AEW Dynamite 23rd of August 2023

Wednesday’s episode was the go-home edition ahead of AEW All In on August 27. The Hardys challenged Aussie Open for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. Plus, Jon Moxley faced Rey Fenix.

The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson and The Gunns)
The teams start brawling during Bullet Club Gold’s entrance. Juice Robinson hits Nick Jackson with a chair. The referee takes the chair, and Juice hits him. Jay White enters the ring and helps The Gunns beat up The Gunns. The Gunns drop Nick Jackson with 3:10 to Yuma. Matt Jackson fights them off. White slams Matt. Omega takes the fight to White. The brawl continues. Konosuke Takeshita gets involved and gets Bullet Club Gold gain the upper hand.
FTR comes down and gets involved, as they help the Young Bucks fight off Bullet Club Gold.
Omega is left alone with Takeshita, and he goes for the One-Winged Angel. Takeshita escapes, and Omega stands tall.

MJF Interview
Renee Paquette interviews AEW World Champion MJF, who shares his thoughts on AEW All In. He says he is “chubbed up”, and his trunks will be tight on Sunday. MJF says he likes the British fans, and he’ll buy them all a pint if they cheer loud at the pay-per-view. He says the old him would BS and say he wasn’t feeling pressure, but he’s facing a lot of pressure on Sunday. MJF says AEW All In will be the biggest show in wrestling history, and it wouldn’t have happened without those who came before him. He name-drops Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and more “giants” and says he could become a giant himself on Sunday.
MJF is asked about the “cracks” in his friendship with Adam Cole. He says he has never had a genuine friend like Cole before, and that’s not a work. MJF makes it clear that Cole has helped him grow, and they’re brothers. He says brothers fight, but they hug it out at the end of the day. MJF says he has been vulnerable for the first time, and he asks fans to go on that ride with him, as he promises they’ll be rewarded.

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix
Moxley and Fenix square off. Fenix showcases his impressive quickness right away and sends Moxley to the outside with a kick. He dives onto Moxley twice. Moxley rips at Fenix’s mask and slams him head-first onto the floor. The former AEW World Champion gains the upper hand and slams Fenix into the barricade. The fight returns to the ring. Fenix fires up with some strikes. Moxley and Fenix trade blows. Moxley levels Fenix with a lariat. “The Purveyor of Violence” drops Fenix with a cutter.
Moxley grounds Fenix and spikes him with a piledriver. He stomps Fenix, but the masked man rallies with a kick. Fenix nails Moxley with another kick. Moxley catches Fenix in a choke, but Fenix escapes. Fenix drops Moxley with a cutter. Fenix gets a two-count with a frog splash. Moxley drills Fenix with some elbows. Fenix gets a two-count with a roll-up. Moxley nails Fenix with a forearm in mid-air. They keep trading blows. Moxley bites Fenix’s face and hits an avalanche Death Rider for a two-count. He locks in a sleeper, and Moxley chokes him out.
Winner: Jon Moxley
Blackpool Combat Club attacks Fenix after the match. Eddie Kingston and Pentagon come out for the save, but Ortiz stops them. He is joined by the returning Santana. Orange Cassidy and Best Friends join the fight and fend off Blackpool Combat Club. Medical officials come out and check on Fenix. He is taken out on a stretcher.
Fenix is loaded into an ambulance, which drives away. Renee Paquette tries to get a word with Eddie Kingston, who blames Jon Moxley and says he’ll “fix it” at AEW All In.

Sammy Guevara is asked about saving Chris Jericho last week. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia confront him. Guevara says Jericho has been his friend from the start, so he has to be there for him. Parker questions whether Jericho would do the same for him.

Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay Contract Signing
Chris Jericho, alongside Sammy Guevara, and Will Ospreay, alongside Don Callis, come to the ring to sign the contract for their match at AEW All In. Callis explains his actions and says he wanted to be the one responsible for taking Jericho out. He says he chose Will Ospreay over Jericho. Ospreay takes the microphone and questions if Jericho is taking the match seriously. Ospreay says the match will change his life. He emphasizes the importance of AEW All In. Ospreay acknowledges that his contract with NJPW is up in six months, and he stands to make millions.
Ospreay says he’s better than Punk and Jericho. Jericho says Ospreay wouldn’t be at this point without him. He recalls how he told Ospreay to change his ring style to protect his body. Jericho says AEW All In is one of the biggest shows of his career, as it’s bigger than WrestleMania and bigger than any Tokyo Dome. Jericho says Ospreay will have to prove himself. Tensions rise, and the two stars have to be separated.

Adam Cole Interview
Adam Cole discusses his friendship with MJF and says he thinks the world of him professionally. He says MJF helped him find himself again. Cole explains that MJF helped him find himself and see who he really is again. He makes it clear that he needs to win. The “cracks” in his friendship with MJF come up. Cole storms off, as he says he doesn’t understand why people don’t get that two people can be friends. Cole says there are no issues with him and Max, and he walks away.

Tornado Tag Team Match: Darby Allin & Nick Wayne vs. Swerve Strickland & AR Fox
The match breaks down into a brawl right away. Fox spikes Wayne with a nasty German suplex. Fox dives onto Allin and Wayne at ringside. Strickland and Fox take control. Wayne takes Strickland and Fox out with a double Wayne’s World. Allin dives onto the duo. The two teams fight into the crowd. Back in the ring, Allin takes down Fox and dives onto Strickland. Fox dives onto Allin. