AEW Battle Of The Belts Results (1/8) - Interim TNT Champ Crowned
AEW Battle Of The Belts comes to us live from the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is the first quarterly special for AEW on TNT.
Excalibur, Jim Ross, and Tony Schiavone are on the call.
Interim TNT Championship: Dustin Rhodes (with Arn Anderson) vs. Sammy Guevara
Dustin is a late substitute for the TNT Champion Cody Rhodes, who was not medically cleared for the event.
Two special guests at ringside are introduced before the match: Humpy Wheeler, the former President and General Manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway, and David Crockett.
This will be the first time AEW has awarded an interim championship.
Handshake between Dustin and Sammy to start the match. Some early back and forth as they trade arm drags.
A very deliberate pace in the early going. Dustin acts like he's already winded.
Dustin catches Sammy with his dropdown uppercut. Sammy tries to quicken the pace, but Dustin again slows things down.
Sammy takes it outside and sends Dustin into the guardrail. Sammy trades finger-gun gestures with Arn Anderson. Dustin and Sammy trade some chops on the arena floor and Sammy again sends Dustin into the guardrail.
An exchange at the ring steps leads to Dustin smashing Sammy's knee against the steps. Dustin follows that with a piledriver to Sammy on the arena floor.
Dustin rolls into the ring and the announcers point out that Dustin can win the interim title on a count-out. Sammy takes it all the way to the count of 9 before he rolls into the ring. Dustin covers him for a 2-count.
Sammy rolls back outside as we head into the picture-in-picture break.
Back from the break, Dustin hits a power slam for a 2-count. Dustin backs Sammy into the corner and delivers some chops and mounted punches.
Daniel Garcia is shown watching from a ringside seat.
Sammy reverses into a clothesline and Dustin rolls outside the ring.
Sammy checks his knee as referee Aubrey Edwards jaws with Anderson. Sammy motions for Dustin to get up. Dustin finally does and Sammy delivers a double-springboard twisting splash from the ring down to Dustin on the floor.
Both men are back in the ring. Sammy hits a shoulder tackle to Dustin in the corner. Sammy goes for a springboard cutter. Dustin blocks that and hits a Cross Rhodes. Sammy kicks out at 2.
Dustin hits a Code Red for another 2-count.
Dustin starts climbing the corner. Sammy catches him from behind, carries him out of the corner on his back and hits the GTH. Dustin kicks out at 2.
Fuego Del Sol appears at ringside. Fuego pulls a table out from underneath the ring and sets it up at ringside. Anderson steps up to Fuego and motions like he's going to pull out a gun. Fuego retreats up the entrance ramp with Anderson in pursuit.
Dustin and Sammy exchange reversals on the ring apron. Dustin finally hits a destroyer on Sammy from the ring apron down through the table set up on the floor.
CANADIAN DESTROYER!!!!
Tune in NOW to @tntdrama #BattleOfTheBelts #AEWBOTB pic.twitter.com/8YYhyCgszs
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 9, 2022
Dustin rolls Sammy back in the ring and covers Sammy. Sammy kicks out at 2.
Dustin hits another Cross Rhodes. He picks up Sammy and hits another.
Dusting picks up Sammy and sets up for what looks like a Tiger Driver but Sammy escapes and hits a superkick. Both men are down.
A sunset flip attempt by Sammy is reversed by Dustin. Both men exchange pinning combinations before Sammy gets the better of the exchange and holds down Dustin to get the pin and win the interim TNT Championship.
Sammy Guevara defeats Dustin Rhodes via pinfall to win the interim TNT Championship
David Crockett presents the title to Sammy. Dustin hugs Sammy and raises his hand. Dustin leaves the ring.
Daniel Garcia gets in the ring and gets in Guevara's face and they start to trade punches. Referees run down to the ring to break up the fight.
Daniel Garcia wastes no time getting the face of the new champion!
Tune in NOW to @tntdrama #BattleOfTheBelts #AEWBOTB pic.twitter.com/j76sflN9dL
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 9, 2022
Back from the break with a recap of the title matches from Wednesday's Dynamite.
Tony Schiavone is backstage with Sammy Guevara and asks about Daniel Garcia. Guevara challenges Garcia to a match on Wednesday's Dynamite for the interim TNT Championship.
Taz has joined the commentary team.
FTW Championship: Ricky Starks (c) (with Powerhouse Hobbs) vs. Matt Sydal
Taz explains the origins of the FTW Championship, calling it "an anti-establishment thing".
Sydal starts with some low kicks and a high knee. Takedown leads to a standing moonsault by Sydal. He covers but only gets a 1-count.
A rollup by Sydal gets a 2-count. Starks reverses a bulldog attempt to retake control.
