All Elite Wrestling delivered the special “Championship Fight Night” edition of AEW Dynamite on February 8.
AEW World Champion MJF faced Konosuke Takeshita in an AEW World Title Eliminator. Likewise Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter battled The Bunny in an eliminator match. Plus, The Acclaimed defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship against The Gunns, Bryan Danielson clashed with RUSH, and more.
AEW World Title Eliminator: MJF vs. Konosuke Takeshita
Takeshita gains the upper hand early on. He takes the fight to MJF and drops the champion with a jumping knee. MJF takes control by targeting Takeshita’s arm and slamming it into the canvas. Takeshita suplexes MJF into the corner. He slams MJF again and hits a frog splash. Takeshita dumps MJF on his head with a modified piledriver and hits a wheelbarrow suplex. MJF dodges a dive to the outside, and Takeshita lands hard on the floor. MJF takes too long to taunt the crowd and Takeshita takes control again. Takeshita goes for a lariat off the top rope, and MJF lands on his feet. Both men are down after they trade shots. Takeshita escapes the arm-bar and dives onto MJF on the outside. The champion grounds Takeshita and keeps targeting the arm. Takeshita dodges a knee drop and goes for a hurricanrana, but MJF counters it into a powerbomb on his knee.
Takeshita gets a two count with a Blue Thunder Bomb. He hits a stiff knee strike, but reaching the ropes saves MJF from the three count. MJF evades a senton and locks in the Salt of the Earth, leaving Takeshita no choice but to tap out.
Winner: MJF
After the match, MJF shoves the referee down. He nails Takeshita with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and keeps punching him, but Bryan Danielson makes the save.
In a taped promo, TNT Champion Samoa Joe addressed Wardlow’s return. He looked back on their days as the WardJoe tag team and noted that he knew Wardlow was ambitious. He then made it clear that he intends to expose Wardlow’s secrets and take everything from him.
AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator: Jamie Hayter (c) (with Britt Baker and Rebel) vs. The Bunny (with The Butcher, The Blade, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford)
Hayter takes The Bunny to the mat and grounds her. The champion hits her opponent with some shoulder blocks. The Bunny chokes Hayter in the ropes. She hits a neckbreaker through the ropes. The Bunny suplexes Hayter on the outside, and her leg hits the steel steps. Hayter drives her into the ring post and the barricade. Back in the ring, The Bunny gains the upper hand and stomps Hayter in the corner. She hits a running forearm. They battle on the apron, and Hayter gains momentum as she wins the exchange. She suplexes The Bunny and hits the Hayter-ade to clinch the victory.
Winner: Jamie Hayter
Backstage, Toni Storm and Saraya commented on Jamie Hayter’s win. Saraya called Hayter a loser, like everyone else. She calls Leva Bates over, and Storm hits her. They attack Bates, and Saraya says they’re there to take over as they spray-paint an “L” on Bates.
Interviewer Lexy Nair is trying to get a word with MJF. He invites her in and gives Takeshita credit before he says that no one is a match for a generational talent. MJF says he doesn’t know if people hate him because he’s twisted, or if he’s twisted because they hate him. He brings up a story from high school and a girl that he had a crush on. MJF describes how they went driving, and they spun off the road, at which point they hit a telephone pole. He reveals that Liv got hurt in the accident, and he learned who he was; he said he grabbed the girl’s body and put her in the driver’s seat so it looked like she was the driver. MJF vowed to expose Danielson and ensure that he will never get a shot at the gold. MJF said he’s proud to be a scumbag.
Guevara-Garcia Gauntlet: Ricky Starks vs. Angelo Parker, Matt Menard
Parker starts the bout and catches Starks with a dropkick. He counters the Roshambo but Starks hits the Spear and pins Parker. Menard enters the match and rolls him up for the pin. Daniel Garcia comes to the ring, but Sammy Guevara interrupts his entrance. They get on the apron, and a distraction from Guevara helps Garcia blindside Starks. Garcia sends Guevara sternum-first into the turnbuckle. He continues to ground Starks. Garcia counters a Spear into a Guillotine, but Starks escapes and powerbombs the former ROH Pure Champion. Garcia suplexes Starks, but Starks hits a Northern Lights Bomb for a two count. Starks hits the Spear on the apron. A masked man hits Starks with an elbow. Garcia gets Starks back into the ring and pins him.
Winner: Daniel Garcia
The man in the mask turns out to be Chris Jericho, and he celebrates with his stablemates.
