AEW Dynamite Results (2/8): Bryan Danielson Vs. Rush, Ricky Starks Runs The Gauntlet, MJF In Action
This is Wrestling INC.'s live coverage of "AEW Dynamite" for February 8, 2023!
Tonight's show will feature Bryan Danielson's final test to earn his AEW World Championship match at the upcoming Revolution PPV, but he must overcome RUSH to earn that. MJF has offered RUSH a large amount of money if he can stop the "American Dragon," who does head into this match with an injured arm from his previous two matches.
MJF will also be in action tonight in a title eliminator against Konosuke Takeshita, who he has had issues with in recent weeks. Takeshita has been on-hand to stop MJF from attacking Danielson, and after the two got in a backstage brawl last week they will get to settle their issues inside the ring, with Takeshita earning a future title match if he wins.
That isn't the only title eliminator happening tonight though, as The Bunny has the chance of earning a future AEW Women's World Championship match if she can defeat Jamie Hayter when they compete in singles action on the show.
Speaking of title matches, there are two set to take place tonight. After Kenny Omega's recent visa issues have been solved, The Elite will be putting their AEW World Trios Championship on the line against Top Flight and AR Fox, with Darius and Dante Martin riding the momentum of defeating The Young Bucks in tag team action recently.
The AEW World Tag Team Championship will also be on the line as the issues between The Acclaimed and The Gunns reach a boiling point, but what side will Billy Gunn decide to take?
There will also be a gauntlet match taking place tonight featuring Ricky Starks, as he must defeat members of the Jericho Appreciation Society to earn himself another match against the leader of the faction, who he has been feuding with in recent weeks.
MJF vs. Konosuke Takeshita
MJF attacks his opponent low to start after goading him in with a fake handshake, but Konosuke Takeshita fires back with a jumping elbow attack and that is followed by a jumping knee strike. He then looks for a power drive knee but MJF pulls the referee in front of him as he then starts attacking the arm before launching Takeshita into the turnbuckles. He keeps up the attack with a hammerlock and then the champion simply bites the finger of Takeshita.
Despite a moment of dominance, MJF then gets suplexed into the turnbuckles and he follows it with a couple of running big boots, but the third attempt is scouted as MJF looks to roll him up. Takeshita responds by kicking MJF in the face as he tries to leap over him in the corner, and he then manages to connect with the Frog Splash after an Eddie Guerrero tribute, but MJF can kick out!
Takeshita slams MJF down to the mat and then keeps hold of him and launches MJF back into a German suplex, but the champion falls to the floor to stop any pinfall attempt. Takeshita then looks to leap out onto him but MJF rolls into the ring and avoids it as Takeshita crashes and burns. The fight continues outside the ring but MJF gets sent crashing into the ring post and they then head to the top turnbuckle as Takeshita lariats him off.
However, MJF lands on his feet and connects with a kick as they then bounce off the ropes to nail lariats onto each other as both men go down. MJF then goads in his opponent for the Salt Of The Earth but Takeshita reverses it with a pinfall attempt, dumps MJF outside the ring, and then dives over the top rope to wipe him out again. Takeshita tries to finish MJF with a knee strike, but he rolls out of the ring to avoid it.
Once again, MJF gets the official in the way and that allows him to kick the ropes while Takeshita tries to get inside the ring. He gets a few cheap shots in, but Takeshita responds with a big one of his own until MJF rakes the eyes. MJF then powerbombs Takeshita onto his knee, which hurts him as well and it leads to a Blue Thunder Bomb and then a knee strike from Takeshita. However, just as he thinks the job is done, MJF gets his foot on the ropes.
Takeshita aims for a senton from the ropes but MJF avoids it and once again sets in the Salt Of The Earth submission and Takeshita submits.
Winner: MJF
After the match, MJF puts on his diamond ring and nails Takeshita in the face with it. He follows up with a series of punches which busts him open until Bryan Danielson hits the ring to chase the champion away.
The Bunny vs. Jamie Hayter
A video package is then shown as Samoa Joe talks about everything being right with the world now he is the TNT Champion again. He also sends a warning to Wardlow at the same time.
Jamie Hayter dominates early on, dropping The Bunny with several running shoulder blocks, but an elbow from The Bunny allows her to lock in, a submission, choking Hayter on the top rope, but the champion responds by suplexing her back into the ring. Outside the ring, Hayter gets launched into the steel stairs repeatedly, and back inside the ring she charges in and crashes into Hayter in the corner of the ring.
The women then go back and forth with some huge strikes on the ring apron until Hayter slams her opponent face-first onto the apron. That is followed by a couple of exploder suplexes and then the Hayterade for the win.
