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AEW Dynamite in Houston was nothing short of incredible this week. From start to finish, we were treated with high-stakes match-ups. One legend opened the show and the other was in the main event.
It didn't feel like a moment or a segment was wasted and the Houston crowd was hot throughout the show.
How did Sting do upon his in-ring return to TNT after two decades? What happened in the Fifth Labor of Jericho? Who advanced in the women's division and how was the build-up to AEW All Out? Find out below!
#6. The Elite gets the last laugh on AEW Dynamite
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The Elite never misses a chance to show their dominance and the same was the case on Dynamite this week. New IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Christian Cage was being interviewed when Don Callis came out and reminded him that he was the one who gave Christian his big break more than a couple of decades ago in Winnipeg.
Callis descended to cheap shots and insults, telling Captain Charisma that it was a miracle he is still wrestling. The latter wasn't one to take cheap shots and told Callis off. Less than an hour later, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus faced The Young Bucks for the AEW tag team titles.
It wasn't the best bout of the night by any means. But it didn't matter because some of the most important names were involved. Kenny Omega got involved and interfered, and so did Christian Cage.
Ultimately, the chaos led to The Young Bucks retaining their titles. AEW World Champion Kenny Omega attacked Christian in the process and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were seen too in the assault. The Elite gathered up together on the ramp while Don Callis was jumping like a baby.
It was pure dominance for the faction on Dynamite and that isn't going to end anytime soon, for obvious reasons. However, it isn't all good news for The Young Bucks.
Callis told them to take a two-month vacation with their family to Hawaii, but Tony Schiavone stopped them in their tracks. He informed them on Tony Khan's behalf that a multi-team mini-tournament is going to take place, with the winners getting to face The Young Bucks at All Out in a Steel Cage match.
This could be where their near 10-month title reign comes to an end.
#5. Sting's performance on AEW Dynamite means a big future ahead
The best part of Sting's resurgence on AEW Dynamite is the fact that young Darby Allin gets the rub in the process. The duo have been together since early 2021 and it's been over half a year now.
In the process, we've seen The Icon make his in-ring return at AEW Revolution, teaming alongside Allin to defeat Ricky Starks and Brian Cage. At Double or Nothing, he once again teamed up with Darby Allin to successfully defeat Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page - his first match back in front of a crowd.
This week on Dynamite, there was another first. For the first time in over 20 years, Sting wrestled on TNT. The last time it happened was in the final match in WCW history.
Sting and Allin were incredible, but the former's performance in the ring was nothing short of stunning. He took a legitimate bump and was sent through the table. Although many fans may not have liked it online, him getting up immediately gave a bit of a throwback feel.
Sting won his first match on Dynamite with a double scorpion deathlock. Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley made an appearance to assist the duo beforehand and it was the perfect chaotic match to kickstart the show this week.
This could mean two big things - one, that Darby Allin is going to continue to get the rub. Second, Sting isn't done with wrestling at all. If anything, he looks better than he did in any of his few WWE matches, meaning that we could see a lot more of him in the ring in AEW.
#4. Sammy Guevara ends a major feud on AEW Dynamite?
Sammy Guevara faced Shawn Spears on AEW Dynamite this week in what turned out to be an incredible match. Congratulations to Guevara, who proposed to his girlfriend before the show.
His feud with Spears began a few months ago at Stadium Stampede and the two have crossed paths on numerous occasions. At Stadium Stampede 2, it was Guevara who hit the 630 senton on Spears to win the match.
In the process, he turned out to be The Inner Circle's hero as the match stipulated that they would have to disband in defeat.
This week on AEW Dynamite, the 630 senton wasn't enough to win the bout, but he won it shortly thereafter to great crowd response. It's interesting to note that Guevara has been in important spots in The Inner Circle's feud with The Pinnacle.
While this week's match wasn't as high-stakes on paper, it seemed to serve as the unofficial end of their rivalry. Guevara's win in his hometown of Houston made the moment all the sweeter. A shoutout to him for the incredible top-turnbuckle cutter.
#3. Thunder Rosa takes a step ahead on AEW Dynamite
It's been close to a month since Thunder Rosa officially signed with AEW and on Dynamite this week, she faced Penelope Ford. It was a good match and Rosa unsurprisingly received a great reception in her adopted home state of Texas.
While she isn't in the title picture just yet on Dynamite, we expect her to be in a matter of time. The company is now taking the right approach by slowly building Thunder Rosa back up as a full-time superstar.
She submitted Penelope Ford to take one step forward. All Elite Wrestling essentially told us that it's going to be a nice, organic build to the top for Rosa.
#2. Dan Lambert continues to trash AEW and its fans, but will Lance Archer benefit?
American Top Team (a famous MMA/combat sports gym) founder Dan Lambert was out with backup on Dynamite this week, just as he promised. His backup happened to be none other than two former UFC heavyweight champions, Andrei Arlovski and Junior Dos Santos.
Lance Archer came out once again after Lambert's anti-AEW rant, but this time, he was ambushed by Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page, aka Men of the Year. Ultimately, Archer will serve to benefit from this, and the promotion's use of Dan Lambert seems to serve that purpose.
#1. Chris Jericho's handicap proves too much on AEW Dynamite
The main event of AEW Dynamite this week was a high-stakes match-up between Chris Jericho and MJF. Billed as "The Fifth Labor of Jericho," the wrestling legend and former AEW World Champion faced "the final boss" MJF.
For the uninitiated, Jericho's last month on Dynamite has been a busy one. Each week, he has had to wrestle under various circumstances. His opponents leading up to the latest episode of Dynamite were Shawn Spears, Nick Gage, Juventud Guerrera, and Wardlow.
The match against MJF had two stipulations - one, Chris Jericho wasn't allowed to use his "Judas" theme song. To make it more difficult, the Judas Effect was banned from the match, meaning that if Jericho used it, he would be disqualified.
The first part didn't matter so much as the crowd sang Judas for him. It didn't take long for them to chant "This is awesome" and it's no surprise as to why.
The match itself was incredible and MJF tried using his Dynamite Diamond Ring. Referee Aubrey Edwards stopped him but then Le Champion used his baseball bat, Floyd. He was about to hit the Judas Effect before realizing he couldn't. Ultimately, The Salt of the Earth fired back with a weak Judas Effect that set up an armbar.
Much to the displeasure of the AEW Dynamite crowd (and those watching at home), Jericho tapped out to MJF. It was disheartening to watch after his incredible four-week journey leading up to this match.
The Pinnacle leader simply declared that it was over since he defeated Chris Jericho numerous times. But nothing on Dynamite indicated that the feud is truly over.
Check out the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's 'The Debrief' in the video embedded above.
