the greatest, but she calls herself the greatest TBS Champion of all time. Mercedes is seemingly about to fire Kamille for not being able to get the job done. Kamille asks her if she’s stupid or dumb. Kamille says she quits and walks away.
Grade: B
The split was needed, as this partnership quickly fizzled out, and it wasn’t doing much for either woman. However, this was very abrupt. Yes, AEW had teased dissension, but it seems like they rushed through this arc to get it over with. Hopefully, the positive side of having Kamille freed from Moné will outweigh the questionable execution here. Moné has teased building a stable, so it’s fair to assume she’ll find a replacement.
Chris Jericho Defends The Gold
ROH World Championship: Chris Jericho (c) (with Big Bill and Bryan Keith) vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Jericho and Ishii trade chops early on. They keep exchanging strikes. Ishii drops Jericho with a clothesline. Ishii continues to drill Jericho with stiff blows. Jericho thumbs him in the eye and drops him with a DDT on the apron. Ishii chops Jericho, and he fires back with one of his own. They go back and forth with slaps. The two competitors trade blows. Jericho is bleeding from the mouth, and Ishii gains the upper hand. Jericho gains momentum with a superplex.
Ishii and Jericho again trade strikes. Ishii counters a Judas Effect with a lariat. He drills Jericho with some strikes. Jericho slams him and hits a Lionsault. Jericho hits a Judas Effect and a Codebreaker, but Ishii kicks out right away. Ishii evades the Walls of Jericho.
He counters the Judas Effect and hits a Spear for a two-count. Ishii hits a Codebreaker and a lariat. Jericho hits a Judas Effect and drops Ishii with another for the win.
Winner and still ROH World Champion: Chris Jericho
Jericho celebrates with Bill and Keith after the bell.
Grade: B
Jericho and Ishii essentially ran back their previous ROH World Championship, as they followed a similar blueprint with an abundance of chops. On the plus side, Big Bill and Bryan Keith did not interfere, as we’ve come to expect in Jericho’s title matches. There’s nothing wrong with a solid win, but this would have been a good spot to have Samoa Joe return. Fans will have to wait a little longer for that, so Jericho’s immediate future is unclear.
Backstage, Swerve Strickland is interviewed, and he is asked about his loss. He says he rebuilds very well. Max Caster walks by and laughs. Strickland confronts him. Caster brings up how he beat Strickland and calls himself the best wrestler. Strickland grabs Caster and punches him. He throws Caster into a road case.
Adam Page Speaks
“Hangman” Adam Page comes to the ring, and he is asked about his actions at AEW Full Gear. He says he’ll knock Christopher Daniels down again if he gets in his way. Page says that he made a deal, and he kept his end of it. He says that if Christian Cage kept up his end of the deal, he’d be the world champion, but Cage failed.
Page makes it clear that his intention is to be the world champion, and it should have never been Strickland. He says the title has always been his. Jay White interrupts and brings up their match at AEW Full Gear, as well as their match at AEW WrestleDream. White says if anyone will challenge for the world title, it will be him.
White says that if Page needs a reminder, he will give him one. PAC attacks White, and The Death Riders join him.
Wheeler Yuta attacks Page, and PAC joins him. White fights them off. Marina Shafir hits Page with a briefcase. White counters it when she tries to hit him. Jon Moxley shows up and locks him in a choke. The Death Riders gang up on White. PAC hits White with the briefcase, and The Death Riders leave.
Grade: B
Page’s explanation about how he would have the world title was a little confusing. Was Cage going to give him an immediate title shot? That was unclear, but Page being intentional about chasing the world title was an effective focusing moment. White had a logical comeback, given that he beat Page twice. The Death Riders’ attack seemed to set up a title match between Moxley and White for AEW Worlds End, and White is a fitting contender coming off his wins against Page.
Continental Classic Action Continues
AEW Continental Classic Gold League Match: Ricochet vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Ricochet and Castagnoli go back and forth early on. Ricochet sends Castagnoli to the outside. Castagnoli slams Ricochet onto the barricade. He drills Ricochet with an uppercut. Ricochet catches Castagnoli with a dropkick and dives onto him at ringside. Castagnoli trips Ricochet up on the ropes and grounds him. He maintains the advantage.
Ricochet rallies and dives onto Castagnoli at ringside. Castagnoli catches a diving Ricochet and hits a backbreaker. He hits a big boot. Ricochet sends Castagnoli to the outside with a takedown and dives onto him. He hits a springboard clothesline and a moonsault off the ropes. Castagnoli rocks Ricochet with an uppercut. He hits a running stomp and locks in the Sharpshooter. Castagnoli transitions into a crossface.
Castagnoli nails Ricochet with another uppercut. Ricochet counters the Ricola-bomb into a pin attempt. Castagnoli sends him to the outside and slams him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Castagoli hits a lariat for the win.
