AEW Dynamite 250
July 17th, 2024
By: John Siino
Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
RESULTS
*International Title: MJF over Will Ospreay (c) via pinfall (59:59) (Recommended)
*TBS Title: Mercedes Mone’ (c) over Nyla Rose via submission (9:21)
*Swerve Strickland over Kazuchika Okada via disqualification (11:31)
AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. MJF
We jump right into the action with this high-profile championship match, as Taz is back on the commentary team after being banned from the building last week and replaced with Nigel McGuinness. As soon as the match starts, MJF goes to the outside and into the crowd before ripping up a fan’s sign. When they get into the action, Will Ospreay is able to out-speed MJF who then starts complaining to the referee that Ospreay pulled his hair. MJF eventually takes control by ironically doing a hair pull himself. MJF goes for the Heatseeker, but Ospreay kicks him off and hits a springboard elbow followed by a Sasuke Special to the outside on MJF. Back inside, Ospreay misses a double moonsault before hitting a standing shooting star press, followed by a Sky Twister for two back-to-back counts. They set up a table on the outside before MJF hits a piledriver back inside for two. MJF puts on a Figure Four, that they go back and forth on until Ospreay grabs the bottom rope. MJF whips Ospreay to the corner, where he crumbles to the mat before arriving. Bit more back and forth until Ospreay blocks a brainbuster with a Stundog Millionaire and hits an Os Cutter, but his knee bothers him too much to go for the pin, and when he does, MJF is able to crawl to the outside. They take it to the apron, where MJF is able to dodge another Os Cutter as Ospreay goes crashing onto it, going into picture-in-picture.
When we return, MJF hits a Made in Japan for two. MJF ends up leaving and going up into the crowd, as Ospreay geos and chases after him, attacking him as a young girl helps Ospreay attack MJF. Ospreay ends up using a drink on MJF before putting him upside down in a trash can before they make it back to ringside. Ospreay breaks up the count, as Taz says ‘I’m glad he broke up the 40 count’. Back in the ring they trade roll-up attempts before Ospreay hits a poison rana. MJF comes back with a kick in the corner followed by the Long Island Sunrise for two. MJF puts Ospreay on the table that was set up earlier ringside, and heads to the top rope, but Ospreay rolls off as the crowd boos. MJF keeps attacking Ospreay on the outside while taunting Daniel Garcia. MJF places Ospreay on a chair and hits him with a running knee lift before standing on a table and taunting the crowd, not before drinking a bottle of water that he then tosses into the crowd. MJF whips Ospreay into a barricade, that he uses to bounce off of with an Os Cutter. Back in the ring, Ospreay winks into the camera before hitting a Cross Rhodes. MJF gets Bryce Remsburg in between, before hitting an eye poke. Ospreay blocks a Heatseeker attempt, but MJF stops Ospreay from springboarding off the ropes and hits him with a lariat for two. They both try a tombstone on the apron, but Ospreay eventually hits him with a Styles Clash, before they go spilling to the outside. Ospreay comes back with a one-armed powerbomb for two, as we go to another picture-in-picture.
They showed that during the break, Doc Sampson put Ospreay’s left shoulder back into its socket. MJF catches Ospreay off the ropes, into a Tombstone for two. Ospreay tosses MJF over the ropes, and he takes a nasty spill but is able to trip Ospreay off the apron, before tossing him back inside saying ‘That’s why I’m the smartest wrestler’, but Ospreay dives right into him with a Hidden Blade. Back inside, Ospreay hits a forearm from the top rope for two. Ospreay heads to the top again, but MJF stops him and tries a hurricanrana, Ospreay holds on and hits an avalanche Styles Clash, but MJF grabs the bottom rope to break up the pin attempt. MJF comes back with a Heatseeker, before placing Ospreay on top of the table where he hits a top rope elbow drop, crashing through it before we go into yet another break.
