AEW Dynamite - 6/3/2026: 3 Things We Hated And 3 We Loved

The 2026 Men's Owen Hart Tournament has its first finalist, following the latest edition of "AEW Dynamite." If you want to read all about Will Ospreay's main event victory, or the two title matches from Wednesday's show, I can direct you to the AEW Dynamite – 6/3/2026 results page.

Now it's time to break down the very best and the very worst of the show. Ospreay's chaotic win was a major highlight, for one, while the current direction of AEW TNT Champion Kevin Knight inspired some true-blue ire from the Wrestling Inc. Staff. Plus, Mercedes Mone, MJF and Rush in a No Count Outs Match, and the frustrating lack of NJPW representation heading into the co-branded PPV.

Enough of my bloviating, let's get to what you all came for: The Hateds and The Loveds of the evening's entertainment. If you have anything to add, the comment section is open as always.

Professional wrestling is really not that serious, but my co-workers will all attest when it comes to how irate I was about the revelation that Kevin Knight had joined The Don Callis Family from this edition of "Dynamite".

Taz made quite the effort on commentary to try and spin this into something good, but this was the absolute wrong move for Knight. Considering that he's still pretty fresh off his turn on Darby Allin and "Speedball Mike Bailey", he has all of the momentum in the world to go on a rampage heel run as a singles star in order for the spotlight to entirely be on him. The Don Callis Family already has a ton of members in it, and my major concern here is that Knight will get lost in the shuffle with everyone else part of the group, when the exact opposite situation is what AEW should be doing here.

If we cast our minds back to last Wednesday, then you might recall that Knight did encounter Callis and Kyle Fletcher backstage. I know the seeds were planted there, but that doesn't really make this any better, as Knight could've simply formed a temporary alliance with The Don Callis Family in a similar fashion to MJF not that long ago. While I'm usually at least a little bit intrigued to see where any given storyline goes, this is not one that I'm looking forward to at all, and one that shouldn't have even happened in the first place. There's not really much else I can say about it other than it was bad and a terrible creative choice on the part of AEW.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

I knew RUSH challenging MJF for the AEW World Championship was going to be a good match, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Probably because, and I didn't think I'd ever say this, I'm a bit tired of major title defenses on television after Darby Allin's reign, especially since I know MJF isn't losing the gold on TV a second time. While the direction AEW is going with the title is kind of obvious (hello, Will Ospreay winning the Owen), I can always appreciate being surprised by a good TV title defense.

I'm a sucker for a stipulation match, and I clearly remember Rush being great in his other semi-recent no-countout match against a pre-champion Allin back in March. The backstage segment Rush and MJF had to set up the stipulation tonight made sense, and I actually really liked it opening the show. I knew going in tonight that "Dynamite" was going to be a packed one, especially up against game one of the NBA Finals, so starting off hot with the AEW World Championship, in a match where the competitors could do a little more and show off, was great.

And show off they did. Rush had multiple great spots throughout the match that MJF took like the champ he is, including the straightjacket piledriver onto the ring apron. They also had me at one point, as I had looked away for a brief moment, when the match was in its only commercial break, where it looked as though we were headed toward a match stoppage. I just saw Rush on the ground with the doctor, then the camera went to Justin Roberts, and they had me for a second.

Rush then took a nasty back bump when MJF got out of the way of a dropkick, sending the challenger through the ring barricade, and if his shoulder injury commentary explained is legit, then double ouch. Rush was also kept looking strong, as he passed out in a cross face, but not before making a face at MJF and flipping him off before the bout ended.

If Rush's winning streak was going to end, it might as well have ended with a great, bloody AEW World Championship shot. While I don't love the fact MJF has a slew of other challengers gunning for him, just like Allin, when we know what the outcome, or at least the direction, for the title is going to be, I did love this match. I'm hoping AEW continues to prove me wrong, and I'll enjoy any more TV defenses MJF may stumble his way into.

Written by Daisy Ruth

I love Mark Briscoe, but he's the kind of guy you really need to keep on a time-limit. After his victory over Lio Rush, Briscoe rambled about The Conglomeration, how much he misses his brother, and how demons are real. By the time he was done, I'm pretty sure he challenged MJF to a match for the AEW World Title.

Briscoe is going to be another tv title defense, a warm-up for MJF's real defense in August. The world champion is such a perfect foil for the winner of the Owen Hart Cup that it almost feels like a given that he'll be in the main event of All In in Wembley, likely against Will Ospreay. 

Much like Darby, killing time until he dropped the title to MJF, MJF is now killing time in the title defense vortex, albeit without the drama of whether he will live or die that came with Darby's defenses. Anyway, the whole thing left me very underwhelmed, which feels like the opposite of how an upcoming title defense should feel.

Though it came through the most unfortunate of circumstances, with Willow Nightingale sidelined for quite some time, Mercedes Mone made her return to AEW in the Owen Hart Cup opposite Alex Windsor during this week's show.