Winner: Jamie Hayter
Backstage Renee Paquette is shown with Saraya and Toni Storm as they congratulate Hayter, but they also claim that she's a loser. This leads to Leva Bates being brought in as they point out she's a loser as well because of the L in her name. This leads to them attacking Bates as they then get out the spray paint and put an 'L' on her clothing as they continue to make their statement.
MJF is then shown backstage as he gives credit to Takeshita, but says he is no match for a generational talent like him. He says Danielson treats him like a scumbag, but a man doesn't know what he is truly made of until he is met with adversity. That happened to him when he was younger and he almost got his license revoked for speeding. However, there was one girl that was his high school crush, they got in a car and she distracted him. However, it was raining and he drove them into a telephone pole. That was adversity, he grabbed her body and put her in the driving seat, and that's because there are winners and losers and he doesn't care, and he says that tonight he will show that Danielson can't deal with adversity.
Ricky Starks Runs The Gauntlet
Ricky Starks vs. Cool Hand Ange
Cool Hand Ange starts out aggressively and puts the pressure on Ricky Starks, connecting with a dropkick early on, but after a couple of roll-up attempts, Starks nails a Spear for an easy win.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Ricky Starks vs. Matt Menard
Ange then attempts to distract Starks as Menard tries to catch him out, but that doesn't work as Starks rolls him up.
Winner: Ricky Starks
Daniel Garcia's music hits seemingly showing that he will be next, but Sammy Guevara then comes out as they tease who it will be. Guevara looks like he will get in, but he doesn't as Garcia jumps Starks from behind.
Ricky Starks vs. Daniel Garcia
Garcia immediately cuts off a Spear attempt with an elbow attack as he then slams him down to the mat and teases diving onto him but instead he leaps back into the ring and does a backheel kick to show no respect. Starks attempts to fight back with a few punches, but he gets dropped with a DDT as he then hammers down with several punches. He continues his slow dominance, and he even counters a Spear attempt into a guillotine submission, but Starks breaks out with a powerbomb.
Starks looks for a top rope move but Garcia meets him up there and hits a suplerplex, but that is immediately followed by a Northern Light's Bomb from Starks which nearly gets the win. They take the fight to the ring apron as they exchange punches, but Starks wins the bout by hitting a Spear! He looks to celebrate with the fans but one with a mask on nails an elbow to his face. Garcia rolls Starks into the ring and gets the win.
Winner: Ricky Starks
After the match, the 'fan' is shown as Chris Jericho while Guevara and Garca pretend to be shocked.
Billy Gunn is shown backstage and he says that he will stay backstage tonight to let them handle their business, and while Max Caster claims he supports it, Anthony Bowens shows a little resentment.
Bryan Danielson vs. RUSH
Bryan Danielson is shown backstage with Konosuke Takeshita in the medical room. The door is slammed and they then get locked in while RUSH's music plays. MJF comes out next and he tells Aubrey Edwards that Danielson isn't here as the 10 count begins, but Takeshita breaks down the ring as he fights Preston Vance on the other side. Edwards counts slowly on purpose, and Danielson makes it in time but immediately gets jumped by RUSH inside the ring.
He hits a series of chops, but the "American Dragon" fires back some of his own as Danielson then hits a series of headbutts until RUSH reverses with a knee strike as he then launches him into the barricade several times, focusing on his injured shoulder. RUSH then concentrates on the face Danielsno is busted open as he licks his blood and then headbutts him to continue the issue.
As RUSH tries to get into the ring, Danielson fires back with a series of elbow attacks and they then trade slaps and chops on the ring apron, but RUSH comes out on top by launching Danielson to the floor. RUSH teases hitting the Bulls Horns, but he stops himself and then just boots Danielson in the face instead. Danielson then looks for the LeBell Lock out of nowhere, and while RUSH gets to the ropes he ends up being taken out as Danielson hits a tope suicida.
He then sends him into the barricade and follows it with a running dropkick, and he hits another from the top turnbuckle when they get back into the ring. Danielson hits several strikes but RUSH delivers plenty of chops of his own and they go back and forth with them, but Danielson manages to nail several running dropkicks until he counters with an elbow strike. He hits the Straightjacket Piledriver, but he covers him arrogantly and Danielson pops his shoulder up.
He then sets up for the Bulls Horns but Danielson reverses it with the Busaiku Knee, yet he kicks out! Once again they trade blows and it leads to both of them headbutting each other like crazy as RUSH then drops Danielson with a huge slap. He manages to roll through a German suplex and then hit the Busiaku Knee again, and this time it keeps RUSH down.
