All Elite Wrestling opened up week 1 by premiering an episode of “Dynamite” live on TBS, featuring high-stakes matches including the TNT and world tag team titles.
With a new train and an undefeated record, Wardlow has been on the roll of a lifetime in 2022. Could his run as TNT champion be short-lived, courtesy of “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy?
A Three-Way Dance is taking place with the Young Bucks, Team Taz and Swerve In Our Glory. A world title elimination match will take place between Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita.
Get the latest updates on who had a stronger title grip by checking out this recap of the July 13 broadcast, which includes Shingo defeating Satoshi and Shinji playing stiffer than ever.
TNT Championship Match: Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy
Two AEW stars clashed Wednesday night in the opening contest, with a TNT title defender taking on an “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy.
Wardlow quickly threw off confusing and tricky moves from the challenger and his best friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent, to overpower him and dominate throughout the commercial. Cassidy fought back, targeting the left knee of the champion.
Cassidy avoided the powerbomb and posted the Wardog twice at ringside, and the fans chanted “Freshly Squeezed” as he did. Orange Punch and Beach Breaks earned the challenger a two-count. A second attempt of the punch led to Wardlow catching him and driving him down with a powerbomb for the hard-fought victory.
A fun, surprising matchup showed off Cassidy’s persistence and gave fans a close look at the defending Wardlow.
The reigning champion proved he was up to the task in his first match of the reign against a wrestler who is not typically seen as a challenge, despite working without much in the way of long matches recently.
Cassidy continued to assert himself as a highly skilled and undervalued professional wrestler on TV with another strong performance that stayed true to his character while featuring the exquisite timing and red-hot crowd who make up two key elements of a great performance.
Wardlow defeated Cassidy to retain
Chris Jericho and Eddie Kingston Promos; Jon Moxley vs Konosuke Takeshita
Despite being a huge fan favourite, Chris Jericho takes no liberties when cutting promos for the WWE. He said Eddie Kingston has so many friends who have suffered and that he would prove that next week when their match is set.
Kingston responded in a brief backstage promo by promising to spill Jericho’s blood next week and like it.
Jon Moxley faced off with Konosuke Takeshita at the AEW interim world champion.
However, upon trying to execute a piledriver takedown on Moxley after the break, Takeshita was caught and beaten down with a German Suplex. Now that Moxley had control of the match again, he punished Takeshita by kicking him in the head.
Takeshita used a jumping high impact lariat to fight back and went on a roll that saw him deliver a plancha and then frog splash to put the champ down for a dramatic two-count. Moxley survived a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Takeshita stayed in the fight.
First-Ever Death Rider From Mox vs. Jimi Takeshita
The match between Watanabe and Moxley was an intense physical one, with the young Japanese competitor showcasing his ability to be a future star in the industry. He matched Moxley’s tenacity, punished him with his own hard-hitting strikes, nearly putting him away late with a rolling German suplex.
With a strong performance like the one he gave last night, Moxley will win over his new fans in ways not possible without him. Such performances will lead to him winning over people who previously thought they could never root for someone like him.
Mox and Takeshita are coming in hot with their AEW plans, but what’s more, is the potential future of that promotion as a burning issue.
Moxley submitted Takeshita turns in a less than satisfactory result
Luchasaurus vs. Griff Garrison
Christian Cage cut another scathing promo, this time on The Varsity Blondes’ Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr before sending the gruesome Luchasaurus to the squared circle for his match with the Jungle Boy doppelganger Garrison.
Luchasaurus defeated his opponent in seconds because of the tactic Tar Pit.
After the match, the masked heavyweight continued his assault, moving a stricken Pillman onto an announce table two chokeslams to Garrison, eventually driving him through the table with his partner.
Christian Cage, who has a history of being disrespectful and attacking fans during promos, brutally attacked Varsity Blondes members Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr. before sending out his man-mountain Luchasaurus to the squared circle.
As expected, Luchasaurus annihilated his opponent in a quick match.
