AEW Dynamite: CHAOS comes to AEW, Omega/Hangman Contract Signing

The go home edition of AEW Dynamite featured a big match between old rivals, with NJPW star Rocky Romero facing Bryan Danielson, and a huge contract signing for Hangman Page and Kenny Omega.

The show opened with Bryan Danielson making his way down to the ring for his match with Rocky Romero.

Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero (CHAOS) w/ The Best Friends

Romero entered to the old Roppongi Vice theme, which made my day. The old rivals locked up and exchanged technical wrestling right from the get go. Romero is no slouch when it comes to the ground game and he kept up with Danielson throughout the exchanges. Danielson went to the outside and got distracted by Orange Cassidy’s pockets.

Cassidy’s distraction let Romero hit a dive onto Danielson. Danielson, however, used some hard kicks in the corner to get back in control. Danielson took Romero down and did the Romero Special, but Romero managed to roll into the ropes. Romero sprung off the middle rope into a Tornado DDT.

Romero hit some hard chops in the ropes, then hit a dropkick, and a hurricanrana off the ring steps on Danielson. Romero started hitting forever clotheslines, but it didn’t work as well as Romero wanted, as Danielson hit several kicks and chops in the corner before going for a back suplex, but Romero countered into a crossbody.

Romero went for a triangle choke with an armbar, but Danielson powerbombed Romero out of it. Romero and Danielson exchanged forearms, and Romero countered one into a flying armbar. Romero and Danielson exchanged submission attempts, with Romero continuously rollying for the armbar. Danielson managed to escape and hit a kick on Romero and both men were down.

Romero went for a Sliced Bread #2 on Danielson, but Danielson countered it, grabbing him, and then maintaining wrist control as he stomped on Romero’s face before locking on the Tequila Sunrise for the victory.

Result: Bryan Danielson

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Danielson has one of the best matches of the week yet again here with Romero. I love that Danielson used the Tequila Sunrise here to finish Romero, continuing his trend of using different submissions to finish matches.

The Inner Circle was coming down to the ring for an interview, but they were ambushed by American Top Team, who beat them all over ringside, with Junior Dos Santos taking out Sammy Guevara, and Dan Lambert powerbombing Chris Jericho through a table with help from Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page.

Scorpio Sky grabbed a mic and said that this was just a preview of what was going to happen at AEW Full Gear. Page and Sky promised that Dan Lambert was going to be the one to pin Chris Jericho. They promised that Lamber was going to make Jericho tap out tonight, and they took the unconscious Jericho and Lambert put him in a Boston Crab.

Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, & Rebel (not Reba) vs. Thunder Rosa & The Dark Order (Tay Conti & Anna Jay)

Rosa and Baker started the match, as the crowd went crazy for them both. I think the clear match for Baker down the line is a rematch with Thunder Rosa, and I like how they teased that Baker doesn’t want one here, as she tagged out to Rebel quickly. Rosa beat up Rebel for a bit before tagging Anna Jay in.

Jamie Hayter tagged in and helped get the heat on Anna Jay for a bit. Baker tagged in once Jay was beaten down sufficiently, but Jay made her pay with a neckbreaker and tagged out to Tay Conti, who ran wild hitting pump kicks on all 3 opponents and then hitting the TayKO on Hayter, but Baker broke it up.

Hayter hit a backbreaker on Conti, but Rosa made the save. Hayter tagged out to Baker, and all 6 competitors ended up in the ring with all 6 being knocked down. Jamie Hayter ate a crossbody off the top rope to the floor from Thunder Rosa, and Hayter caught Rosa perfectly. Tay Conti was left in the ring with Rebel and hit the TayDT on Rebel, and Baker refused to make the save, so Conti won quickly after the DDT.

Result: Thunder Rosa & The Dark Order

Rating: **1/2

Perfectly acceptable tag match here that built both the TBS Championship Tournament and the match between Britt Baker and Tay Conti at AEW Full Gear.

Jungle Boy (The Jurassic Express) vs. Anthony Bowens (The Acclaimed) w/ Max Caster

Bowens and Jungle Boy did a few standing switches before Bowens took Jungle Boy down. Bowens hit some hard chops in the corner and stomped on Jungle Boy a few times. Jungle Boy did a float over in the corner and climbed the ropes into a lucha armdrag. Jungle Boy hit some chops in the corner on Bowens.

Bowens went for a twisting DDT, but Jungle Boy countered. He was distracted by Caster, and Bowens hit a neckbreaker across the knee on Jungle Boy. Bowens got into a shouting match with a woman in the front row, which let Jungle Boy recover enough to dodge a chop and Bowens accidentally chopped the ring post.

The turn around didn’t last long though, as Caster sent Jungle Boy into the guardrail. I wonder if Aubrey Edwards got some texts and tweets from Danhausen about this, like he promised? Bowens managed to escape the Snare Trap when Caster got involved again, but Jungle Boy made him pay with a suicide dive.

Bowens hit his twisting DDT on Jungle Boy for a 2-count as Jungle Boy tried to get back into the ring. Bowens went for a uranage, but Jungle Boy countered into an armdrag and then locked on a Snare Trap for the pinfall victory.

Result: Jungle Boy

Rating: ***

Solid showcase for Jungle Boy and Bowens here, with Jungle Boy getting a big win heading into his match at AEW Full Gear.

Bobby Fish came down and attacked Jungle Boy from behind, suplexing him into the ropes, but before any more damage could be done, Christian and Luchasaurus ran down to the ring and made the save.

A video aired for Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. They highlighted the story between The Elite and Page, showing their friendship, break up, and how Hangman Page always lost the big one in AEW, where Omega has a much bigger history of winning big matches.

