AEW Dynamite 7/17/2024

AEW Dynamite 7/17/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/aew-dynamite-7102024.html

AEW International Title - Will Ospreay (c) vs MJF

MJF goes out to stall in the crowd and throws water on people. He and a fan flip each other off then he rips up signs. MJF ducks a lock-up and struts. Will flips out of a throw and struts. Will trips him, they headlock takeover each other. Will flips over him and they stare down.

Will lariats him over the top. Will flip dives on him. Will backdrops him. MJF arm throws Will into the buckles. MJF throws him down by the hair. Will knees him in the gut. Will tries to flip out of a backdrop and takes a stunner. MJF slingshots will in and cutters him. Will springboard forearms MJF. MJF flying space tiger drops him outside. Will does a moonsault into a moonsault then a standing ssp. Will 2nd rope corkscrew moonsaults him.

MJF plancha's him. Will chops him. MJF goes up and over him then short piledrivers him. MJF does Daniel Garcia's dance and says that's a real piledriver. MJF hooks the leg. Will hits chops then takes a back body drop. MJF figure fours him and slaps him while he's in the hold. will turns the hold around.

MJF chops him. MJF irish whips him and Will falls down due to pain in his leg. MJF rakes his back and Will goes down due to leg pain again. Will hits chops and MJF dives into his knee. Will hits Kawada kicks and chops. They double clothesline each other down.Will hits a stunner out of a suplex attempt then Will os cutters him. Will goes for an os cutter on the apron but just lands on the apron when MJF moves.

We go to PiP break and return. MJF blocks a handspring then double underhook shoulderbreakers him. MJF hits a made in japan for 2. Will handspring corkscrew kicks him. Will enzugiri's him then sitout torture rack bombs him for 2.

MJF goes into the stands to tall. Will hits him on the steps. Will has a fan take shots on MJF. Will pounds on MJF. Will sticks MJF's head in a garbage can. They try pin attempts and Will poisonrana's him. Will is superkicked in the corner then MJF hits a panama sunrise for 2.

Will is sent into the rails and MJF eye rakes him. MJF running facekicks him against the rails. MJF drinks water and throws it at the fans. Will jumps up to the rails outside and os cutters him. Will hits a cross rhodes for 2. 

MJF double stomps Will's arm and hammerlock ddt's him. Will is crotched up the top rope and MJF lariats him off the 2nd rope. Will does a styles clash on the apron. Will powerbombs him.

We go to another PiP break then we go to a full break and return. Will hidden blades him for 2. MJF blocks an os cutter and hits a tombstone. Will is thrown into the buckles chest first. Will hits chops and MJF arm throws him down.

MJF is back body dropped to the outside. MJF talks trash near the ropes outside and takes a tope hidden blade. Will top rope forearms him in the back of the head. Will is crotched up top. Will then hits a 2nd rope styles clash. MJF hits a heatseeker piledriver on the apron. MJF top rope elbow drops Will through a table.

We go to our third PiP break during this and return. We're around 52 minutes in. MJF abdominal stretches him using the ropes. The ref kicks MJF's hand away. Will hiptosses MJF. Will tries backslides. Will takes a powerobmb on the knee off a hurricanrana attempt.

Will stops a kangaroo kick attempt. MJF lands on his feet off a 2nd rope poisonrana. MJF corner lariats Will. Will flips out of a 2nd rope hurricanrana. MJF pokes him in the eyes and is hook kicked. They trade shots. Will step up enzugiri's him then they trade pin attempts.

Will takes a superkick off an os cutter. Will hits a poisonrana then a standing spanish fly for 2. Will springboard cutters him then hits a hidden blade for 2. Will headbutts him and thinks about doing the tiger driver '91. MJF pushes Will into the ref. MJF hits him with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and wins with 2 seconds left.

Thoughts: I don't know if I've ever seen an hour long match in the opener before. Openers are supposed to be just brief things that get the crowd going and saves them for other matches. It's not supposed to tire you out and show you everything from the start.

I didn't think it was a good match. There was leg and shoulder work here that went nowhere. They kicked out of 2nd rope moves, moves through tables and moves on the apron. They also did a panama sunrise like 30 minutes in and that ended up meaning nothing. This also went long for the sake of going long. 

Both men are out after and get checked on. MJF is given oxygen from a tank.

