AEW Dynamite live results: Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black III
Cody Rhodes and Malakai Black will square off for the third time in an AEW ring on tonight’s special Saturday episode of Dynamite.
Black defeated Rhodes at Dynamite Homecoming in August, then beat him again at Dynamite Grand Slam in September.
The AEW World title eliminator tournament continues with a pair of first round matches. Bryan Danielson will be in action against Dustin Rhodes in a tournament bout. Lance Archer will take on Eddie Kingston in the other first round matchup tonight. The tournament will culminate at November’s Full Gear show, with the winner receiving an AEW World Championship match.
The TBS Championship tournament will begin with a first round battle between Ruby Soho and Penelope Ford. Ford attacked Soho with a set of brass knuckles on Rampage last week to set up the bout.
Bobby Fish will take on Anthony Greene. Dan Lambert will also reveal American Top Team’s stipulations for accepting a challenge from The Inner Circle for a five-on-five match.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Show Report —
Bryan Danielson defeated Dustin Rhodes in the first round of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament
This was great!
A deathlock and then a bow-and-arrow stretch allowed Danielson to attack Dustin’s legs early on. Dustin hit the drop-down right hand but was met with a tope suicida in return. Dustin popped up and landed a flipping senton off the apron for two. Danielson cut off Dustin’s attack by targeting his legs once more. Dustin used his power advantage to regain control with a German suplex.
Danielson turned his attention to Dustin’s arm with a key lock attempt. He pinned Dustin’s hand to the mat and stomped on the exposed elbow. They fought on the top rope, where Dustin hit a superplex. They then traded right hands until Danielson ran the ropes and was cut off with the snap powerslam. The Curtain Call followed for a near fall.
Dustin landed ten punches in the corner, flipping Danielson off in the process. Danielson countered the running bulldog and stiffed Dustin with a corner dropkick before laying in hard strikes. Dustin fought out with a flying clothesline for two, but Danielson transitioned out of the cover into a LeBell Lock attempt. Dustin got his foot on the rope before it could be locked on.
Danielson laid in the Yes kicks, but Dustin fired up and they traded strikes once more. Danielson countered the drop-down right hand into a backslide for a near fall, then dropped him with an enziguiri. He laid in repeated curb stomps and looked for the Busaiku knee, but Dustin surprised him with a lariat and a straight piledriver for a good near fall.
After another exchange, Danielson flew in for the jumping guillotine. After forcing on a body scissors, Dustin collapsed and the referee stopped the match.
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The Elite were backstage. Next week, they will face the Dark Order. Omega addressed Hangman Page, saying he was always championship material, but Page was just cosplaying as a cowboy. Omega knows Page’s insecurities: he’s afraid of failure. If the people knew Page the way Omega knows him, they’d be chanting “coward sh*t” instead of “cowboy sh*t.”
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FTR and Tully Blanchard cut a promo on the Lucha Bros. They need the AEW World Tag Team Championships to cement their legacy as the top tag team of all time. They’ve been waiting for a year for their next opportunity. Penta responded, then Alex Abrahantes said “revenge is coming.”
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Sting/MJF promo segment
This was also excellent. MJF is one of the only examples of legitimately entertaining “heat” in professional wrestling in 2021.
Sting was brought out by Tony Schiavone and asked about Darby Allin’s condition. Before he could speak, MJF’s music played and he interrupted. He said he wasn’t here to embarrass the Icon; he wants a gentleman’s chat. The truth is that Allin’s not coming back. He was drowned out by a “shut the f*ck up!” chant.
MJF said that he’s trying to fool the fans with his face paint and attitude, but they’re easy to fool because they’re fat and products of incest. He said that Allin’s currently in the same spot as Sting’s old friend Lex Luger: in a wheelchair. Sting decked him, but the Pinnacle ran out. While Sting was able to fight them off for a moment, Spears and Wardlow overwhelmed Sting as the former laid in chair shots.
We got a loud “Darby” chant, then an “asshole” chant. MJF addressed Allin and asked if they had broken him mentally. He demanded that Allin look at the incapacitated Sting. The fans can chant Allin’s name all they want, but he will always be second best compared to MJF. “I am the past, the present, and the future of professional wrestling.” MJF decked Sting with the Dynamite diamond ring to close the segment.
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Britt Baker was backstage. She addressed Tay Conti, who was confirmed as Baker’s Full Gear opponent for the women’s title. She said all Conti’s done since coming to AEW was show her ass, and she’d beat it at Full Gear.
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Ruby Soho defeated Penelope Ford in the TBS Championship tournament
Ford attacked before the bell. She dominated for a moment before Soho cut her off with kicks for two. Bunny skipped down to the ring to watch and took a swipe at Soho, allowing Ford to take her down ahead of the break. Once back, Soho landed a big backdrop suplex to start her comeback.
Soho countered Ford’s back-bend and they kind of got lost until Ford hit a cutter out of nowhere for two. Soho cut Ford off with a leg sweep, but Ford hit a back heel kick and a double-knee gutbuster for a near fall. Ford got a hold of the brass knuckles, but the official saw it and tossed them as Soho rolled Ford up for the win.
– After the match, Bunny and Ford cornered Soho, but Red Velvet ran out and they chased the heels out of the ring.
Soho will face Kris Statlander next in the tournament.
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MJF was backstage with Spears. Wardlow walked up and confronted MJF about leaving him in the ring last week. MJF complimented Wardlow on his hard work, but said he needs an “accountabili-buddy,” who is Spears.