Winner: Bryan Danielson (who earns the iron-man match)
MJF then heads to the ring and drops Danielson with a shot from the diamond ring, and he then hammers down punches before locking in the Salt Of The Earth on his injured arm. MJF punches away the security as he locks the submission on again.
Stars from "The Impractical Jokers" are then shown backstage talking trash about Chris Jericho, this is done to promote the new show.
The Elite (c) vs. Top Flight & AR Fox (AEW World Trios Championship Match)
Dante Martin starts things out well, dropping Nick Jackson with a dropkick before mocking his partners. Matt Jackson looks to make the save but he gets dropped onto his brother while AR Fox then dropkicks Kenny Omega as well. Dante Martin drops Nick and continues the attack, but he's unaware a blind tag was made and The Young Bucks can hit combination offense after that, hitting a double dropkick to Darius as Omega charges in to wipe out Fox as well, turning things around.
Omega hammers in an elbow to Darius before hitting a couple of big chops as The Elite then hit a trio of kicks in tandem in the corner. Matt comes back in with a suplex to Dante, and Nick then comes in over the top to land on him before spitting his gum at Dante's face. The Elite makes frequent tags to stay in control as Matt then attacks both men on the apron but he then misses a superkick to Darius, but he hits a Spanish Fly. However, Darius gets the knees up when Nick dives in and he gets hit by a senton from Fox as well.
Fox then rolls Omega through into a cutter, and he manages to fight off both The Young Bucks and they both end up eating cutters as well! He dives out to hit The Young Bucks and then does the same to Omega before leaping over the ropes one more time to take out the tag team. He follows with a senton to Omega but kicks out. Fox then sends Omega crashing back down to the mat from the top rope, and Dante and Nick both tag in. Dante hits a couple of dropkicks but a jawbreaker switches things up only for Danter to avoid their offense as he sends Matt flying across the ring only to be caught into a series of Northern Lights Suplexes. He goes for a third but that gets reversed, yet Matt keeps hold of him and hits the move to both of Dante's partners while bridging him back into a pin at the same time.
Darius hits a flurry of moves and a DDT, but Matt makes the save. Fox launches himself from the top rope to take out everyone while Top Flight hits the double team Nose Dive. Fox then launches down onto him but Nick kicks out just in time! Omega responds with a Dragon Suplex from the second rope to Fox and then a series of moves get hit to take everyone out until Fox is the last man left they hit a triple team, yet Top Flight breaks it up!
Nick dumps Top Flight out of the ring and he then springboards into them with a moonsault, while inside the ring Omega hits a V-Trigger into the Dr. Bomb, but Fox kicks out again, but that is straight back into another V-Trigger and then he looks for the One-Winged Angel but Fox reverses with a roll-up. Omega kicks out and the two then trade pinfall attempts until Omega holds Fox down to retain.
Winners (and still AEW World Trios Champion): The Elite
The Acclaimed (c) vs. The Gunns
Max Caster starts out with Colten Gunn, with the challenger getting the best of the first exchange by throwing him across the ring. Caster responds with a big arm drag and that leads to Anthony Bowens getting into the ring as he chops his opponent and then brings his partner back in who attacks the arm, but Austin then tags in only to be taken down with an arm drag and then the Scissor Me Timbers as the champions hit their classic pose.
The Gunns turn things around by distracting the official though, which works in their favor as they isolate Caster into their corner. Colten hammers in several strikes in the corner and then a dropkick, but Caster kicks out. The Gunns then work well with tandem moves as they continue to cut off the ring to leave Bowens, but Caster staggers Austin and then pulls down the top rope to send him out as he avoids an attack from Colten as well to make the tag.
Bowens hits the ring and instantly takes the fight to both men, planting Austin in the middle of the ring until his brother saves the match. Bowens charges in for a rolling elbow, but Austin pulls the referee in the way and he takes the bump instead. Austin then hits the Quick Draw, but there is no official so he grabs the tag team title to use as a weapon, but Billy Gunn then makes his way into the ring.
He picks up Bowens, but he throws him down and stops Austin from hitting him with it. However, Colten then comes in from behind and nails his father with the title instead and that leads to The Acclaimed swinging wildly at their opponents. Bowens hits The Arrival which is followed by the Mic Drop and Caster goes to get the official back in. Colten then throws Caster into the barricade and breaks up the pinfall attempt.
Bowens then rolls up Austin once again and has the match won but the official's count is too slow. As Austin kicks out Bowens goes head-first into a shot with the title belt from Colten Gunn. This leads to Austin rolling him up and he gets the three count.
Winners (and new AEW World Tag Team Champions): The Gunns