The first AEW Dynamite episode of 2020 didn't disappoint. We got an epic main event featuring Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks taking on Pac and The Lucha Bros. We also had Jon Moxley in action as well as a AEW Women's title match. MJF also revealed his stipulations in order to face Cody.
Darby Allin vs Cody (w/ Arn Anderson)
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Arn Anderson came down to the ring with Cody and he was announced as the coach of the Nightmare Family. Anderson was fired from WWE in 2019 after an incident at a live event which also led to Alicia Fox getting suspended. This was Anderson's first appearance on AEW Dynamite although he has appeared on PPV before.
Darby Allin earned this match after helping Cody see off The Butcher and The Blade. This was Allin and Cody's first singles match since their time-limit draw at Fyter Fest last year.
Cody and Darby both started the match well, going back and forth. Early on in the match, both men traded roll-ups trying to get each other down for the 3-count. We saw Arn Anderson giving Cody advice from ringside at this point.
Cody hit Allin with a forearm and tossed him out of the ring at this point, clearly looking a little frustrated. Allin pulled Cody's leg out from under him after this, sending him crashing into the apron. Back in the ring, it was Allin's turn to dump Cody out of the ring and he followed it up with a suicide dive through the ropes.
Once he was back inside the ring, Cody hit Allin with a disaster kick before locking in a Figure 4. Allin eventually got out of it and locked in a modified Fujiwara Armbar. Cody managed to reach the ropes to break up the count. Darby Allin took off the top turnbuckle cover at this point but couldn't take advantage of it.
Cody was back in control by this point as he hit Darby with an inverted Suplex from the top rope. Darby still managed to kick out at two. Cody followed this up with a bodyslam onto the elevated entrance ramp. Allin replied with a Code Red for a nearfall and headed to the top rope looking for the Coffin Drop. Cody rolled out to the apron but this didn't stop Darby, who hit the Coffin Drop to Cody onto the apron.
Back in the ring, Cody went for the Cody Cutter which Darby blocked. Allin looked to follow up with a Stunner but he got caught mid-move and Cody hit him with the Cross Rhodes. Allin headed to the top rope for another Coffin Drop but after a signal from Arn Anderson, Cody got his knees up before rolling Darby Allin up for the win.
Cody def. Darby Allin
Riho (C) vs Nyla Rose vs Britt Baker vs Hikaru Shida (for the AEW Women's Championship)
Nyla Rose attacked Riho and Britt Baker before the bell even rang. Shida wasn't having any of it and she hit Rose with a Kendo Stick as the bell finally rang. Shida and Riho briefly went back and forth before Nyla Rose pulled Shida out of the ring and set up a table at ringside.
Riho headed to the top rope and took out Shida with her dive as we headed to commercial. Nyla Rose dominated during the break, taking out Britt Baker before powerbombing Riho onto her. Rose then set up Shida on the top rope beofre hitting her with a knee strike. Back to ringside, Nyla Rose set Shida up on the table and hit her with a running senton through it.
Back in the ring, Britt Baker tried to lock in the Lockjaw on Nyla Rose who maneuvered out of it. Riho hit Nyla Rose with a double stomp from the top rope and went for the cover. Baker broke up the pinfall as Shida got back into the ring.
Rose took out Shida and stacked up Shida and Riho on top of each other The Native Beast then headed to the top rope and hit a Swanton Bomb, but ended up eating the mat. Shida came close to pinning Nyla Rose after this only for Baker to try and get Shida in the Lockjaw. Riho rolled up Baker at this point to pick up the win.
Riho def. Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker
Jon Moxley vs Trent
Trent and Moxley went at it as soon as the bell rang. For his part, Trent didn't hold back even. He did make the stupid mistake of slapping Moxley across the face early on in the match. Both men traded knife-edged chops before Moxley started to dominate. He dumped Trent onto the top rope as we cut to commercial break.
During the break, Trent fought back and hit Moxley with a Spear at ringside before following it with a modified Half-Nelson Suplex in the middle of the ring. Trent saw his opening and hit Moxley with a suicide dive.
Orange Cassidy briefly got involved as he tried to distract Moxley. Trent took advantage and hit Moxley with a running knee while he was distracted before following it up with Piledriver for a 2-count. Moxley scrambled out of the ring and onto the entrance ramp. Trent headed to the top rope and leapt at Moxley who hit him with the Paradigm Shift right onto the entrance ramp. He followed it up with a second Paradigm Shift inside the ring to pin him.