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Bobby Fish defeated Anthony Greene
Fish decked Greene right away, but Greene came back with a rope-walk crossbody. Fish landed kicks and a slingshot senton for two. Fish landed more impactful offense, administered the last rites, and landed a hard buzzsaw kick for the quick win.
– After the match, Fish continued to beat down Greene. He laid in ground and pound. CM Punk ran out to make the save.
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Dante Martin and Lio Rush were backstage. Rush is trying to take Dante to the highest heights possible. He has already set up their first match as a tag team — they will take on the Sydals next week on Rampage.
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Eddie Kingston defeated Lance Archer in the first round of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament
Archer got knocked silly after landing on his head on a moonsault attempt, forcing this one to end early.
Kingston attacked during Archer’s entrance. They brawled at ringside, where Archer body-slammed a planted fan onto Kingston before chokeslamming him. They finally made it into the ring to kick off the match, and Archer continued to dominate until Kingston fought out of a Blackout attempt and locked on a dragon sleeper. Archer leveled Kingston with a lariat ahead of the commercial.
Archer continued to dominate until Kingston avoided a moonsault. Archer landed on his head on the moonsault attempt. Former WWE talent Tony Nese was shown in the crowd. Kingston rolled Archer up for three.
– Kingston will face Bryan Danielson in the next round of the tournament this Friday.
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Dan Lambert, Men of the Year, and Sammy Guevara promo
Dan Lambert and the Men of the Year were in the ring. Page said “the Inner Circle sucks.” He ran down each member, comparing them to themselves. He and Sky are the future of this company, not the “PR nightmare” Sammy Guevara.
Guevara came out and had had enough. “Will you please shut the hell up?” He worked hard to become TNT champion. The only person who cares about what Page has done since coming here is Page. Guevara called Lambert a “fat-faced dipsh*t,” and the fans obliged with a chant.
Lambert said he was proud of Guevara for killing it on the mic. Maybe that will put to bed all the backstage rumors about him being a bad talker. At Full Gear, they will have the ten-man tag match — if and only if Guevara puts the TNT championship on the line against Page. If Guevara loses, he has to lose the Inner Circle forever. Guevara accepted, on the condition that if he wins, the Inner Circle gets to chose the members of America’s Top Team to face.
Sky and Page walked up the ramp to fight, but the Inner Circle (sans Jericho) ran out to chase the Men of the Year away.
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Jon Moxley was backstage. He’s supposed to be yelling and screaming about the tournament, but he’s thinking about his daughter. When he’s with his daughter, he realizes he doesn’t care about any of this — the ratings, the championships, anything. What he cares about is getting home in one piece. For that to happen, other people have to get hurt. This is what Moxley does. His message to everybody else in this tournament: “I’ll get you before you get me.”
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The Dark Order was backstage. They said a single loss wouldn’t stop them. Hangman Page walked up and apologized for everything that happened after he left.
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Jungle Boy defeated Brandon Cutler
Jungle Boy immediately sent Cutler to the floor and landed a wild tope. Cutler wanted Panama Sunrise, but Jungle Boy countered. Cutler landed a slap and was met with slaps from Jungle Boy before being powerbombed. The Snare Trap made it elementary from there.
– After the match, Jungle Boy called that match a warmup. He’s still feeling good, and he’s ready to go again. He invited anyone from the Elite to come out here and fight. Nobody came, so Jungle Boy locked Cutler in the Snare Trap.
Adam Cole came out and called Jungle Boy an embarrassment. He suggested that he and Jungle Boy fight right here and right now. Jungle Boy decked Cole but was blindsided by superkicks from the Young Bucks. They then hit the BTE Trigger on the ramp before letting Cole hit the knee to the back of the head. Finally, they mocked the SuperKliq kiss and tossed him off the stage through a ringside table.
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Dynamite lineup for Wednesday 10/26:
- The Elite vs. Dark Order
- TNT Championship: Sammy Guevara (c) vs. Ethan Page
- TBS Championship tournament: Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb
- CM Punk vs. Bobby Fish
Rampage lineup for Friday 10/28
- AEW World Championship eliminator tournament: Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston
- Lio Rush & Dante Martin vs. Sydal Bros
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Miro is continuing to lose his faith. God’s forsaken champion will become God’s favorite again, because he will leave no choice.
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Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated Malakai Black
This was wild and supremely entertaining.
They briefly exchanged holds before moving into strikes. Black went for a quick knee bar. Cody stood up and stomped his way out of it. Black regained control with a back elbow. Cody went for the figure four, but Black gouged at Cody’s eyes and rolled to the floor. He grabbed a chair and threw it into the ring as Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson came out to ringside. The match then went to commercial.
During the break, Cody landed a Cross Rhodes through a table at ringside. Black was busted open, as was Cody. They took a really long time to recover, minutes even. Andrade El Idolo came out as his assistant José got involved. Arn hit José with a spinebuster but took black mist from Black. PAC ran out and he and Andrade brawled to the back.
Black hit a springboard moonsault, but Cody popped up and hit Cross Rhodes for a near fall. The crowd was 100% behind Black at this point. Black climbed the ropes and landed a top-rope double stomp, a rising knee, and a German suplex bridge for a good near fall. He then hit the spinning heel kick, but Cody collapsed in the ropes.
Cody was sent to the floor, avoiding a moonsault and landing a tope suicida. Back in the ring, Cody hit the Cody Cutter and the Cross Rhodes. The Tiger Driver ’98 finished it.