All Elite Wrestling delivered a star-studded show with the August 16 episode of AEW Dynamite. The special episode kicked off Fight for the Fallen 2023. Proceeds went to the Maui Food Bank in the wake of the devastating wildfires in Maui.
The Young Bucks faced The Gunns, and Orange Cassidy defended the AEW International Championship against Wheeler Yuta. Plus, Jeff Hardy faced Jeff Jarrett in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Death Match.
The results are as follows:
AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Wheeler Yuta
Yuta and Cassidy feel each other out early on. They trade counters and strikes, and they’re evenly matched. Cassidy and Yuta continue to match each other move for move. Yuta dumps Cassidy to the outside and dives onto him. Cassidy suplexes Yuta on the floor. Yuta spikes Cassidy with a piledriver on the ramp. Back in the ring, Cassidy rallies with a Beach Break. Yuta levels Cassidy with a clothesline and regains the upper hand.
He grounds Cassidy and targets his leg. Cassidy gains some momentum with a dropkick and dives onto Yuta on the outside. Yuta drops Cassidy with a superplex. He gets a two-count with a diving splash. Cassidy goes for a DDT, but his knee gives out. Cassidy gets a two-count with a Michinoku Driver. He floors Yuta with a DDT. Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley come to ringside. Cassidy looks at Moxley and hits Yuta with the Paradigm Shift. He nails Yuta with the Orange Punch. Yuta gets a near fall with the Seatbelt. Cassidy counters the pin and scores the win.
Winner and still AEW International Champion: Orange Cassidy
Blackpool Combat Club attacks Cassidy after the bell, and Best Friends try to make the save. BCC gains the upper hand, and the Lucha Brothers make the save. Blackpool Combat Club gets some chairs, but Eddie Kingston shows up and helps fight them off. Kingston grabs a microphone and challenges Blackpool Combat Club to a Stadium Stampede match at AEW All In.
Kenny Omega Interview
Jim Ross interviews Kenny Omega, who discusses his relationship with Don Callis. Omega says he’s trying to move on, despite what Callis has done, as he doesn’t want his existence to be about revenge. Omega shares his thoughts on Konosuke Takeshita’s alliance with Callis. He says he’s going to embarrass Takeshita. Callis shows up and distracts Omega. Takeshita, Jay White, and Juice Robinson attack Omega. Callis tells Omega to show them the God of Pro Wrestling.
Hangman Page is shown outside of an ambulance. He says Omega is not finished, and he will have two of his greatest friends in London. Page says Omega will have him and Kota Ibushi at AEW All In.
In-Ring Segment: Chris Jericho and Don Callis
Jericho comments on the downfall of the Jericho Appreciation Society and says it forced him to reevaluate himself and his ways. He says he doesn’t join factions. Instead, he creates them. Jericho says the answer is obvious. He tells Callis that his answer about joining the Don Callis Family. Jericho says his answer is yes, as he needed to go back to his roots and align with someone he’s known for years, someone who’s as low as him. Jericho unveils the painting that Callis brought with him.
The painting shows Callis holding Jericho’s disembodied head. Jericho says Callis must have thought he was going to say no. Callis tries to talk his way out of it. Jericho tells Callis to be straight with him. He yells at Callis and demands the truth. Callis admits that he didn’t think Jericho would say yes. He says he thought Jericho would say no because of his massive ego. Callis says it has always been all about Jericho. He calls Jericho the greatest egomaniac. Callis says Jericho doesn’t deserve to be in his family. Jericho fires back by saying no one cares about Callis, and he has lost everything. He calls Callis a lowlife, a worm, and an asshole. Callis slaps Jericho. Jericho grabs him. Takeshita tries to attack Jericho, but Jericho fights him off. Will Ospreay attacks Jericho.
Ospreay hits Jericho with a chair. Ospreay, Takeshita, and Callis gang up on Jericho, and Sammy Guevara makes the save.
A video package highlights Jack Perry’s run as the FTW Champion. He comments on his win over Rob Van Dam and calls himself the greatest FTW Champion of all time. Perry says he wants to go out on top, so he’ll retire the title next week.
Darby Allin & Nick Wayne vs. Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona)
The Gates of Agony attack Allin and Wayne during their entrance. Swerve Strickland and AR Fox come out. Wayne rallies, but he gets slammed into the barricade. They gang up on Allin. Both teams get in the ring, and the match starts. The Gates of Agony control the action. Allin rallies, but Gates of Agony overpower him. Wayne and Allin keep fighting as they use their quickness to counter the powerhouses. Wayne hits Liona with a hurricanrana off the apron. Allin hits Kaun with the Coffin Drop for the win.
Winners: Darby Allin & Nick Wayne
Sting appears on the video screen and says he’s directing movies now. He tells Fox he better have eyes in the back of his head. Sting looks forward to the Coffin Match at AEW All In. The camera reveals that he’s next to Prince Nana. Sting tells Nana it’s showtime. He scares Nana, who runs away.
MJF and Adam Cole do some bonding, as they get ready for their ROH World Tag Team Championship. MJF takes Cole to Outback Steakhouse, and he gets worried about their wrestling because the food is so good. Cole says they should watch some Australian movies. MJF plays a clip of kangaroos fighting and gets inspired by it. He mimics a kangaroo kick. Cole has another idea. They spoof Steve Irwin and watch some “alligators.” MJF and Cole practice the double clothesline. They get sent to Tony Khan’s office, and the door is closed, but Khan is heard yelling at them.