Winner: Claudio Castagnoli
Grade: B+
Ricochet and Castagnoli are two of the best on the roster, and getting a great matchup like this is what the Continental Classic is all about. The ending was a little abrupt, but it was an effective ending that showed that the match could have gone either way. As with Briscoe, an early loss for Ricochet isn’t great, especially coming off his loss at AEW Full Gear, but there’s plenty of time to bounce back.
Backstage, Don Callis hypes up Kyle Fletcher’s win against Will Ospreay at AEW Full Gear. Fletcher makes it clear that he intends to win the AEW Continental Classic.
Adam Cole Speaks
Adam Cole comes to the ring with Mike Bennett and Matt Taven. Cole says he’s tired of playing this game with MJF and calls him a little bitch. He vows to beat MJF within an inch of his life. Kyle O’Reilly interrupts and says that Cole should let him fight MJF. Cole cuts him off and says that O’Reilly was right, as he did not want his friends to fight his battles. They argue. MJF appears on the video screen and says “no” to facing them. MJF says the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale is next week, so he’s not thinking about them. Cole and O’Reilly enter the battle royale.
Grade: B-
Having Cole lose to Konosuke Takeshita and have to wait to face MJF made some sense, but now this feud is getting stretched out too long. Presumably, a singles match between Cole and MJF is the endgame, but Cole having to jump through so many hopes is quickly sapping any buzz out of the story. Hopefully, Cole and MJF being in the battle royale next week will be the step forward this feud needs.
International Women’s Cup Qualifier Semifinal
NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty International Women’s Cup Qualifier Semifinal: Jamie Hayter vs. Queen Aminata
Hayter and Aminata battle it out early on, and they’re evenly matched. Hayter gains the upper hand. Aminata and Hayter trade chops. Hayter suplexes Aminata into the ropes. Hayter grounds Aminata. Aminata rallies, and Hayter responds with a stiff strike. They trade pin attempts. Aminata suplexes Hayter and nails her with a stiff strike to the face.
Aminata evades the Hayter-ade. She slams Hayter to the mat. Hayter traps Aminata in a sleeper hold, but Aminata escapes. She gets a two-count with a boot. Hayter hits a lariat for the win.
Winner: Jamie Hayter
After the match, the lights go out, teasing Julia Hart’s return, but she does not come out.
Grade: B
Hayter needed the win here, as her return from injury has somewhat stalled recently. Aminata continues to impress, and it’s only a matter of time before she gets a big win as well. The continued teases of Julia Hart’s return have fans excited for her return, and the post-match tease indicates that she will be back imminently. She will be a good boost to the women’s division.
In an interview, Mina Shirakawa discusses Mariah May turning on her and says Mariah is not who she thought she was. She calls May selfish. May attacks Shirakawa from behind and whips her with her title. The broadcast team confirms that Shirakawa will challenge May for the title at AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming.
Grade: B+
The language barrier may have been a factor here, but this was effective nonetheless. The turn at AEW Full Gear made it clear that the former friends would finally clash in the near future. Given the depth of the story involved, this one could have been stretched out to AEW Worlds End, but AEW opted not to wait, so it will be a buzzworthy match at Winter is Coming. This stands to be the next significant chapter of Mariah May’s story in AEW.
Darby Allin Faces Brody King
AEW Continental Classic Gold League Match: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
King overpowers Allin early on. He crushes Allin with two sentons. He continues to control the action. King sends Allin to the outside. He slams Allin into the barricade. Back in the ring, King grounds Allin before sending him back to the outside. Allin evades King, but King slams him into the barricade again. Allin moves out of the way when King goes for a senton, sending him into the barricade.
King hits a cannonball in the corner. Allin hits a sunset flip for a two-count. Allin dives onto King at ringside and dives onto him again. He hits another Coffin Drop to the outside. King counters a Coffin Drop and locks in a choke. He transitions into a Gonzo Bomb for the win.
Winner: Brody King
Claudio Castagnoli comes out, and he’s about to attack Allin, but King stares him down.
Grade: A
King and Allin always bring the goods when they work together, and this was no exception. Allin’s selling made King look like an absolute monster. King had a breakout run in the Continental Classic last year, and he should have another strong outing in the tournament this year. As with Briscoe and Ricochet, a loss off the bat isn’t ideal for Allin, but he has time to bounce back. The post-match showdown with Castagnoli set up their match next week and hinted at a possible face turn for King.
AEW Dynamite Grade: B
AEW usually goes all out for their Thanksgiving Eve show, and this one fell a bit flat. The Continental Classic got off to a strong start, and Benjamin and King specifically had strong showings. The Adam Cole/MJF segment was a dud, and the ROH World Championship match was somewhat of a miss as well. Mariah May attacking Mina Shirakawa kept the ball rolling there, but the Kamille/Mercedes split was abrupt.
The Death Rider beatdown angle was a bit more of the same for that group, but now they have to contend with both White and Page, who are two solid contenders. All in all, it was a mixed bag of a show that was definitely boosted by the Continental Classic.