MJF holds on to the rope while putting on an abominable stretch, but Remsburg kicks his arm away to break it up. They start trading near falls before MJF lands a powerbomb onto his knee for two. MJF teases the Kangaroo Kick, but Ospreay blocks it sending MJF to the corner where he hits a Cheeky Nandos. Ospreay tries a top rope poison rana, but MJF lands on his feet and puts Ospreay back on top where he hits a hurricanrana that Ospreay lands on his feet now. They start trading kicks and elbow strikes before going back and forth with roll-ups. MJF stops an Os Cutter attempt with a kick to the face, but Ospreay comes back with a Stundog Millionaire, a poison rana, and a standing Spanish Fly for two. They head to the top rope where Ospreay springboards with an Os Cutter, followed by the Hidden Blade but MJF still kicks out at two. Ospreay tries another Hidden Blade, but MJF collapses to prevent it from connecting. MJF spits in Ospreay which upsets him enough to go for the Tiger Driver, but as Ospreay holds on to it, he’s conflicted and drops him. When he picks him up, MJF pushes Ospreay into Remsburg, knocking him over. With seconds to spare, MJF knocks out Ospreay while wearing the Dynamite Diamond ring to get the pin and the win.
Winner: MJF wins by pinfall at 59:59, to become the NEW AEW International Champion
The Acclaimed Want Blood & Guts
Arkady Aura is in the back with Mark Briscoe & The Acclaimed, as Max Caster says he knows Briscoe needs partners for Blood & Guts and since they just beat The Young Bucks, it is a no-brainer. Briscoe says if it was up to him, they would be in but it’s not just up to him, as Swerve Strickland & Prince Nana walk into the frame. Swerve says he knows they are tough people and he would want no other people to go into battle with. He asks them if they are ready to go into battle, which they agree to.
Minoru Suzuki Challenges Chris Jericho
Big Bill calls to the seeds, saplings, roots & branches before introducing Chris Jericho to the ring for an episode of TV Time, as he comes out with Bryan Keith. Chris Jericho talks about being on the first Dynamite and having been on almost everyone since, and the ones that he missed the ‘branches’ were so angry that they wrote cards and called in and he vowed to never miss another episode and will be on until episode 500. Jericho talks about the people who haven’t been listening to The Learning Tree as we see footage of them taking out Katsuyori Shibata, Hook & Samoa Joe from the past couple of weeks. Jericho talks about who would be crazy enough to not listen to him as Minoru Suzuki’s theme hits and he makes his way down to the ring. Suzuki gets in the ring and says ‘Next week’ as he passes them a paper. Keith grabs it and it says that it’s an official order from AEW that Big Bill & Keith are banned from ringside for their match next week on the Blood & Guts episode of Dynamite for the FTW Championship.
Do The Dance
We go to The Young Bucks & Kazuchika Okada in the back who says The Acclaimed won’t be tag team champions again on their watch. They talk about The Elite being the greatest faction and after next week they’ll have all the gold and all the power, and with what they’ll do to Swerve Strickland, the World Title will become vacant. They start hyping up Jack Perry & ‘Hangman’ Adam Page before Mercedes Mone’ walks in and thanks them for banning Dr. Britt Baker DMD for her match later on against Nyla Rose. Okada requests to the Young Bucks that she do her dance, which she does as Okada starts sweating and saying he’s so hot.
AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone’ (c) vs. Nyla Rose
Right away, Nyla Rose backs Mercedes Mone’ to the corner, where she does her dance before leaping over Rose. Mercedes tries a waist lock but gets flicked off before stomping on Rose who’s down in the ropes. Rose comes back by blocking a suplex attempt, putting Mercedes onto ropes, and hitting her with a top rope knee for two as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Rose hits a cannonball in the corner for two. Mercedes comes back and hits a Meteora for two, herself. They take it to the corner, where Mercedes hits an avalanche bulldog. Mercedes pulls out her own CEO glove, which has nails on it, and puts the Lockjaw on Rose, but she bites the hand to break it up. Mercedes transitions into the Statement Maker as Rose submits.
Winner: Mercedes Mone’ by submission at 9:21, to retain
Mercedes takes a sign from a fan in a Sting mask, who pie-faces her just to reveal that it’s Britt Baker. Baker starts chasing Mercedes around the ring, as security runs out and keeps them apart.
