Tonight on AEW Dynamite, CM Punk has to take on Wardlow in singles action and Sammy Guevara defends the interim TNT Championship against Daniel Garcia.
AEW DYNAMITE
January 12, 2022, PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC
Commentary: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone & Excalibur
Adam Cole comes out with Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly. He has storytime. He runs over his AEW accolades before putting over his RedDragon buds. He says it’s a “new era” in AEW. Suddenly ou come the Young Bucks. Matt Jackson says thanks for the invite. Kyle O’Reilly said they didn’t need their help against the “Super Friends” on Rampage. Matt says they’re right, but he has to make one thing clear. This is their company and they’re the longest reigning Tag Team Champions and they plan to get their belts back. Funny, RedDragon has the same New Year’s Resolution and Bobby Fish says nothing is going to stand in their way, that includes the Young Bucks. Adam Cole plays peacemaker about friendly competition before running down Best Friends. Out they come with Orange Cassidy having the mic in hand. Orange’s plan wasn’t to talk, but fight. Best Friends brawl with the Super Kliq. Orange tosses Cutler and it allows Cole to hit a low blwo on Cassidy. Out comes Kris Statlander. Out comes Britt Baker and she hits Kris from behind. Curb stomp to Statlander. Cole superkicks and Booms OC. Cole and Britt kiss as Super Kliq pose together.
MATCH 1
CM Punk vs. Wardlow
Punk slides out to seemingly pursue MJF, but Wardlow steps in his way. Back to the ring we go. Wrdlow shoves Punk in the corner and we reset. Side headlock from Punk takes Wardlow to a knee. Big shoulder tackle by Wardlow. Wardlow gets Punk down with attacks in the corner. Wardlow attempts to powerbomb symphony Punk, but the latter ultimately has to recoup at ringside as we head to commercial. Wardlow sends Punk into the corner chest first, Bret Hart style (as JR notes). “CM Punk” chants, but Wardlow sends Punk off to the canvas after a tornado DDT attempt. Wardlow goes for a powerbomb but Punk flips into a roundhouse kick. He does a series of strikes before hitting a springboard clothesline. “CM Punk” chants once more. Punk hits his running knee strike in the corner, but Wardlow powerbombs him. He hits a second one. Wardlow takes his time. He hits a third powerbomb. Four. Five. Wardlow puts his foot on Punk’s chest and is about to get the win, but MJF stops it. He wants more. Punk grabs Wardlow by the singlet and nails him again with a powerbomb. MJF wants another. Powebomb number seven. Punk indicates to Aubrey on the apron that he’s good to go with a thumbs up. MJF wants Wardlow to powerbomb Punk through the medical table at ringside. Wardlow obliges. MJF celebrates on the apron. Punk somehow makes the count at nine. MJF yells at Wardlow to powerbomb him again. Wardlow sets him up, but Punk turns it into a small package: 1-2-3.
WINNER: CM Punk
MJF is irate as he shoves and pokes at Wardlow. Wardlow grabs MJF by the hand and Shawn Spears intervenes. He settles him down and Wardlow leaves in a fury. Aubrey Edwards checks on Punk who is down at ringside.
MATCH 2
Powerhouse Hobbs (with Ricky Starks) vs. Dante Martin
Hobbs attacks Martin before he gets to the ring. Dante shows some of his speed and flight, but a spinebuster on the outside certainly turns the tide. Hobbs shows his poweri in the ring with a vert suplex front slam. Hobbs goes for a torture rack, but Martin escapes. This is very much like Wardlow dominating Punk as commentary sells Dante’s struggles. Martin gets sent to the outside as Starks takes some stomps on Dante heading into picture-in-picture.
Back from the break, Dante slugs Hobbs hard. Hobbs gets Dante in a torture rack, but Dante escapes with a dropkick running before hitting a highly elevated shotgun dropkick from up top. Dante nails a springboard corkscrew crossbody to Hobbs on the outside. Hobbs attempts to get in the ring, but Dante hits him with a running dropkick. Hobbs does manage to nails a running body press as Starks watches on. Ricky gets on the apron, but out comes Jay Lethal. Hobbs is distracted and Dante hits his moonsault springboard for the 1-2-3.
WINNER: Dante Martin
Chris Jericho is cutting a promo about the greatness of the Inner Circle. He talks about Sammy Guevara beating Daniel Garcis tonight. Eddie Kingston comes in and questions Jericho. Lots of tension as Santana, Ortiz and Hager walk off. Jericho notes he’ll be at ringside for Sammy. Eddie can come too, but Jericho will kick anyone’s ass that tries to interfere. Possibly even Eddie’s.
A furious MJF walks out and says CM Punk got the upset win over an oaf. Next week he’s going to give everyone what they want: CM Punk vs. Shawn Spears.
Adam Cole and Britt Baker officially challenge Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander next week as all of the Super Kliq run down “Landon Butler.”
Hangman Page comes out. He says he has wrestled one of the best in the world for his belt for a total of around 90 minutes and Big Platinum is still his. He says 90 minutes is not enough. It’s a new year and a new set of records. Now he needs a new challenger. Out comes Dan Lambert. Being here reminds him of cowboys of old: Bill Watts, Stan Hansen and the Funks. Hangman didn’t come out here to hear a walking Facebook profile talk. Lambert says he came out here to compliment him. He’s a fantastic wrestler, but Page as a cowboy? No way. He says Adam is completely full of “cowboy shit.” Suddenly, Lance Archer’s music hits. Dan Lambert gets backed down into the ring as Lambert pleads for Archer to consider attacking Hangman. He does. He puts a chair in the middle of the ring after striking Adam with it and hits the champ with a Blackout on top of it.