MJF says Khan will pay for that when it’s contract season. Khan opens the door, and MJF plays nice. MJF and Cole roll up in the parking lot. They head to the ring, and Roderick Strong just misses them. He kicks the car’s tire and hurts his foot in the process.
In-Ring Segment: MJF and Adam Cole
MJF hypes up the crowd. Cole vows to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship at AEW All In. MJF gets a “Kangaroo Kick” chant going. They say they’re going to win the gold with a double clothesline. Cole shifts gears and brings up their world title match. He says it will be the most important match of his life. Cole notes that, just a few months ago, doctors told him he might never wrestle again, and now he’s headlining the biggest show in AEW history. Cole tells MJF he loves him and says he needs to win. Cole says he will do anything to win.
MJF says his story is better. He looks back on his first day in wrestling, when he named Cody Rhodes and Adam Cole as his two dream opponents. MJF reflects on putting 90,000 miles on his new car within a year because he worked hard on the independent scene. He then found out about the first All In. MJF describes how he reached out to Cody Rhodes, asking for an opportunity, and Cody gave him a shot. He then details how Tony Khan offered him a contract, and he says there would be no MJF without All In.
Jumping ahead to 2023, MJF says he became a generational talent and the world champion. MJF calls AEW All In the biggest opportunity of his career. He calls Cole his best friend and says the match means a lot to him. However, MJF says headlining the match with Cole doesn’t mean everything to him. MJF says the title means everything to him.
He highlights everything he has put into winning the title and says while he loves Cole, a win in Wembley will make him legendary. MJF vows to win and says nobody is on his level. Cole says, “May the best man win.” MJF says he thinks the best man will win, and he’s “better than you, and you know it.” Cole says the new champion’s name will be Adam Cole, baybay.
Aussie Open try to attack MJF and Cole, but the “Brochachos” fight them off. Cole teases superkicking MJF, but the champion turns around, and Cole stands down. They hug and stand tall.
Backstage, Chris Jericho is asked about Will Ospreay attacking him. He says Ospreay would have had the match if not for the pandemic. Jericho says that nothing can stop it now, as he challenges Ospreay to a match at AEW All In.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Death Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Jeff Jarrett
Hardy enters but heads backstage. He gets attacked by Jeff Jarrett. They brawl. Karen Jarrett hits Hardy and helps Jeff take control. Hardy hits Jarrett with a crutch. Satnam Singh grabs Hardy and chokes him. Ethan Page, Matt hardy, and Isiah Kassidy fight Singh off. What appears to be fake blood gets dumped on the Jarretts.
They try to escape into the halls of the arena. The Hardy Party follows them. Jay Lethal gets involved, and both sides keep fighting. Jeff Hardy leaps off some road cases. The two Jeffs make their way back into the main arena. Their respective allies follow them. Fog comes out from under the ring. The Hardy Party gangs up on Jarrett. Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Singh attack Matt, Page, and Kassidy. Jeff Hardy hits Jarrett with a Swanton Bomb through a table. Lethal breaks up the pin. Matt drops Lethal with a Twist of Fate.
Jeff Jarrett gets a guitar, but Hardy smashes him with it. Strange music plays, and a man wearing a Leatherface mask comes out brandishing a chainsaw. Singh and Lethal attack Hardy. Lethal hits Hardy with a hammer, and Singh chokeslams him. Jarrett pins Hardy for the win.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett
Winner Advances To AEW All In: Britt Baker vs. The Bunny
Baker and Bunny feel each other out. Baker gains the upper hand. Penelope Ford distracts her, and Bunny gains the upper hand. Bunny controls the action, but Baker rallies. The former champion hits a Slingblade and a butterfly suplex. Baker gets ready for the Lockjaw, but Ford interferes. Baker drops her and stomps Bunny for the win.
Winner: Britt Baker
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Billy Gunn) come to the ring for a tag team match. The lights go out. They come back on, and House of Black is in the ring. House of Black attacks them. Brody King hits Caster with a steel chain. Buddy Matthews drills Bowens with a knee strike. King slams Bowens. The beatdown continues, and Caster gets busted open. Julia Hart hands Billy Gunn’s boots to Buddy, and they get passed to Malakai Black.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn)
The Young Bucks attack The Gunns during their entrance. The match eventually makes its way to the ring. Matt and Nick Jackson firmly control the action early on. The Gunns gain the upper hand and maintain the advantage over the former champions. Matt Jackson rallies, and Nick tags in with a flurry of offense. He takes out Colten with a dive to the outside. The Bucks keep gaining momentum, and Austin is left by himself. Colten takes out the Bucks with a double clothesline.
Matt gets a two-count with a roll-up. The Gunns hit the 3:10 to Yuma, but Nick breaks up the pin. Matt stacks up Austin, and Nick helps him clinch the win by holding onto the ropes.
Winners: The Young Bucks
Jay White and Juice Robinson attack the Young Bucks after the bell. Bullet Club Gold gangs up on them and prepares to stomp on Matt Jackson’s previously injured arm. FTR makes the save and helps the Young Bucks fight off Bullet Club Gold.
FTR and the Young Bucks stare each other down as the show comes to an end.
