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AEW Dynamite (Apr. 29, 2026) was loaded with four title bouts from EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, VA. Darby Allin and MJF continue to orbit each other in the world championship picture, however, they appear to be drifting further apart on a rematch. The broadcast also featured Okada and Divine Dominion defending gold, Will Ospreay receiving offers to join factions, and more on the evening.
MJF loses in TNT title bout
MJF is clearly focused on regaining the Triple B from Darby Allin, however, he can’t get that rematch yet. MJF entertained a quick side quest to shut up TNT champion Kevin Knight in the opener with the title on the line. MJF opened with aggression and went for the easy dub on a Heatseeker early. Knight escaped that finisher and rallied with high-flying offense. The match continued with a fun wrinkle of MJF rolled out of the ring on each side to avoid the next move, and Knight kept coming with dives. I assumed that MJF would sucker Knight into one of those dives. Nope. The Jet hit a perfect score.
MJF came back with a sweet cutter maneuver. I’ve never seen that setup before.
The story progressed with Knight jamming his knee in pain, and that affected his offensive output. Knight’s knee buckled running across the ring, and he started missing the target on a few dives. MJF took advantage for the Panama Sunrise. Knight eventually connected on the UFO splash. He was too slow on the cover due to the pain, and MJF kicked out. In the end, MJF tried to cheat. He grabbed the TNT title belt as a decoy for the referee. MJF reached into his trunks for the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Surprise! Knight took the initiative to low blow MJF for a roll-up to win.
I enjoyed the details of this match. Knight sold the knee injury well. It’s not just that he was in pain. It also compromised his ability to be the Jet. Nice work on that finish. Knight read the moment and beat MJF to the punch on cheating. This continues the funny business of MJF dropping matches, and he gets to play the victim again. With how many times MJF cheated to win like that, it felt more like Knight was serving satisfying justice rather than taking a shortcut. That’s a great job in how to frame an effective vibe of the babyface cheating while still feeling fully like a babyface. I’ve seen similar scenarios that left me thinking the babyface was kind of a jerk. That wasn’t the case here. Not to mention MJF’s reaction speaking volumes, which added to the humor of the moment.
Knight’s celebration was short-lived. MJF immediately chop-blocked Knight’s knee from behind. This led into a cool arrival from Allin rappelling from the rafters to save Knight. Allin hit a Scorpion Death Drop on Maxwell.
MJF comically played off the loss like he wasn’t actually trying. His real goal is still the world title. Allin declined the rematch request. He wants MJF to put something on the line. Instead, Allin decided to give Knight a shot next week. Brody King interrupted to hype the main event with a tease that he will become the new champ.
That was an awesome post-match scene. Allin was smooth in snatching MJF, and MJF was great at playing the fool. AEW is building Knight to be a new star, so it was a nice nod from Allin to show respect in offering the shot. I also like how King showed the same respect to honor Allin’s intention should he have control of the gold by the end of the night. This scene also builds the suspense to find out what MJF will eventually offer to get his rematch.
Later, MJF had an encounter with Andrade, who trolled him with, “How you know,” to obvious statements.
MJF and Kevin Knight were shown with keen interest watching the main event.
Darby Allin wins in AEW world title bout
Darby Allin battled Brody King for the top prize in AEW. This match played out exactly how you expected, and it was dynamite. King battered Allin to a pulp. Allin showed the heart of a lion not to stay down, and he hit offense as loud as a lion’s roar. One such example was a Code Red onto the commentary table.
The moment that really turned the tide in favor of Allin was a powerbomb off the apron onto exposed concrete. The champ followed for a Coffin Drop.
King barely beat the count back into the ring, and Allin urgently delivered two more Coffin Drops to earn the winning pin.
That main event definitely continues the car crash pace of Allin as world champion. Both men were savages. Allin’s body was mangled by King’s rugged power. It might not seem like it on the surface, but Allin moved with intelligence to set up moves. That was a slick slide into position for the apron powerbomb. I love the urgency on the finish when the win was there for the taking. No rest for the weary. Allin defends next week against Knight. That won’t be easy, but it should be a breeze in the park compared to Tommaso Ciampa and King in terms of punishment to the body.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
Offers for Will Ospreay. The recruitment of Bruv was the second most interesting story on Dynamite. Ospreay walked into the Death Riders makeshift dungeon for a training session. He made it clear that he’s heading to Japan for a trios title match with the United Empire. Jon Moxley was impressed by that loyalty. Meanwhile, PAC was mad dogging Ospreay. Mox tried to break the tension by poking PAC in the stomach. I laughed out loud on that one. Moxley got down to business. He needs Ospreay to leave all emotional baggage behind. Moxley won’t promise success, but he will see his commitment through to the end. He asks the same dedication in return. Ospreay was on board.
Samoa Joe declared The Opps’ intention to reassert dominance. He hyped up Katsuyori Shibata, Anthony Bowens, and Hook, who has a TNT title shot on Collision. Joe also extended an invitation for Ospreay to join The Opps over the Death Riders.
The psychological aspect from Moxley is intriguing. This shows why the Death Riders trust him so much. It retroactively explains their loyalty to him when he was on hard times. Also, I need more of Mox trying to break PAC. The randomness of that was hilarious. Ospreay now has three factions vying for his interest. The deeper he goes into Moxley’s tutelage means he’ll definitely have to drop the United Empire. That could create interesting dynamics for Forbidden Door. As for the Opps, I can get down with them beefing against the Death Riders.
AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Ace Austin to retain the title. Ace was too slick in movement early, but Okada got the timing down to dodge a dive outside and strike with a DDT on the floor. Even though Ace put up a good fight, he never recovered the same momentum that he had. The finish came on the Rainmaker lariat. Ace escaped the first attempt, so Okada went into overdrive for a dropkick and a tombstone piledriver. Now, Ace was ripe for the picking. The Rainmaker clobbered the Rainmaker finisher for victory. Afterward, Konosuke Takeshita arrived on stage to hype the PPV bout.
I enjoyed this match as a filler title defense for Okada. Ace looked sharp to start with slick kicks and a deep squat Death Valley Driver. The way the match progressed showed that Okada is on a higher level as champion. It never felt like Okada was in serious trouble. Ace still looked good as a prospect for the future, and that made Okada’s win look more impressive. It feels like Okada is rolling on all cylinders at a peak level for the Takeshita showdown.
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Divine Dominion (c) defeated Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida to retain the titles. The question was if Shida can be trusted. She pulled a funny spot early to create concern. Out of frustration, Shida grabbed her kendo stick. Statlander pulled it away, because she doesn’t want to fight like that. In the hullabaloo, Shida dodged Megan Bayne, who collided into the corner. Shida kicked her partner in the gut and grabbed her for a suplex onto the Megasus. Statlander was not happy, but the impact was effective.
On the closing sequence, Shida tagged herself in, and that tactic backfired. Statlander was in control setting up Wednesday Night Fever. That’s when Shida made her move. Statlander had to abandon her finisher. Shida connected on the Falcon Arrow to Lena Kross, but it wasn’t enough. Shida set up the Katana strike, then Bayne plowed her over to save Kross. A skirmish ensued, and that led to the kick suplex combo from the champs to Statlander. A double chokeslam finished Shida as Kross made the cover.
Good action. The dynamic between Statlander and Shida was an interesting touch. It leaves the idea to wonder how much better than can be if working on the same page as a well-oiled machine. There is room to grow if AEW explores that direction, and there is also the angle for a prompt combustion of this partnership. I appreciate how that drama didn’t make the champs look bad. Divine Dominion deserve to be presented strong. The miscues from Shida’s attitude happened in spots when victory was not guaranteed. Tagging in before Statlander’s finisher was a smart way to accomplish this. If Statlander had hit her finisher then Shida tags in, Kross would have been lying on the mat for too long to make the champs look beaten. As it is, maybe Statlander would have won the match and maybe not. There is enough unknown to protect the aura of Divine Dominion in tact.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage defeated RPG Vice. Prior to the bout, Christian quickly accepted the I Quit addition from FTR. Copeland ribbed Christian about quitting in their previous I Quit match, but Cope trusts that Christian won’t say it again at Double or Nothing.
C&C had a tough go, but they handled business in the end for a teamwork pop-up spear by Christian. Cope covered Trent Beretta for the win.
Afterward, Cope forced Trent to say, “I quit,” as a message to FTR.
The story takeaway is that Christian is pushing through a broken arm. RPG Vice attacked the limp throughout the match. That will be a weak spot for FTR to target in the I Quit match at Double or Nothing. Add in the question of Christian’s will to quit, and we have drama brewing. As for this tag team bout, I appreciate how AEW set it up over the weeks as a TV affair. That created a hook of interest rather than a random warm-up match for C&C.
Also of note, FTR is busy with the Conglomeration. Much like how I praised AEW setting up C&C versus RPG Vice, they are doing the same little by little for FTR versus the Conglomeration. What started on Collision carried over to Dynamite. While FTR and Stokely Hathaway were scouting the match, the trios champs sidled up to throw popcorn and engage in fisticuffs.
Cassidy had an idea for double jeopardy. He will wrestle Dax Harwood, and the winner gets a title shot at the other’s gold. Tommaso Ciampa popped in to be FTR’s trios partner (should Harwood win), and he ate a piece of popcorn out of Big Stoke’s beard.
Brawling Birds defeated Emily Jaye & Jordan Blade. Squash with the Two Birds One Stone teamwork lariat finisher. This match went right into a backstage promo from Thekla. The Toxic Spider advised the Birds to stick as a tag team. They are nothing one-on-one against Thekla.
Rush defeated Steven Fuerte. Squash via Bull’s Horns. Rush spouted his catchphrase to the crowd.
Notes: Bandido’s western vignette swerved to show Swerve Strickland burning the wanted poster. For those keeping score, this was the third most interesting story on Dynamite. I thought this was a replay of Bandido’s previous vignette, so the appearance from Swerve caught me by surprise in a great way. That is a wicked call out. The match should be fantastic. I assume the motivation for Swerve relates back to his recent beef with Brody King. It’s funny how that cheesy cowboy world for Bandido is now a real place to visit in the AEW universe. It’s not just lore as a backstory for Bandido’s character.
Chris Jericho was beaten up by The Demand again to keep the streak alive and running. Rumors pointed to Jericho not being on site this evening. If that’s true, then that means AEW planned ahead to film this last week. I love that dedication to detail to honor the trademarked catchphrase.
Stud of the Show: Jon Moxley
There might be only one man who can poke PAC in the tummy like a doughboy and get away with it. That man is Mox.
Match of the Night: Darby Allin vs. Brody King
Car crash theatre.
Grade: B+
Entertaining action as always, and one story piece led to another with focus.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