Real Sacrifice
After the break, Jack Perry says if Darby Allin wanted his attention all he had to do was ask him and said he didn’t have to attack Brandon Cutler. Perry then asks if he thinks he gave a sh*t about Cutler, as we see a downed Cutler as Perry attacks him and tosses him into a boiler room and tells Allin to come and find him, and he’ll show him what a real sacrifice looks like.
All About Mariah
We hear Toni Storm’s music, but it’s revealed to be Mariah May who comes out in the full black and white Timeless presentation. May gets on the mic and says everybody saw the attack coming except Toni Storm. May calls Storm a woman so desperate for the spotlight that didn’t realize she was giving it all away. The question shouldn’t be why but it should be why it took Mariah so long. She says she didn’t think this would last so long and she was stringing it along to see how far it would go. May talks about why taking the old horse out back but she can kill it in front of as many people as possible at Wembley. She continues to talk slowly and gets ‘what’ chants as the crowd starts chanting for Toni Storm. May ends it by saying All Elite Wrestling is all about Mariah.
Bang Bang Gang Hands Over Their Titles
We see footage from AEW Collision where Bang Bang Gang says they aren’t being stripped of their unified Trios Championships until someone takes it from their hand. Christopher Daniels walks in and says either they hand them over or they get suspended, so they hand them over. Austin Gunn says they aren’t scared of The Patriarchy as they announce The Patriarchy vs. Bang Bang Gang for the vacant titles this Saturday on Collision.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Swerve Strickland
They start the match pretty fast as they have less than 10 minutes left before the 10 o’clock hour, as Swerve Strickland goes right after Kazuchika Okada, hitting him with an elbow drop off the corner before he mocks Okada doing The Rainmaker pose. Okada comes back by sending Swerve to the outside where he hits him with a DDT as we go to picture-in-picture at 9:55.
We come back with Swerve in control, heading to the top rope but Okada stops him and hits him with a neckbreaker from an Air Raid position for two. Okada follows with a top rope elbow drop, which he follows with a Rainmaker pose into a middle finger, as Swerve takes advantage and gets a close two count on a roll-up. Okada stops Swerve’s momentum with a dropkick, but Okada comes back with a backbreaker, and power slam, but misses the Swerve Stomp. Okada follows that with a Tombstone, but Swerve comes right back with a Swerve Stomp, blocking the Rainmaker attempt. Before Swerve can finish him off, The Young Bucks run out and attack Swerve causing the disqualification.
Winner: Swerve Strickland by disqualification, at 11:31
Who Is The Fifth Man?
The Acclaimed run out and attack the Bucks, before Jack Perry runs out to join in. Mark Briscoe runs in next and takes out the Bucks with a dive to the outside, but Perry stops Briscoe with a DDT as he is re-entering. Swerve takes out Perry with the House Call as ‘Hangman’ Adam Page makes his way down to the ring. As Swerve and Page are about to go face-to-face, they get pulled to the outside. Both teams go at it with security between them, but Darby Allin’s music hits. As The Elite wonders where he is, Darby descends from the rafters and joins Team AEW to attack The Elite as the last man for Blood & Guts is revealed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With 250 being stacked up with two big main event caliber matches, only one of them if not both would end with an inconclusive finish. Just when you thought MJF and Ospreay would end in a draw, MJF pulls out the tainted victory with just a second to spare (I timed it closer than it actually, as it’s being reported as 59:58). I’ve seen all times of reactions for that match, ranging from being the best match in Dynamite history to being ‘way too long’ and disappointing. Very hard to follow that match, and the rest of the show seemed to struggle as a result, including a main event that which everybody was just waiting for a non-finish, as Darby Allin had promised an appearance. The crowded seemed to not care about anything other than the opening and closing match, and even by then, they seemed to just be waiting for Darby, who did get his big pop for the stylish entrance at the end. When I saw the show line-up had only 3 matches, I figured one of the matches would go the distance, and I think the right one was chosen, everything else just seemed to be set-up for Blood & Guts and All In, as you’d expect with so many big shows happening within a short window of time.
