Trust broke down in the go-home episode to Redemption. AEW Dynamite (July 22, 2026) saw tensions flare between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay in the main event. The broadcast also featured Kevin Knight breaking records, Kyle Fletcher eating a Rainmaker sandwich, Divine Dominion pummeling challengers, and more from The Pinnacle in Nashville, TN.
Trust breaks down
The Redemption PPV is days away, and it is strongly overshadowed by the upcoming All In event. Kenny Omega will defend the AEW World Championship against Kevin Knight at Redemption. Let’s be real. Nobody believes Knight will upset the applecart to prevent Omega from defending the world title against Will Ospreay at Wembley Stadium. The main event angle touched on hyping Redemption, but the bigger picture for All In was the primary focus.
Omega and Ospreay teamed with Jon Moxley to fight the Callis Family trio of Brian Cage, Hechicero, and Jake Doyle. Moxley poked at the tension brewing between future opponents.
When the match came, it felt odd that most of the tension came from Omega toward Moxley. A lack of trust is understandable given their past. Omega was more on the petty side though. He refused to tag Mox, even at the urging of Ospreay to be a team player.
The match continued building in that direction when Ospreay was conflicted on which partner to tag in a crucial rally point. Bruv chose Omega instead of Mox.
Moxley proved to be a team player with the goal to win. Mox saved Omega enough times that he chilled out and joined the Death Riders conga line of attacks in the corner. That goodwill nearly imploded when Omega blasted a V-Trigger on Moxley as Hechicero dodged the strike.
Moxley kept a cool head to help turn the tide for victory by shoving Hechicero off the ropes. Omega and Ospreay finished the job with a Hidden Blade V-Trigger combo. Omega pinned Hechicero.
I was curious why there was so much focus on tension between Omega and Moxley. That paid off in the aftermath to involve Ospreay. Omega tried to clear the air for his errant V-Trigger. Mox wasn’t hearing that. He shoved Omega, and Omega shoved him back. Ospreay tried to ease the peace. Omega shoved Bruv in the process, so Ospreay shoved him back. The contact to Ospreay looked awkward, like he oversold the touch, but the point was there. The chummy respect is starting to heat up into a rivalry for All In.
The story wrapped around to hyping Redemption. The Young Bucks came on the scene to protect Omega. There is no love lost between Moxley and them. Fisticuffs quickly ignited. Ospreay got involved on Mox’s side to fight the Bucks. Omega tried to break it up, and he ate a back elbow from Ospreay. The Callis Family rushed in as well. Omega clowned RPG Vice to set them up for a double V-Trigger. Knight flew in out of nowhere leaping over the ropes to clocked Omega. The Jet stood tall holding the world title to close the show.
Like I said, Redemption is a speed bump to All In. That’s why I enjoy the broader focus combining hype for both PPVs. They blended the storylines smoothly with crossover interactions. The different motivations and allegiances created glorious chaos. The skirmish with the Bucks felt like something that would naturally unfold in that manner. Heat is turning up between Omega and Ospreay, and they will soon be in a serious tone competing for the top prize in AEW. Knight wouldn’t be shown up, so he made sure to remind viewers that he is a threat.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
TNT Championship: Kevin Knight (c) defeated Darby Allin to retain the title. Hot opener made even hotter by Allin’s aggressive nature for a suicide dive before the bell. He also hit a flying elbow to Knight over the timekeeper table.
Knight heeled it up with tricks to take control, like gouging the eyes and catapulting Allin’s face into the steel steps.
That only slowed Allin down so much. The daredevil was right back in the groove for an avalanche Code Red followed by a standard Code Red.
Allin and Knight kept that vibe for the whole match. The finish involved a ref bump when Knight shoved Allin into the official when trying to escape the Scorpion Death Drop. Knight tried to cheat with the title belt. Allin ducked and countered for Sting’s finisher. With no referee, Allin went for the Coffin Drop. Knight clocked him with the belt, hit a coast to coast dropkick, and closed with a smooth UFO splash.
Given the circumstances of Knight needing to look strong heading into Redemption and Allin needing to stay hot, I thought this match delivered well in that regard. The highlight reel popped. The depth was deeper than that. Knight was ruthless with cheating, and that’s the type of attitude he’ll need to beat Omega for the world championship. He backed it up with a strong finish to pin Allin, albeit aided by cheap tricks. I enjoy how Knight has grown in this role to be hated by the fans. Allin showed character too by refusing to use the title belt as a weapon. He went the babyface route to play it clean, and that decision cost him. That adds layers for a possible rematch.
