With the surprise finish to last week’s episode, the April 22 edition of AEW Dynamite looked to follow up on the chaos.
Darby Allin defeated MJF in about a minute at AEW Dynasty to become the new AEW World Champion. It marked a years-long journey to this moment, going from one of the company’s pillars to capturing the top prize in Washington, where he trained to become a professional wrestler.
Allin looked to follow that up immediately on the ensuing episode of Dynamite, facing Tommaso Ciampa in his first world title defense. Additionally, Samoa Joe returned to the ring for the first time since suffering an injury earlier this year.
So, what went down on Wednesday night? Let’s take a look:
- A video package airs highlighting Darby Allin winning the AEW World Championship.
- MJF marches to the ring and calls last week “the Seattle Screwjob.” He boasts about defeating Kenny Omega at Dynasty but says he came out bruised and battered, then starts making excuses for losing to Allin. MJF asks if anyone really thinks Allin could beat him if he were fully prepared. He calls himself the most complete professional wrestler in history and continues putting himself over. MJF demands Allin give back the world title, but Kevin Knight interrupts.
Knight calls out MJF’s whining and asks if he looks clean with the TNT Championship around his waist. He says that since he pinned MJF a few weeks ago, he should be champion. MJF fires back, saying he already defeated Knight easily and that Knight has a ceiling and will never be world champion. Knight responds that it’s no coincidence MJF has never held the TNT title and challenges him.
MJF says he’d love nothing more than to take the TNT title from him. Knight accepts and pushes for the match to happen immediately, but as it’s about to begin, MJF backs out and says it will happen next week.
- Backstage, Ricochet says no one will team up with Jericho tonight. Jericho shows off a new shirt with a trademarked catchphrase. Ricochet doubles down, but Jericho says he just needs to find someone who doesn’t like Ricochet.
- Brody King def. Lio Rush by pinfall. After the match, King says he has his eye on the AEW World Championship and that while he’s proud of Allin, he’s not proud enough to hold back the violence.
- Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa says he’s been told his entire career what he isn’t. He says he’s a husband, a father, a son, and a brother, and that he has an insane work ethic. He says tonight is about passion and breaking through the glass ceiling, adding that no one has been more prepared for their moment than he is.
- Backstage, Adam Copeland says he and Christian Cage deserve another tag team title match. He proposes a New York Street Fight at Double or Nothing and adds that if they lose to FTR, they will retire as a team.
- Hikaru Shida def. Mina Shirakawa by pinfall.
- A video package hypes Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita at Double or Nothing.
- Mark Davis def. Will Ospreay by medical stoppage. After the match, Davis tries to continue the attack, but the Death Riders intervene. The group does not attack Ospreay and instead carries him out of the arena.
- Backstage, Alex Windsor says she’s not done with Thekla and vows to rip off her legs. Persephone says she’d love to take on the Triangle of Madness, and Windsor suggests they team up against any two members of the group at Collision.
- Samoa Joe def. Cody Chhun by pinfall.
- A vignette highlighting Darby Allin’s top AEW moments airs.
- Jericho announces he will team with Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley on Collision.
- Tony Schiavone welcomes Darby Allin to the ring. Allin says he had his first-ever match in Portland and dedicates this moment to his parents, his fiancée, the people who helped him on Mt. Everest, and the fans. He says when this ride is over, he wants to know who he’s looking at.
MJF interrupts and says Allin doesn’t deserve the title and demands it back. Allin refuses, and MJF pushes for a rematch, only to be turned down again. Allin says he won’t grant a rematch unless MJF puts something on the line and tells him to get out of his ring.
- AEW World Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) def. Tommaso Ciampa by submission to retain the title. After the match, Brody King comes out and says he spoke to Tony Khan about getting an AEW World Championship match next week on Dynamite.