Adam Cole and The Young Bucks were backstage, and Adam Cole introduced Bobby Fish to the Young Bucks. The Bucks have a long history with Fish, but Cole wanted to ensure that his old friend would be working with The Elite, though not a member of the group.

A hype video aired for Eddie Kingston and CM Punk, with Excalibur and Taz explaining the history between the two, going back to the indies. When Punk was the veteran of the indie scene, Kingston was just breaking in. This was excellent.

Wheeler Yuta (CHAOS) w/ The Best Friends vs. Wardlow (The Pinnacle)

Yuta stumbled off the middle rope when trying something, so Wardlow just picked him up threw him to the mat. Wardlow powerbombed Yuta twice to the joy of the crowd, who chanted one more time in between each one. Wardlow hit 2 more, and the crowd roared for Wardlow. Wardlow hit Casualty of War on Yuta and pinned him. This was a violent squash match.

Result: Wardlow

After the match, the Hardy Family Office ran down and attacked the Best Friends, with Matt Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate with Orange Cassidy’s head in a steel chair.

Eddie Kingston and CM Punk got into a massive brawl in the parking lot, as wrestlers and staff struggled to keep the two apart.

Lio Rush & Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty

Martin & Moriarty opened the match with crazy counters and high flying. This was a delight to watch, but impossible to recap as they moved so fast. Rush and Sydal tagged in, but Rush wanted Moriarty, but Sydal made him pay for that initially. Sydal wanted this to be a fair match, but Rush and Martin cheap shotted both men at Rush’s direction and they started to get the heat on Sydal.

Sydal used his experience to get one up on Martin and locked on an inverted crab, but Martin made it to the ropes. Martin and Sydal exchanged some attempts at basic moves, but they eached dodged each other in the most creative ways.    Rush hit a kick on Sydal and then hit a few big dodges and a kick on Moriarty.

Rush hit suicide dives on Moriarty and Sydal both before hitting Moriarty with a twisting Killswitch for a 2-count. Rush was on the middle ropes, but Sydal hit a hurricanrana off the middle rope. After some exchanges I couldn’t keep track off, Dante Martin hit a double spring moonsault onto Moriarty for the win.

Result: Dante Martin & Lio Rush

Rating: ***1/2

This was a very fast-paced match with a lot of great action. These guys are all so good, and they were able to get the crowd into everything by the end.

Miro had a promo video talking about how Danielson was going to be in trouble because he is the man standing between him and him going home to his wife. Miro said it wasn’t personal, but Danielson would have to say goodbye to his wife so he could say hello to his own, as he was refusing to go home until he redeemed himself after his loss of the TNT Championship. This was awesome.

Dax Harwood (The Pinnacle) w/ Tully Blanchard vs. PAC (The Death Triangle)

Harwood and PAC started the match, being pretty even. This was a very technical exchange, and I loved it. Harwood hit a punch to the face of PAC, but missed a charge and got German Suplexed by PAC. PAC hit a huge dive over the ropes onto Harwood. PAC chopped Harwood so hard that it caused his chest to bleed.

Harwood hit a big spinebuster on PAC when they came back into the ring. Harwood and PAC battled on the top rope, with PAC hitting a kick that ended the battle quickly. PAC hit a top rope vertical drop brainbuster on Harwood, which was insane. PAC hit a missile dropkick to the back of Harwood.

PAC set up for the Black Arrow, but Harwood rolled away to the middle of the ring. Blanchard tugged at the foot of PAC which led to Harwood hitting a brainbuster of his own for a 2-count. Harwood went for a second brainbuster, but PAC slipped out and hit a superkick. PAC went for the Black Arrow again, but Harwood cut him off and hit a back suplex off the top rope.

PAC went for a German suplex, but Harwood escaped and hit a huge lariat on PAC before hitting a slingshot Liger Bomb, the same way Tully Blanchard would hit his slingshot suplex. PAC kicked out, and soon countered into a Brutalizer that made Dax Harwood immediately give up.

Result: PAC

Rating: ****

This was an awesome match between PAC and Harwood,

The lights went out when Harwood and Wheeler were attacking PAC after the match. Andrade el Idolo and Malakai Black appeared and continued the beat down, but the Lucha Brothers and Cody Rhodes ran down to make the save. Great segment after the match here.

The Contract Signing

Before the signing, Tony Schiavone let the crowd know that The Elite and Dark Order were banned from ringside and escorted out of the building by security, ensuring that no one attacks both men.

Hangman Page made his way down to a great reaction from the crowd, while Omega was booed out of the building. Omega left his world title in the middle of the table as Schiavone presented both men with the contract. Hangman didn’t know what to say, but he was going to beat Omega for the title at AEW Full Gear and signed it without reservation.

Omega said that he wished he could share the excitement, but he was sad because AEW was all for Hangman, and he would have it if it wasn’t for his insecurities. Omega said that Hangman never got up on his own, but it was The Elite who always picked him back up and told him to keep going.

Omega called Hangman his greatest disappointment. Hangman said it was funny that Omega kept bringing up Hangman’s insecurities, but Omega was insecure with his old tag team partner, Kota Ibushi. Hangman said that Omega was never proud of him, but he was scared, and he was scared of Hangman surpassing him.

Omega wanted to shake Hangman’s hand, and as they shook hands, a camera man attacked Hangman, and it was Don Callis in disguise. Hangman was bleeding everywhere, and Omega signed the contract in Hangman’s blood as the show went off the air. That was a great segment to close the show leading into AEW Full Gear.

Show Rating: ****

Excellent episode of AEW Dynamite, with Hangman Page and Kenny Omega being the thing we will remember most, but many other great segments that setup both AEW Rampage on Friday and AEW Full Gear on Saturday night. I can’t wait for the PPV, and it’s going to be very exciting to see how everything goes once we get there.