Commentary said that Knight told the Callis Family to stay in the back. I don’t know (or remember) if that was shown last week on television or if it was just a verbal note from Excalibur. If it is the second case, then AEW needs to put that on TV even if only a picture-in-picture during his entrance. That’s a detail where I say show me, don’t tell me, to help build characters. That leads into the next segment where AEW did a good job showing us.
Kyle Fletcher was up next, and his music stole the thunder from Knight’s celebration. The Callis Family filled the ring. Knight rubbed it in that he broke Fletcher’s record for most TNT title defenses. Fletcher shot back that he doesn’t need help either and will wrestle Bandido at Redemption without the Callis Family. Fletcher ordered Knight to get out of his ring.
Brodido defeated ProtOkada. Interesting matchmaking for two reasons in particular. First, ProtOkada! Second, there was mystery on who would take the pin. It ended up being Fletcher. Okada hit the Rainmaker on Fletcher when Brody King ducked. Okada hammed it up with a reaction of not looking sorry.
That set up Bandido for the 21 Plex to win.
The match was fun with an interesting Rainmaker twist. Bandido receives the pre-PPV rub, and Fletcher gets protected in defeat from the Rainmaker. The bigger selling point is what happens if Okada hits the Rainmaker on Fletcher one-on-one for the international title. Even though Okada pleaded after the match as an apology, his over-exaggeration adds fuel to a future showdown. Combine that with how the Callis Family is getting too big with egos ready to collide. Juicy times are ahead.
Also of note after the match, Mark Davis and Lance Archer joined Fletcher to threaten Brodido. Andrade arrived to even the numbers and hype his national title challenge against Dunkzilla. No fisticuffs in this part.
Glove slap. Mick Foley oversaw the face to face between Thekla and Willow Nightingale. Thekla accused Willow of being fake to hide behind pain. Willow shot back that Thekla talks big but feels small. Thekla took a cheap shot to slap Willow with her glove, and Willow pounced Thekla out of the ring.
Pretty good emotional banter for trash-talk. I thought it was funny for Thekla to wear such large gloves, like they belong to a hazmat suit, then I realized that she is toxic. The best part was how genius that turned out to be. Foley tried to keep the peace, so a long glove gave Thekla the range she needed for her short arms. This physical exchange showed how crafty Thekla can be and how Willow is the Babe with the Power.
Jay White defeated Clark Connors. This was Switchblade’s return match from injury. They played into the idea that White needs to get his ring legs back in shape. Connors trucked through White for several shoulder tackles. The Wild Rhino is an appropriate nickname for Connors, because he looks like a rhino the way he charges forward. On the finish, Connors went for another tackle, and White gambled to catch the impact for a guillotine choke. White transitioned for a gator roll down to the mat to crank the submission for victory. That was a very cool mix of showmanship with technique.
Afterward, David Finlay hammered White with the shillelagh. Juice Robinson ran in swinging a chain. Backstage, the Bang Bang Gang duo proposed a chain tag team match for Redemption.
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship: Divine Dominion (c) defeated Sisters of Sin in No DQ to retain the titles. Physicality lived up to the stipulation. Julia Hart and Skye Blue executed a double powerbomb to Megan Bayne.
Lena Kross held her own long enough for Bayne to turn the tide. The Megasus threw Blue off the corner crashing through a table. She also powered out of an octopus stretch from Hart to hit a tombstone piledriver. A double chokeslam from the champs sealed the deal as Bayne pinned Hart.
All four women took their lumps for exciting action. Bayne was the standout with how she pummeled the Sisters. After that table bomb, Bayne didn’t take long to rest. She started crawling back to the ring to get in the fight again She served a beatdown worthy of the gods.
Notes: PAC and Claudio Castagnoli attacked Adam Copeland and Christian Cage for the audacity to challenge them to a match.
Painmaker poetry rock video to hype Chris Jericho’s match against Tommaso Ciampa, but I don’t see the clip to share here. Hikaru Sida sees Maya World as a blip in her business as TBS champion.
Stud of the Show: Megan Bayne
Victory would not be denied to the Megasus. Bayne’s recovery and subsequent rampage was impressive.
Match of the Night: Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin
Even though Knight was the heavy favorite to keep the TNT title, this match was still a fun roller coaster ride.
Grade: B+
Story material earned my attention to stay interested. Action in the ring delivered fireworks.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
