AEW Celebrated Its 5 Year Anniversary & New Distro Deal on ‘Dynamite’

The fifth anniversary of AEW was celebrated on Dynamite live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. There was a ton of rumors swirling, and there was a serious buzz surrounding Dynamite, but the question leading into Wednesday night is if AEW could deliver big on a night they celebrated their fifth anniversary. It was a bit of a letdown, considering they had every incentive to make it a big show. Here is how the night went down.

Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet (AEW International Championship) Kicks Off Dynamite

The anticipation level couldn’t get any higher for this match between Will Ospreay and Ricochet. Right from the start, they went into a ridiculous series of moves, leaving both to finish with the same exact move, and the crowd went absolutely nuts. After going to the outside, Ricochet executed a hurricanrana from the top of the fan barrier. At this point, the crowd was heavily invested in the match. After going move for move, both men were on the outside apron, and Ospreay hit the Os-Cutter on the apron before the match went to picture and picture.

After the match goes from Ricochet to Ospreay, “This is awesome,” chants rained down from the top of the arena. After Ospreay pinned Ricochet, there was a three count, but both men had their shoulders down, and the referee ruled it a draw. Then Ospreay and Ricochet asked for the match to restart. The announcer would then say that Tony Khan authorized the match to continue, which made the crowd go wild.

Both Ricochet and Ospreay would go at it, but then, out of nowhere, Konosuke Takeshita came in and attacked Ospreay. Then, he proceeded to attack Ricochet. Takeshita would grab the AEW international championship and hold it high with Ricochet and Ospreay laid out.

Chris Jericho & The Learning Tree Promo

Chris Jericho began his promo by congratulating AEW on the new deal but then proceeded to say he was the reason AEW was able to get the new deal. Jericho mentioned that it’s also the 34th anniversary of his wrestling career. Jericho challenges Mark Briscoe for his ROH world title at WrestleDream PPV on October 12. Briscoe would then come out and talk about how Jericho’s guys came in to interfere, which cost him his last match.

The promo would then take a turn when Jericho tells Briscoe that he couldn’t beat him, but maybe his (deceased) brother Jacob could. Jericho says, “You will never be as good,” and Briscoe lays him out with a right hand. Briscoe accepted Jericho’s challenge at WrestleDream.

Hangman Adam Page vs. Juice Robinson

Hangman Adam Page didn’t wait for the match to begin before attacking Juice at the top of the aisle. After Juice whipped Page with the belt, Page returned the favor by whipping Juice. The fight proceeded to go to the stands without starting. After Juice hit Page with a beer and popcorn, they made their way to the ring, and at that point, the referee called for the bell to begin the match.

The match was a little slow, and the crowd wasn’t really into it. In the end, Page would hit his finisher and pin Juice for the three count. Page attempted to hang Juice after the match was over, but then Switchblade Jay White came in and closelined Page from behind. White followed Page to the outside and then speared him into a table.

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

Bryan Danielson took early control of the match, but Kazuchika Okada slowed the pace and began to take over. After ten minutes into the match, Okada would make the “yes” gesture to the crowd as that is the signature chant for Danielson (Recently, the WWE trademarked Yes…Yes…Yes). Okada took a little too much time in between moves sucking the oxygen from the arena. Some booing from the crowd began around the 13-minute mark.

Finally, while on the outside, Danielson turned the tables on Okada, and things quickly picked up. Danielson would get Okada back in the ring and unloaded his offense. An exchange of face slaps in the middle of the ring woke the crowd up. The 20-minute time limit expired, making the match solely for the AEW World title. Danielson quickly executed a back slide and pinned Okada for the 1-2-3 count.

Danielson was then attacked by Okada, laying him out with a rainmaker. While being held down, John Moxley walks into the ring with a mic and begins to speak in riddles, saying he’s being forced to do the things he’s doing. Danielson got some help, but the show ended right after and didn’t get the Tony Khan walkout, or any big surprises fans thought they would get tonight.

Tidbits

• Dr. Britt Baker defeated Serena Deeb in a match with few bright spots. Deeb was hesitant in many of her moves, as it could be that they are being careful with Baker coming off of her injury.
• Private Party picked up a win and challenged the Young Bucks for their titles, but it eventually turned into a six-man tag for Friday’s Rampage show.
• MVP introduced Shelton Benjamin as his business partner during a promo with Prince Nana.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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