AEW Dynamite: New Years Smash Results and Recap

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite comes from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. Daily’s Place is arguably the home of AEW and was all throughout the pandemic. Tonight’s show features a pair of trios matches and a ten-man tag match as well. It also features Thunder Rosa taking on Jade Cargill in the semi-finals of the TBS Championship tournament, as well as the return of Jim Ross.

The show kicks off with Jim Ross making his entrance to the announce table and he is welcomed back to Dynamite following his cancer treatment. JR got a nice pop and a standing ovation which was very nice to see.

Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Christian Cage, and Lucha Bros.  vs Matt Hardy, Private Party, and FTR

The match kicks off with Christian Cage and Cash Wheeler starting it off for their respective teams. The match starts when the two men enter into a collar-elbow tie-up. Neither man could gain the advantage here so it turns into a feeling-out process between the two. Cage is able to get the upper hand on Wheeler and tags in Jungle Boy.

Jungle Boy takes the fight to Wheeler who is able to make the tag to Harwood. Jungle Boy and Harwood get into a collar-elbow tie-up where Harwood backs up Jungle Boy into the corner. Jungle Boy fights back and tags in Christian Cage. Cage once again tags in Jungle Boy and the two take it to Harwood.

Jungle Boy tags in Fenix and Harwood tags in Isaiah Kassidy from Private Party. But when Fenix tags in Jungle Boy, Kassidy is able to get the upper hand on Jungle Boy. Kassidy tags in Matt Hardy and the match slows down as the heels begin to beat up on Jungle Boy.

Jungle Boy is able to hit Penta with the hot tag who quickly tags in Fenix. Lucha Bros show a lot of their high-flying tandem offense. FTR gets the upper hand on Fenix using some underhanded tactics. Fenix uses his high-flying skills to get back into the match and tag in Luchasaurus.

Luchasaurus cleans house when he enters the ring. He takes out Private Party and FTR by himself. Penta tags in himself when Luchasaurus was going for the pinfall. This was interesting, potential heel turn coming perhaps?

As Penta was going for his finisher on Harwood, Christian Cage tags himself in. Similar to what Penta did to Luchasaurus. This causes Penta to push Cage into the “big rig” from FTR.  Harwood pins Cage to give his team the victory.

Winners: Matt Hardy, Private Party, FTR

After the match we see a video package promoting the upcoming trios match.

Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia, and 2point0

The match starts with Eddie Kingston and Matt Lee from 2point0. Eddie Kingston takes the fight to him right off the bat but it is made clear Kingston really wants to get his hands on Garcia. Kingston gets attacked from behind by 2point0 but is able to fight back and tag in Ortiz.

Ortiz takes the fight to Jeff Parker before tagging in Santana to come and help him. Parker is able to weasel away and tag in Garcia. Santana quickly beats up on Garcia. Santana tags in Ortiz and they hit him with a great double-team move for a 2-count.

Thanks to a distraction by Matt Lee, Daniel Garcia takes control of the match. Daniel Garcia and 2point0 bring the fight to Ortiz who gets beat up, for a majority of the match. Ortiz tries to fight back but he is overpowered in the corner of 2point0 and Daniel Garcia.

Ortiz is able to make the hot tag to Eddie Kingston who cleans house. Kingston makes the quick tag to Santana who attempts a moonsault onto Matt Lee. Lee puts the knees up and pins Santana using the trunks.

Winners: Daniel Garcia, and 2point0

After the match, Garcia and 2point0 attack Santana from behind and hit him with the ring bell. Chris Jericho makes the return to help his Inner Circle members, Santana and Ortiz. Jericho got a nice pop by the Jacksonville crowd.

Kingston gets into the face of Chris Jericho. Kingston says that he didn’t need Jericho’s help and Ortiz got in between the two to hold them apart. It’s nice seeing them tease a program between Kingston and Jericho, this will be great. The camera switches to the back and we see a promo by MJF.

MJF says that AEW has unsafe working conditions and that he’ll remember this in the bidding war of 2024. MJF then tells Wardlow that if Wardlow wins the Revolution Ladder match, he must relinquish the prize over to MJF. He calls in Smart Mark Sterling to read him the contract.

Tony Schiavone is seen interviewing the Lucha Bros. They are quickly interrupted by Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, and Christian Cage. Cage challenges them on behalf of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus for the AEW World Tag Team Championships next week on Dynamite. They accept.

Wardlow vs Colin Delaney

Wardlow makes his entrance, as always, he is accompanied by Shawn Spears. Wardlow is on a 16 match winning streak coming into the night. Wardlow hits Delaney with a lariat right off the bat and hits him with four consecutive powerbombs before pinning him for the victory.

Winner: Wardlow

After the match, Spears attacks Delaney with the chair as he’s on the entrance ramp. We see a promo from The SuperKliq with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. Adam Cole says this will be the greatest group in all of professional wrestling. The Youngbucks are visibly annoyed with O’Reilly showing up.