Both men go to the outside of the ring. Hobbs forces Sydal to back off as we go to the picture-in-picture break.
Back from the break, Starks takes down Sydal with a back elbow and a spinning uranage. That gets a 2-count.
Sydal fights back with some kicks. Running knee strike connects to Starks in the corner.
Sydal sets up Starks on the top rope. Sydal hits a jumping hurricanrana and a Michinoku driver for a 2-count.
A rollup attempt by Sydal gets a 2-count. Starks powers out but runs into a knee strike. Sydal hits the Lightning Spiral for a 2-count. Taz was concerned that might be the end for Starks.
Sydal climbs to the top rope. He hits the top rope Meteora on Starks. Starks gets his foot on the ropes to break the count.
Starks ducks a knee strike attempt and hits a spear. Starks hits the roshambo and that gets the 3-count.
Ricky Starks defeats Matt Sydal via pinfall to retain the FTW Championship
Starks and Hobbs attack Sydal after the bell. Lee Moriarty runs down to help Sydal. Hobbs takes down Moriarty. Dante Martin runs down and gets in the face of Hobbs. Those two men have a brief scrap. They will meet on Wednesday's Dynamite.
Next Wednesday's Dynamite:
- CM Punk vs Wardlow
- Dante Martin vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
- Hikaru Shida vs. Serena Deeb
- Interim TNT Championship: Sammy Guevara (c) vs. Daniel Garcia
We get a hype video for tonight's main event, focusing on the fact that Dr. Britt Baker has never beaten Riho.
AEW Women's Championship: Dr. Britt Baker (c) (with Jamie Hayter and Rebel) vs. Riho
Baker and Hayter have some words before the match and there appears to be a little bit of tension there.
Rebel grabs Riho's boot. Riho goes over to say something to Hayter and Baker jumps Riho from behind.
Early exchange sees Riho take Baker down with some dropkicks. Baker rolls outside the ring. Riho follows with a crossbody from the top rope to the floor that takes down Rebel. Baker hits a sling blade on Riho on the floor.
Hayter says something to Baker and Baker looks confused. Hayter and Baker finally agree to pull a table out from under the ring. Riho recovers and hits a dragon suplex on Baker on the floor and then dropkicks the table while Hayter is holding it. The table came down hard on Hayter's leg.
Riho rolls Baker back into the ring and climbs to the top rope. Riho connects with a top rope missile dropkick. Riho charges but Baker reverses and sends Riho into the corner. Baker stomps on Riho as we head to the picture-in-picture break.
Back from the break just in time to see Riho hit a double foot stomp on Baker. That gets a 2-count.
Suplex attempt by Riho is reversed. Riho audibles to some forearm strikes. Baker charges in and runs into Riho's boots. Riho hits a head-scissor takedown. Riho follows Baker into the corner with a knee strike.
Riho hits the tiger feint kick and that gets a 2-count.
Riho locks in a half Boston crab, but Baker is able to crawl to the bottom rope.
Riho climbs to the top rope. Rebel pulls Baker to the ring apron and covers Baker. Riho hits a double foot stomp hit onto Rebel as she was covering Baker.
Rebel saves the champion and gets a double stomp for her troubles
Tune in NOW to @tntdrama #AEWBOTB pic.twitter.com/fvgk9Xo6Zp— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 9, 2022
Riho goes back to the top rope. Baker avoids the double foot stomp and hits an air raid crash for a 2-count.
Baker gets her glove from Rebel. Baker looks for the stomp but Riho avoids it and hits some elbow strikes.
Baker takes down Riho and is looking for Lockjaw, but Riho makes it to the ropes. Hayter reaches in and grabs Riho again. Baker pulls Riho to center to try to get Lockjaw but Riho reverses into a rollup for a near-fall.
Baker recovers and hits the stomp for a near-fall of her own. Hayter and Rebel hand the title belt to Baker. Referee Paul Turner sees that and throws out Rebel.
Hayter did not get thrown out but she's up on the ring apron talking to Baker about something. Riho pushes Baker into Hayter and hits a crucifix bomb and a northern lights suplex on Baker for a near-fall.
Riho charges in but Baker meets her with a pair of boots. Baker kicks Riho in the face and hits the stomp again. She covers Riho but that's not enough to pin Riho.
Baker locks on Lockjaw and that's enough to finish off Riho.
The winner AND STILL #AEW Women's World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, DMD (@RealBrittBaker) #AEWBOTB pic.twitter.com/0gGTJLz3r5
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 9, 2022
Dr. Britt Baker defeats Riho via submission to retain the AEW Women's Championship
After the match, Rebel has the title belt. Hayter snatches it away from Rebel and hands it to Baker. Baker takes it and she and Hayter hug. Baker, Rebel, and Hayter leave together and that's our show.