Jon Moxley def. Trent
Sammy Guevara came out to meet Jon Moxley in the ring after the match. AEW World Champion Chris Jericho appeared on the screen with a message for Jon Moxley. Jericho said that he knew that a lot of factions in AEW were recruiting, which is why he was offering Moxley 49% of Inner Circle LLC. He also offered Moxley a new Ford GT if he said yes to the offer. Moxley said he would give his answer next week.
Sammy Guevara vs Dustin Rhodes
Dustin Rhodes surprised Sammy Guevara by blindsiding him from behind before following it up with a nasty lariat. The Natural followed it up with an atomic drop before clotheslining him over the top rope and out of the ring. Rhodes headed to the apron and took Guevara out with a senton.
Dustin rolled Guevara back into the ring and headed to the top rope. Jake Hager appeared on the entrance ramp at this point giving Guevara an opening. Rhodes still hit Guevara with a powerslam at ringside before Hager came down to the ring area. Guevara blindsided Dustin Rhodes and then distracted the referee as Jake Hager unloaded on Rhodes as we headed to commercial.
Dustin Rhodes took out a steel chair and was set to go after Guevara's arm only for the referee to pull the chair away. Guevara took advantage and booted Rhodes before hitting him with a springboard moonsault.
Rhodes soon got back into the match only for Jake Hager to interfere again. Dustin Rhodes fought back from it and set Guevara up for the Natural Kick only for the referee to stop Rhode in his tracks. Jake Hager ran into the ring and hit Rhodes with a low blow which let Sammy Guevara pin Dustin Rhodes for the win.
Sammy Guevara def. Dustin Rhodes
MJF reveals his stipulations
MJF was out next and after running down the fans in Jacksonville, he turned his attention to Cody. He said that the only place fit for a match of this calibre was AEW Revolution in late February. MJF added that if Cody laid a finger on him before the match, there would be no match for him.
MJF also added that in order to earn the right to face him, Cody first had to get through Wardlow in a Steel Cage match.MJF then moved on to his last stipulation. In order to get the match he wanted, Cody had to get down on all fours while MJJF whipped him 10 times.
MJF then said that as the leather of his belt whipped of Cody's skin, and the scars would always remind Cody that MJF was the better man. MJF's promo drew massive heat from the fans in the arena as he proved once again that he's one of the best talkers in pro wrestling today.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs PAC and The Lucha Bros
Kenny Omega and Pentagon Jr started the match. The intensity was high from the moment the bell rang, with PAC making his presence felt from the apron, distracting Omega and giving Pentagon an opening. Both men made tags Nick Jackson and Fenix came in as the legal men. Jackson and Fenix flew across the ring and both of them attempted suicide dives. They then went strike for strike, matching each other and taking each other down with simultaneous kicks to the head.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks dominated the match during the ad break. Fenix hit an incredible maneuver, taking out all Omega and The Bucks at the same time. Omega looked to reply with a suicide dive but PAC caught his leg and dragged him out of the ring before hitting a dive of his own.
PAC and The Lucha Brothers had Omega trapped in their corner briefly, but Omega broke out and tagged in Nick Jackson. Jackson took the fight to PAC with a series of strikes before taking him down with a bulldog. Nick Jackson tagged in his brother Matt and they hit PAC with a Canadian Destroyer. They followed it up with stereo Canadian Destroyers to Fenix and Pentagon Jr.
Omega got in the ring at this point and traded strikes and kicks with PAC. PAC caught Omega with a German suplex only for Omega to reply with a his patented snap Dragon Suplex. Pentagon broke up the pinfall and dished out sling blades to The Bucks. He followed it up with a Backstabber to Pentagon Jr. Fenix came in and hit a double cutter to both the Bucks. Omega came in and hit Fenix with a snap Dragon Suplex before being blindsided by PAC.
PAC followed up with the Black Arrow only for The Young Bucks to break the pinfall. PAC locked in the Brutalizer after this but Matt Jackson managed to break the hold. Fenix headed to the top rope and attempted a spinning kick to Omega who caught him with a knee. Omega followed it up with a One Winged Angel for the win.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks def. PAC and The Lucha Brothers
Hangman Page was on commentary during the main event and seemed unusually morose throughout. Kenny, the Bucks and Cody invited him to join them in the ring to celebrate with them but Page turned them down. It looks like AEW are teasing a heel turn for Page in the near future.