The Acclaimed and Mark Briscoe are interviewed. Max says they know he needs partners for Blood and Guts and they offer their services. Mark agrees but says he's not the only one calling this shot. Swerve comes in. He said he has fought with all 3 of them but agrees.

TV Time with Chris Jericho

Jericho rips the crime in Little Rock Arkansas. Jericho says it's Dynamite 250 and he's been on almost every one of them. He says he promises not to miss another Dynamite again. Jericho says people are getting hurt and need to listen to The Learning Tree. Jericho asks who wouldn't listen to him at this pioint then Minoru Suzuki comes out. Suzuki says next week and gives Bryan Keith a contract. It says Bryan Keith and big Bill are banned from ringside. Suzui then headbutts Jericho.

Thoughts: Yeah, this was a random one.

The Elite say they saw what Mark, The Acclaimed and Swerve said. They said The Acclaimed won't be 2x champs under their watch. They say they will have all the gold and all the power next week. They say Swerve's title might be vacant after next week. Mercedes Mone comes in. She thanks them for banning Britt from the backstage area. Okada asks if she can do her dance and The Bucks sing her song. Okada then sweats and says it's so hot.

Thoughts: It was the usual Bucks comedy time here with them trying to sound serious.

I will not be covering the Mercedes Mone match. Britt goes after Mone after the match and has to be stopped by security.

We get a Mariah May video.

Jack Perry says Darby Allin has his attention now. He asks if he had to hurt Brandon Cutler, then says he doesn't care about him. We then see him throws Brandon Cutler into things even though Cutler is much bigger than he is. Jack says to find him tonight and he will show you what a real sacrifice looks like.

Mariah May comes out to talk dressed up as Toni Storm. She says everyone say May's turn coming except Toni. May says Toni was so desperate for stardom that she didn't see it coming. She said hte question should be what took May so long. May said she didn't think it would last this long either and was so easy. She said she wanted to see how far it would go. She said why take the old horse out back when she can kill it in front as many people as possible. She said she has been Toni Storm and now she can be so much more. She said she has never loved Toni more than when she was bleeding and crying screaming her name. She said that was her greatest performance. May says her greatest performance will be at All In. She says now All Elite Wrestling is all about her.

Thoughts: I had no issues with this and thought it was fine.

We see video of Bullet Club Gold being interviewed after Collision. Juice says they aren't stripped of the titles. They said anyone who wants the belts will have to pry them from their hands. Christopher Daniels comes in and says these are the rules and this is their job. The Gunn's then give them up when he threatens suspension. Austin says they aren't scared of The Patriarchy. Juice says they are coming home to get their hard wear.

Swerve Strickland vs Kazuchika Okada

Swerve headscissors him then Okada does it back. Swerve armdrags him, Okada headscissors him and they stand off. Okada hits shots. Swerve back rolls him and headscissors him from the mat. Swerve 2nd rope euros his neck and dances. They trade forearms.

Swerve boots him then Okada flapjacks him. Okada ddt's him on the floor. We go to PiP break and return. Swerve headbutts him. Swerve is dropkicked off the 2nd rope. Okada's neck is pulled down over the top rope and Swerve rolls into a flatliner on him. Swerve then rolls into a neckbreaker on him.

Okada over the back neckbreakers him on his knee. Okada top rope elbow drops him. Swerve cradles him. Okada dropkicks him. Swerve backbreakers him then powerslams him. Okada tombstones him. The Young Bucks then run in and beat up Swerve. The Acclaimed make the save. Jack Perry comes down and fights then Mark Briscoe comes down. Mark tope con hilos outside and Jack ddt's him over the 2nd rope. Swerve gets a kick in on Jack.

Adam Page then comes down. Okada pulls Swerve out and sends him int othe rails as the fight continues. Swerve and Okada go into the seats.

Darby Allin's music hits and he comes down from the ceiling. Darby then fights.

Thoughts: Okada/Swerve was kind of indy with lots of goofy rolls and stuff for no reason. They really stopped selling by the end of it and then The Bucks came down.

I didn't like Darby coming down from the ceiling. What would he be doing up there? How did he know a fight would break out like that? I know it's a tribute to Sting, but Sting had reasons for hanging out up there in WCW.

Overall thoughts: Opening the show up with an hour long match was stupid. I'm sure it ran off a bunch of casuals. There was just no need for that to go so long and the extra time just made it worse. There wasn't a whole lot else to the show besides that and I didn't like this one.