Cody Rhodes' move stolen, Referee mistake - 5 things you missed from MJF and Will Ospreay's 60-minute AEW classic

The 250th weekly episode of AEW Dynamite will forever be remembered for the iconic hour-long match between Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Will Ospreay. After weeks of verbal back-and-forth, the two stars showed why they are considered amongst the very best wrestlers in the world.

MJF vs. Ospreay was an in-ring masterpiece, which had many intriguing storyline threads attached. Following MJF's brutal assault on Daniel Garcia, the onus was on The Aerial Assassin to avenge his friend by taking down the former AEW World Champion. Meanwhile, MJF was laser-focused on exposing Ospreay as an overrated performer, who can not hang with superior talents like The Salt of the Earth.

The two individuals displayed undeniable chemistry inside the squared circle, despite having widely different in-ring styles. The match had a fair share of exciting aerial maneuvers, complimented by an equally impressive display of grounded in-ring action. In an era where the audience is prone to having short attention spans, MJF vs. Ospreay appeared as a breath of fresh air for wrestling fans.

From entertaining tributes to glaring botches, there are certain things fans may have overlooked during the AEW International Championship encounter on Dynamite. In this article, let's look at five things you may have missed in the MJF vs. Will Ospreay match.

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#5. Will Ospreay pays tribute to AJ Styles

AJ Styles is one of the most influential wrestlers of the past two decades. At a time when wrestling was predominantly a land of giants, The Phenomenal One made a name for himself through his breathtaking aerial moves and innovative in-ring offense. Styles' incredible success inspired a generation of young wrestlers, including The Aerial Assassin, Will Ospreay.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, The Commonwealth Kingpin revealed how he decided to become a pro wrestler after watching The Phenomenal One in TNA. During his title defense against MJF on Dynamite, Ospreay performed a Super Styles Clash from the top rope, paying respect to his childhood hero.

Although he did not score the pinfall, it was amazing to see how impressively Ospreay pulled off the Styles Clash. While some fans were upset with the 31-year-old allegedly stealing the iconic move, The Georgia Pitbull took to X/Twitter to give Will Ospreay his blessing to use his finisher.

#4. Will Ospreay steals the Cross Rhodes

While the Super Styles Clash was a tribute to AJ Styles, Will Ospreay performed another stolen move on Dynamite to settle his past scores with Cody Rhodes. For those unaware, The American Nightmare currently has a middle-rope assisted Springboard Cutter in his arsenal, which has a striking resemblance to The Aerial Assassin's Oscutter maneuver.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, the 31-year-old made a light-hearted accusation that The Dashing One had stolen his finisher. The Commonwealth Kingpin seemingly got even with Cody Rhodes this week, when he planted MJF with his own version of the Cross Rhodes.

The Aerial Assassin did not forget to wink before he performed Cody's finisher, letting the fans know what he was going for.

#3. The referee overlooks the 10-count rule multiple times

Speaking on the Busted Open Radio podcast, Bully Ray (fka Bubba Ray Dudley) pointed out a glaring mistake in the AEW International Title bout between MJF and Will Ospreay. As per the WWE Hall of Famer, the referee overlooked the 10-count rule on several occasions in this match, which massively affected his viewing experience.

The action was not limited to the squared circle in this contest, as MJF and Ospreay spent a good chunk of the match wrestling outside the ring. Interestingly, there was a crowd spot where The Aerial Assassin asked a child to help him beat up MJF, instead of bringing his opponent into the ring.

Bully Ray was infuriated at the referee for not trying to count down the two performers while they were battling outside. The multi-time Tag Team Champion was disappointed with the inefficient refereeing, stating that Tony Khan should have announced a No Disqualification match instead.

#2. MJF created history by winning the AEW International Championship

After a hard-fought battle, MJF overcame Will Ospreay to become the new AEW International Champion on AEW Dynamite. The Salt of the Earth accomplished a rare feat with his victory, which had only been achieved by Jon Moxley before.

The Wolf of Pro Wrestling has now become one of only seven individuals who have captured the AEW International Championship. Moreover, the Long Island native now stands as the only second superstar to have won both the AEW International Championship and the AEW World Championship.

Following his triumph over The Commonwealth Kingpin, it remains to be seen if MJF will carry on the tradition of being a defending champion. The Salt of the Earth may not get many days to celebrate, as a returning Daniel Garcia could potentially cut short his title reign at All In.

#1. Will Ospreay's resistance to the Tiger Driver 91 continues

Will Ospreay is an extremely versatile talent who keeps on experimenting with his moveset. During his iconic clash against Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door 2023, The British Superstar planted The Cleaner with a Tiger Driver 91, one of the most dangerous maneuvers in wrestling history.

Since then, The Aerial Assassin has performed the deadly move several times. Earlier this year, Will Ospreay brought back the Tiger Driver 91 during his match against Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynasty, planting the American Dragon right onto his neck.

The 31-year-old star was seemingly traumatized watching Danielson writhing in pain, believing that he had ended a legendary career with his ignorance.

Although Danielson eventually recovered from the lethal maneuver, the incident caused Will Ospreay to retire the move for good. Since then, the former AEW International Champion has been extremely hesitant to use the Tiger Driver 91 again.

The story continued on the latest episode of Dynamite, when Ospreay caught MJF in the position of a Tiger Driver 91, only to end up letting go of the vicious hold. The Commonwealth Kingpin could not gather the courage to perform the seemingly retired maneuver, which ultimately cost him his AEW International Championship.