Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly AEW Dynamite hits and misses series.
Last night’s Dynamite emanated from the Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, AR. The show saw featured appearances from MJF, Will Ospreay, The Elite, Mariah May, and Dr. Britt Baker among others.
Here’s what went down on 7/17 AEW Dynamite.
Hit – MJF vs. Will Ospreay
MJF and Ospreay kicked off the 250th episode of Dynamite for the International Championship. The match went an astonishing 59 minutes and 58 seconds from bell to bell, making it one of the longest televised matches in AEW history. Ospreay spammed some finishers from his past opponents on Max. The challenger had some brilliant counters of his own. Max used his Dynamite Diamond Ring to knock out Ospreay and claim the International title.
A really, really good match that should’ve clocked at 20 minutes. MJF and Ospreay really went all out for almost an hour. The apron spots were stiff. Max flipping off a fan while she punched him was hilarious. That said, he spent way too much time being a douchebag heel. I guess that was needed to pass the time. The title change was surprising because I didn’t expect Will to drop the title on Dynamite. This could very well lead to MJF versus Ospreay II at All In.
Miss – TBS title match on AEW Dynamite
Mercedes Moné put her TBS title on the line against Nyla Rose. Nyla brought the offense until Mercedes countered with a submission for the win. Britt Baker showed up wearing a Sting mask in the crowd to cause a brawl with the champion.
This match ranks among the weaker TBS title defenses for Mercedes. She’s had some pretty good ones. Okada asking the Bucks to request Mercedes to do the dance was hilarious. The dance was… cringe. This was before Mercedes went to the ring to defend her title.
Hit – Mariah May impersonates Toni Storm
Mariah May hit the ring one week into her vicious betrayal of Toni Storm. The 2024 Owen Hart Cup winner impersonated her former mentor from head to toe. Mariah cut a promo wherein she promised to win the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In.
Mariah stealing Toni’s looks from head to toe was brilliant. The promo… wasn’t. She talked way too slow, which made it sound boring. If this was Mariah attempting at trying something different, it didn’t work apart from the outfit and the hair and makeup, of course.
Miss – AEW Dynamite main event ends in DQ
Swerve Strickland and Kazuchika Okada headlined Dynamite#250. Both men went almost 12 minutes before The Elite attacked Strickland to cause a disqualification. The Acclaimed and Mark Briscoe arrived before Adam Page showed up to brawl with arch nemesis Swerve. Darby Allin showed up from the skies to reveal himself as the fifth member of Team AEW for Blood & Guts.
Strickland versus Okada could’ve been a MOTY contender if it wasn’t for MJF versus Ospreay running for half of the show. At least, we got to see Darby Allin paying homage to his mentor Sting with the entrance from the rafters. The main event for Blood & Guts is all set. Which team will be the winner this time?
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