Not only did they have a fun match afterwards, won by Mone as she looks to win back-to-back tournaments. But it was plainly just cool to see Mone back in the ring and exciting to see what's to come moving forward.

She appeared to be working the match as her typical heel self, even if the responses from the crowd painted her out to be a babyface, and after the match took the commemorative title belt back up the ramp with her. And aside from maybe Thekla or the Divine Dominion, the division had been yearning for a legitimately top heel like Mone. It is a shame that Nightingale got injured, and that's what led to this point, but as a fan of Mone's work, whether it be WWE or since then with AEW and a plethora of other promotions, I was always going to be happy when she did eventually make her return.

That, as well as the fact that this tournament run is going to yield matches against any of Hazuki or Persephone, and Athena, Sareee – provided she doesn't lose to Skye Blue – only adds to the enjoyment of seeing her back in the ring. It's always a good time when a favorite returns with a pathway to even better matches.

Written by Max Everett

All Elite Wrestling's next pay-per-view offering will be Forbidden Door on June 28, a collaborative effort between AEW, CMLL, STARDOM, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. This time of year is always one of my personal favorites as we get to see some of the biggest names from the biggest companies in the world flock to one place to create something you won't see anywhere else. However, that concept of not seeing something anywhere else becomes a problem when you don't even see it in the place you're supposed to see it to begin with...let me explain.

We have four different companies involved in the making of this year's Forbidden Door show, and while it is an AEW show first and a crossover show second these days, it worries me a little bit that the other companies have hardly been mentioned outside of a few programs. Shout out to Thekla for spitting a fat loogie at the STARDOM logo, reminding everyone that yes, she will actually be facing someone from that company. With that said, the only STARDOM representation we've had so far is Hazuki, and she's in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. You want fans of both companies to get excited as early as possible so why not tease a Saya Kamitani appearance, or AZM, or even Utami Hayashishita now she's back in the company. That would go a long way.

Andrade El Idolo is the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion, but outside of that being on his name plate, he has no interest in mentioning the title or NJPW at all, and is more focused on facing MJF for the AEW World Championship. That doesn't make NJPW sound all that appealing when one of its champions looks to have forgotten he's a champion there. Why not play into what Yota Tsuji was saying earlier in the year? AEW loves its factions and gang warfare (just look at the main event for an example of that), so why not switch out a Don Callis Family segment for something relating to NJPW? Again, it would get people in both companies excited for a show they are both a part of.

The same goes for CMLL, and I understand all three companies have their own respective schedules with their own big events coming up this month. However, you can do so much with pre-tapes, vignettes, even just namedropping people in promos. Newer fans would be fooled into thinking that Forbidden Door is just another AEW show at this point because the lack of promotion for the partners has been poor this year. Let's just hope that changes as the show draws ever closer.

Written by Sam Palmer

Will Ospreay was looking to avenge his April loss via stoppage against former United Empire protege Mark Davis in the Owen Hart Cup this week. A bout that continued to tell the story of Ospreay's honing under Jon Moxley and the Death Riders, the expansion of the Don Callis Family, and the enemies the group has cultivated in the meantime. One that added to the history of Ospreay, Davis, and even eventually Kyle Fletcher once he made his presence known. And just a really fun main event.

The match began with the perfect juxtaposition of size and speed that Davis and Ospreay are, pitting the explosive power and strength of one against the "Aerial Assassin" and "Death Ground" style of the other.

Davis went back to the well of what had worked before, continually isolating the neck and spiking Ospreay on it several times throughout the contest. But he ultimately found that well to have run dry as Ospreay continued to fight on, kicking out and battling through to almost the win on several occasions.

Then all hell broke loose in a really fun way; the referee went down, and Ospreay had Davis beat with no one to make the count, prompting Trent Beretta and El Clon to run down and attack him.

They were met by Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta, who were in turn wiped out by Lance Archer, who then got dropped by Claudio Castagnoli. Casatgnoli was removed from the equation by Brian Cage, who was then himself removed by PAC. Ospreay had Davis beat with an Os-Cutter. Jake Doyle then entered the equation to prevent him from winning; Doyle was jumped by Marina Shafir, but he managed to cast her aside before finally getting dropped by Moxley with the Paradigm Shift.

PAC then wiped out everyone on the outside with a moonsault, and the match was free to continue – albeit without a referee. Only then did Fletcher make his appearance to attack Ospreay and brandish the DCF's signature weapon, the screwdriver. But there would be one last twist as Konosuke Takeshita, Fletcher's scorned lover and former DCF member, came out to meet Fletcher and remove him from the equation. (And breathe).

Davis then almost had the match won anyway, dropping Ospreay on his neck one last time. But Ospreay kicked out at the last fraction of a second, displayed one of the flushest maneuvers into an armbar, and got his submission win.

Ospreay goes through for what one presumes will be an Ospreay versus Swerve Strickland final, and where the second-best option is an Ospreay versus Brody King final. It was a really fun viewing experience and promises better in the future, what's not to love?

Written by Max Everett