After the match, the masked heavyweight continued his assault, moving a stricken Pillman onto an announce table with two chokeslams to Garrison, eventually driving him through the table with his partner.
This character had a highlight reel of villainous deeds, making him the most despicable on the show. He was also put over as the indestructible force that is evil Luchasaurus.
Sequences such as this, will likely also make for great TV scenes. Jungle Boy and his former mentor are both coming back to clash.
Luchasaurus fights Garrison!
Claudio Castagnoli vs Jake Hager
Former tag team partners, Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager, in singles competition during their time with the WWE squared off at Blackpool Combat Club.
Hager, who was fighting at a time when the control of the bout had been taken away from Castagnoli and he was cornered into a neutral corner, pushed him back and assumed control of the bout for himself.
Hager’s life was saved when members of the Jericho Appreciation Society came in to break up Sharpshooter and had a victory, but Swiss Superman would overcome one final onslaught by Hager to score a quality victory.
It may be best to stick to your original position in the case of professional wrestling. Chris Hager was clearly tired from a hard fought match, while one of his opponent’s uppercuts felt more like he was getting warmed up.
With this promotion, it is nice to see Castagnoli get the star treatment he deserves. He has a lot of championship potential and even got a shot at the main event in WWE, where he probably should have dethroned Roman Reigns.
Cesaro pinned Hager
Anna Jay vs Serena Deeb
Anna Jay wins over Serena Deeb on The Mic
Jay was having a hard time performing when trying to escape her opponent, who led the fight. But Deeb knew just how to judge Jay’s movements, which led to him blocking every move. However, at the end of the match, it appeared that Jay would be able to shock her surprise victory with her Queenslayer sleeper.
Deeb forced the submission, and Mercedes took over to hype their upcoming match for the Ring of Honor Women’s Championship.
This was another solidly entertaining match by Deeb. She doesn’t dazzle the audience with flashy maneuvers but she has shown to be extremely strong and can have excellent matches with different styles of wrestlers.
The story of the contest, though, was how Jay continued to develop as an in-ring performer. Debuting two years ago with a lot of potential and room to grow, she has shaped into a very talented young wrestler who has plenty of upside potential and the very real possibility to become the face of all things women’s wrestling in AEW.
Deeb submitted Jay
Three Way Dance for the AEW World Tag Team Championship
In a backstage segment, Tay Conti interrupted an interview with Anna Jay to tease a feud between her and Tony Schiavone.
A week ago, The Young Bucks issued a challenge to Team Taz’s Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs, and Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, for a three-way dance with the AEW Tag Team Championship at stake.
What happens at Fyter Fest Week One
With six competitors participating, the action was at a frenetic pace. Emphasis was put on recent dissension between Strickland and Lee in what close to (and nearly) an evenly matched contest; however, the duo came within a second of capturing gold with a great false finish.
As is the case with many of these title matches, a near-fall between the Bucks and Strickland caught the audience off guard, leading to the elimination of their opponents and a huge ovation for Lee.
Inside, Strickland gave Starks the double stomp to win the match and also take his titles in a way that was not seen coming.
Swerve and Lee were outstanding this match as a duo. Strickland was the star of the show and the fans ate it up with genuine feeling. It was a feel-good moment in their victory that might have hinted at “less than stellar news.”
The win raises questions because, in the future, AEW seemed to be preparing for an FTR vs. YB and all of the tag team gold at stake. The question is still out there, but not without a hot-shotting of the tag titles.
Lee and Strickland’s win seems like it will propel them into a lengthy run that sees them battle top pairings leading up to and through the biggest pay-per-view of the year.
With a sensational match, Bucks easily proved that tag team wrestling is as hot as it ever has been and is ready to main event an actual pay-per-view event. We still have to wait and see whether this match leads up to a showdown at FTR’s Battleground on July 5th.
Strickland and Lee defeated The Young Bucks and Starks and Hobbs to win the titles
