The June 7th edition of AEW Dynamite gave us Orange Cassidy defending the International Championship against Swerve Strickland, the Blackpool Combat Club versus Chaos, a battle of words between MJF and Adam Cole, Ricky Starks versus Jay White, a brutal tornado tag match featuring Jungle Hook, the first title defense for Kris Statlander, confirmation on two Forbidden Door matches, and the official announcement of the first main event for AEW: Collision.
Highlights:
- Orange Cassidy and Swerve Strickland were given 20 minutes to open the show and they earned every moment of it in a terrific back-and-forth match that saw both wrestlers kick out of the other’s finisher and eventually each stoop to pulling on the tights to try and steal a win. Ultimately, Cassidy successfully walked away with the belt but received a beatdown by the Embassy before Darby Allin and Sting arrived to make the save.
- A promo set up the Jay White and Ricky Starks match later in the night in the main event which saw as much action outside the ring as inside it, eventually ending in a White victory after a ref bump and interference by the Ass Boys. Just a one-off, or has Bullet Club Gold found a couple of new members?
- MJF hit the ring quickly getting some cheap heat from the crowd and running down the AEW roster before we got an appearance by Adam Cole leading to the champ building up the challenger’s past accomplishments and then tearing down the current version of him. Cole dished out as good as he got eventually pushing MJF into accepting a match between the pair and launching my new favorite feud in AEW.
- Promo announcing Kenny Omega versus Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door.
- Jungle Hook beat Los Ingobernables in a chaotic tornado tag match with Hook and Preston Vance battling through the crowd and Hook eventually putting Vance through a table with a t-bone suplex. In a depleted tag team division, the entertaining Jungle Hook could give both men something to do in the short-term (and maybe add in Danhausen for a potential trios run when he returns from injury?).
- Backstage interview with Hangman Adam Page and the Young Bucks throwing out a challenge for a rematch next week between the BCC and the Hung Bucks.
- Kris Statlander defended the TBS Championship against Anna Jay with Matt Menard at ringside. Good win for Statlander while showcasing some of the goofiness Anna Jay has picked up from the JAS that has helped her sell her character as a heel.
- Promo setting up Bryan Danielson versus Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door as Danielson then joined the commentary team for Chaos battling the Blackpool Combat Club. The more serious version of the Best Friends pushed the BCC before Claudio basically murdered Rocky Romero at ringside and the other members of the BCC won through submissions on their opponents in the middle of the ring.
- Tony Khan announced the main event of the first AEW Collision with CM Punk and FTR battling Bullet Club Gold and Samoa Joe.
- Furthering the feud between Christian Cage and Wardlow, Cage and Luchasaurus beat up Brock Anderson in the locker room.
Less Notable:
- Konosuke Takeshita made quick work of his opponent in a squash match leading into a Don Callis promo to thunderous boos.
- Recap of the Hardys battle with Ethan Page leading to a backstage interview with the group introducing Ethan as an official member of the stable.
