Welcome to Fightful's live coverage of AEW Dynamite for January 18, 2023.
Here is what's on tap for the show:
AEW Dynamite (1/18)
- Hangman Page speaks with Renee Paquette
- Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale
- Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido
- Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager
- Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
- AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jay Lethal
- TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) vs. KUSHIDA
- The show kicks off with a tribute to Jay Briscoe
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Jay Lethal
Jeff Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh were ejected from ringside. Shortly thereafter, they are already seen coming through the crowd to watch the match from the front row. Danhhausen shows up and demands to see their tickets. Best Friends are also in the crowd. The match itself goes back and forth. Orange hits the Stundog Millionaire. Orange walks away from a Lethal Injection attempt but Lethal hits his second try. Outside the ring, Danhausen takes Jeff Jarret's guitar and starts to play it. Cassidy eventually gets the win with Orange Punch.
Winner and still champion: Orange Cassidy by pinfall.
- After the match, Best Friends celebrate with Cassidy. Singh tries to attack Best Friends, but Sonjay stops him. Sonjay also prevents Jarrett from using the guitar and convinces his group to walk away.
- A hype package airs for Allin vs. KUSHIDA
Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
A back and forth bout. Top Flight gets a near fall off their Powerbomb x Moonsault combo. The Young Bucks get control and go for the Golden Trigger, they miss, and Matt Jackson gets rolled up for a Top Flight win.
Winners: Top Flight by pinfall.
- The Gunns comes out. They say they made The Acclaimed. Acclaimed comes out. They rap about The Gunns being hired due to nepotism. Billy Gunn stops the four of them from bickering and says they're going to all go to family therapy.
- Backstage, Hangman Page and Renee Paquette talk about Moxley. Hangman says he next wants to mend fences that have needed to be mended for a while.
Ricky Starks vs. Jake Hager
Jake Hager has control in the first half of the match. There is a table ringside. Back from break, jake Hager tries to Powerbomb Ricky through the table, but it doesn't happen. Ricky is able to battle back and neutralize the JAS at ringside before hitting a Spear on Hager.
Winner: Ricky Starks by pinball.
- Backstage, Jericho challenges Starks and Action Andretti to a tag team match next week. He will either team with Sammy Guevara or Daniel Garcia.
Bryan Danielson vs. Bandido
Bandido gets Danielson in a Romero Special. Bandido goes for a Cloverleaf, and Bryan gets out of it with some headbutts and a sunset flip attempt. Both men exchange cradle attempts. Danielson avoids the slingshot German suplex and lands on his feet. Eventually, Bryan gets the win with a running knee.
Winner: Bryan Danielson by pinfall.
- MJF cuts a promo after the match, saying that Danielson does not want him to take off his mask and become the real monster.
- Backstage, Saraya and Toni Storm berate Hikaru Shida for what happened last week and hint that they know a little bit more than everyone else on the roster because they are well-traveled.
- Next week, Bryan Danielson will face Brian Cage. Maxwell Jacob Friedman wants Brian to break Danielson's arm, and he slaps him in the face and offers him money as motivation.
Willow Nightingale vs. Toni Storm
Throughout the match, Toni Storm plays heel. When Willow went for a handshake, Toni smacked her. Toni nails her Hip Attack, and out comes Hikaru Shida, who Saraya had previously told to stay in the back. Storm keeps control of the match, but Willow eventually nails a Spinebuster for a two-count. Storm battles back with a Hip Attack and DDT. Willow would nail a Cannonball and go for a pin, but Saraya argues with the referee and Storm rolls Willow up, with a handful of trunks for the win.
Winner: Toni Storm by pinfall.
- After the match, Saraya and Storm turned heel by attacking Nightingale. Ruby Soho comes out to make the save.
- Konosuke Takeshita says he learned a lot from his match with Bryan Danielson and is now choosing to watch Danielson's back because he doesn't trust Maxwell Jacob Friedman. He calls MJF an asshole.
TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) vs. KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA is accompanied by Kevin Knight and DKC of NJPW STRONG. Throughout this match, KUSHIDA works on the arm of the champion. Darby is able to hit the Scorpion Death Drop. KUSHIDA drops him from the top rope with an arm lock toss. KUSHIDA goes for the Hoverboard Lock. Knight and DKC tried to get Sting to throw in the towel for Darby, Sting refuses. Darby eventually gets the win with the Last Supper pin combination.
Winner and still champion: Darby Allin