Arn Anderson is with Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson. He feels it’s Horsemen Country. Tully Blanchard and FTR agree that it smells like Horsemen Country. They implore Arn to leave these two to align with them. Arn clearly doesn’t like that as Brock is his boy. FTR challenges the two to a match next week.
Hikaru Shida comes out for her match with Serena Deeb, but Deeb attacks her from behind. She hits Shida with her own Kendo stick and slams her knee into the steel steps. Deeb gets in the ring and is ready for the match. Shida takes awhile, but makes it to the ring. Shida wants the match. Bell rings and we’re underway.
MATCH 3
Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb
Deeb dragon screws Shida’s knee before Bret Hart leaping onto it with the leverage of the ropes. Deeb continues her assault on the knee and locks in the Serenity Lock. Paul Turner makes the decision to call for the bell.
WINNER: Serena Deeb
Paul Turner and Doc Sampson look to tend to Shida, but Deeb attacks her further with a kendo stick. Some of the babyface women’s locker room run to check on Shida.
Schiavone is with Jurassic Express and Christian Cage. Cage sends well wishes to Rey Fenix. Jungle Boy offers the challenge to a top five team. In come John Silver & Alex Reynolds. We have a match for Rampage.
Matt Hardy is in the ring with HFO. His wife Reba and his kids are in the crowd. He talks about Rey Fenix getting injured. He’s going to do the same to Penta tonight and send him to the hospital to be with his brother by deleting him.
MATCH 4
Matt Hardy vs. Penta El Zero M
The two have a chant off with Raleigh before the fight begins. We go to commercial and the two fight it out with plenty of covers. Hardy hits a Side Effect on the apron, but it only gets him a two count. Penta has Hardy up top for a reverse suplex, but Matt knocks him off. Hardy goes for a moonsault, but misses. Fear Factor piledriver. 1-2-3.
WINNER: Penta El Zero M
Penta and Alex Abrahantes get on the mic to call out Malakai Black. Lights go out, but come back on for Malakai. Black kicks Alex and then attacks Penta. He attempts to rip off Penta’s mask, but out come the Varsity Blonds. Julia tells Varsity Blonds to relent and they hold off as Black laughs. Lights go out again and when they come back on, Brody King is there. They dominate the Blonds and Penta.
Schiavone is with Red Velvet, Leyla Hirsch and Kris Statlander. Hirsch takes exception to Statlander partaking in the mixed tag with Orange Cassidy as they have a triple tag match coming up. The two argue before Velvet plays mediator and settles the waters.
MATCH 5
Bear Country vs. The Acclaimed
Big stereo sshoulder tackles by BC. Soon Max Caster leaps off with a dive and we head to pic-in-pic.
Back from break, Bear Boulder is dominant and hits a double flatliner. Tag to Bronson as they go for a Bear Bomb on Max but Bowens pulls him away. Bowens gets clears out by Broson and Max gets a snear fall. Bowens guillotines him on the apron and it sets him up for a Mic Drop. 1-2-3.
WINNERS: The Acclaimed
Post-match, Sting and Darby Allin attack the victors. Darby gets Max in the ring and it sets Sting up for a Scorpion Death Drop.
We see a blinded Bastard PAC. He’s not angry at Malakai. He appreciates the blessing. Now his vision has never been so clear.
Matt Hardy is frustrated backstage. In comes Andrade El Idolo. He says Matt needs to focus. They’re both businessmen. He wants to make a deal with him. Matt is intrigued. Hardy tells Private Party to stay back.
MAIN EVENT
Interim TNT Championship
Daniel Garcia vs. Sammy Guevera (c)
We see Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho at ringside. David Crockett is there to present the belt to the winner. This match is hard-hitting from the get-go. Garcia hits Sammy real hard in the corner. Real hard slaps from both men before Sammy nails Daniel with a leaping senton to the outside. Back in the ring, both fighters continue the athleticism before Garcia catches Sammy with a backbreaker. We go pic-in-pic.
Sammy finds momentum once more with a double flip senton to the outside. “Sammy” chants go down in Raleigh. Garcia gets a very close fall on Sammy back in the ring. Garcia gets a sharpshooter in on Sammy center ring. Sammy makes it to the ropes. Sammy hits a back body drop on Garcia and avoids a corner cannonball from Daniel. “Let’s go Sammy” chants. Sammy hits a Cross Rhodes. Two count.
Sammy goes for his springboard cutter, but Garcia catches him in a guillotine, then a side chokehold, then a piledriver: 1-2-no. Crowd is clapping to motivate Sammy who hits an enziguri. 2point0 jump Kingston and then jump Jericho. Sammy feeds Daniel a knee. Garcia gets a near fall after a 2point0 distraction, but it proves untimely as Sammy hits a GTH and Sammy gets the W.
WINNER and STILL Interim TNT Champion: Sammy Guevara
Post match, 2point0 attack Sammy, but both Jericho and Eddie come in the ring to save him. Eddie and Jericho argue greatly as the show ends.