Backstage, Billy Gunn says he’s going to stay in the back for the tag title match tonight, as he keeps getting pulled in the middle of the feud between The Gunns and The Acclaimed. The Acclaimed scissor Billy, who doesn’t look all that enthusiastic.
Backstage, Bryan Danielson is checking on Konosuke Takeshita in the trainer’s room. The door closes hard, and it seems like he has been locked in the room.
RUSH vs. Bryan Danielson
MJF comes to the ring and orders the referee to start the match, despite Danielson’s absence. Danielson bursts through the door. He and Konosuke Takeshita fight Perro Peligroso, and Danielson makes his way to the ring.
RUSH overpowers Danielson early on. Danielson rallies. The match spills to the outside, and RUSH slams Danielson into the barricade. RUSH rocks Danielson with a kick to the head. “The American Dragon” is bleeding badly and RUSH won’t let up as he keeps beating him up at ringside. Danielson rallies and trades blows with RUSH. “El Toro Blanco” suplexes Danielson from the ring and down to the floor. Back in the ring, RUSH is firmly in control as he’s dominating Danielson. A series of strikes give Danielson some momentum. They trade chops, and RUSH gets a two count with a piledriver. RUSH drills Danielson with some forearms and goes for the Bull’s Horns, but Danielson hits the running knee for a two count.
Danielson and RUSH continue to trade blows. RUSH drops Danielson with a chop to the head. Danielson rolls through a suplex and hits the running knee for the win.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
The broadcast team confirms that, due to the win, the Iron Man match between MJF and Danielson at AEW Revolution is official. MJF comes to the ring and nails Danielson with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. He beats down the bloodied Danielson and wrenches his injured arm in the Salt of the Earth. MJF attacks security guards. More officials enter the ring and pull him off of Danielson.
Murray and Quinn of the Impractical Jokers are backstage. They say they found Chris Jericho’s bat, Floyd, and discuss Jericho’s time on the show. They call him a diva and say the bat is theirs until they say otherwise. The duo invite Jericho onto the premiere of Impractical Jokers to respond.
AEW World Trio Championship: The Elite (c) (Kenny Omega & The Young Buks) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) & AR Fox
The challengers take control early on as AR Fox and Top Flight catch The Elite off-guard. Matt Jackson secretly tags in and double-teams Fox with Nick. Omega slams Fox to the mat. He tags in and controls the actions. The champions gang up on Darius, as Omega hits a back-breaker for a two count. They continue to isolate Darius and dominate the match. Matt cheap-shots Fox and Dante. Fox rallies and hits a senton on Nick. He drops Omega with a cutter. Fox takes the fight to the Bucks and dives onto them on the outside. Fox holds his own with Omega. Dante tags in and flips around. He takes Matt Jackson down with a head-scissors. Matt suplexes Dante before he suplexes both Fox and Darius. Darius plants Nick with a DDT. Fox gets a near fall with a 450 splash.
Omega floors Fox with a snap dragon suplex. Darius drops Nick with a flatliner. The Elite get a two count with a triple-team piledriver. Nick takes Top Flight out with a dive to the outside. Fox rolls Omega up for a two count. Omega drills him with a V-trigger. Fox counters the One-Winged Angel into a pin for a two count. Omega stacks Fox up for the win.
Winners and still AEW World Trio Champions: The Elite
In an interview, Stokely Hathaway denies that there are cracks in the foundation of The Firm. He blames HOOK for their problems. HOOK walks up behind up, and Hathaway tries to play nice, but HOOK grabs him and threatens him.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) (c) vs. The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn)
Caster and Colten start the bout and feel each other out. The champions double-team Colten. They hit Scissor Me Timbers and scissor each other. The Acclaimed continue to control the action. Colten slams Caster on the floor. Austin gains the upper had, and the challengers isolate “Platinum Max” in the corner. Caster rallies by sending Austin to the outside. He tags Bowens, who clears house with a flurry of offense. Bowens drills Austin with a superkick. Everyone is down after a double clothesline. Austin slams Bowens to the mat with the Quick Draw. The referee is down, and Billy Gunn comes to the ring. He teases turning on Bowens and stops Colten from attacking him. Colten blasts Billy with the title.
The Acclaimed take the fight to Austin. Bowens hits The Arrival, and Caster hits the Mic Drop. Caster goes to wake up the referee, but Colten breaks up the pin. Colen hits Bowens with the title, and Austin rolls him up for the win.
Winners and new AEW World Tag Team Champions: The Gunns
Billy Gunn consoles The Acclaimed as the show comes to a close.