O’Reilly tells the Youngbucks and Bobby Fish to leave. He says to Adam Cole that tonight he knows Bobby Fish has his back, tonight he will find out if Adam Cole does as well. The camera then cuts back to the ring and we see Dan Lambert and Men of the Year in the ring.

Dan Lambert goes on to talk about how Cody sucks and how Arn Anderson sucking up to Cody makes him sad. He also calls Brandi a stripper. Dan Lambert also calls out the “transformers logo” Cody got tattooed on his neck. Brandi interrupts and calls Dan Lambert a less talented version of Paul Heyman.

The two then exchange insults on the mic. Brandi says she will whoop Dan Lambert’s butt tonight for free. Dan Lambert accepts and Dustin Rhodes comes on out to stop Brandi. Men of the Year then attack Dustin Rhodes from behind as the Men of the Year and Dan Lambert walk away.

TBS Championship Semi-Finals Match: Thunder Rosa vs Jade Cargill

Jade makes her entrance first followed by Thunder Rosa. Rosa has awesome attire on tonight, it’s a tribute to Wolverine. The match starts off when Rosa hits a low dropkick on Cargill, who rolls out of the ring. Rosa takes out Mark Sterling who is in the corner of Jade Cargill and the two women are off.

Cargill takes the fight to Rosa on the outside of the ring. Jade Cargill hits a backbreaker onto Rosa on the floor. Rosa continues to fight through the pain and goes after the knee of Cargill. Cargill however gains the advantage as the two continue to brawl on the floor.

Cargill rolls Rosa into the ring and Rosa begins to fight back and show some signs of life. Cargill overpowers her though and takes the upper hand again. Rosa fights back into the match again and hits a knee breaker on Cargill. Rosa then locks in a figure four leg lock but Jade grabs the ropes.

A masked woman hits Rosa with a glass bottle it looked like and Jade hits her finishing move on her. Cargill then pins Rosa for the victory. Jade Cargill faces Ruby Soho for the TBS Championship next week in the finals.

Winner: Jade Cargill

After the match, the masked woman reveals herself to be Mercedes Martinez and attacks Thunder Rosa with Jade Cargill. Ruby Soho runs into the make the save. Mercedes Martinez is now on AEW.

CM Punk makes his way out to the ring. This is his debut in Daily’s Place. Punk congratulates Jim Ross right off the bat and says Jim Ross is the best to ever do it. Punk then talks about Brodie Lee and how when he watched the tribute show it made him want to come to Daily’s Place.

Punk then calls MJF a Twitter troll in the flesh and says that he is fine with MJF being “done with him.” Punk throws his name in the hat for the AEW World Championship. He wants the AEW World Championship and says that MJF is a waste of time and is a bigger waste of Kahn’s money than Tim Tebow.

Punk leaves the ring saying that it would be a real shame if someone interfered with MJF’s “quest for gold.” We then see Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs cutting a promo backstage. Starks says that Hook is a hell of a competitor and told Dante Martin is on borrowed time in AEW and teases a match between Martin and Hobbs again.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and he is interviewing Brian Pillman Jr. Pillman says that his brother walked into the house of black. He says that he will never forget Malakai trying to end Griff’s career. Pillman congratulates Malakai on the cheap shot on him. Pillman challenges Malakai to a match next week and says next week we will see a new Brian Pillman Jr.

The lights go out and we see Malakai Black on the entrance ramp. Black points at Pillman Jr and then the lights come back on and Black is gone. Then the matches for rampage are announced, where it is headlined by Darby Allin taking on Anthony Bowens.

The Best Friends vs Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly

Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly make their entrance first, followed by The Best Friends. The match starts off with Kyle O’Reilly and Chuck Taylor in the ring. O’Reilly quickly gains the upper hand which forces Taylor to tag in Trent.

Trent takes the fight to O’Reilly which leads to Kyle tagging in Fish and Trent tagging in Orange Cassidy. Bobby Fish quickly uses his strikes to knock out Orange Cassidy. Fish tags in Cole who quickly takes the fight to Cassidy. Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly take the fight to the Best Friends.

Orange Cassidy comes into the match via a hot tag. However, reDRagon comes into the ring and they take out Cassidy. O’Reilly goes for the pin on Cassidy which is broken up by Chuck Taylor. Taylor and Cole start brawling out by the entrance ramp. Cole goes for a Panama sunrise onto Taylor but that gets countered.

Trent throws Cole in the ring and Cassidy hits him with a diving DDT. Taylor hits Cole with a pile driver followed by a pile driver by Trent and Orange Cassidy’s finishing move. However, reDRagon come into the ring to break up the pinfall.

Brandon Cutler comes out and the Best Friends take him out. O’Reilly inadvertently knocks out Cole. The Youngbucks then come in the ring and sneak attack the Best Friends. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly hit their finishing move on Taylor and O’Reilly pins him for the victory.

Winner: Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly

After the match, Cole leaves on the entrance ramp with the Youngbucks. The show ends with Cole and O’Reilly staring each other down.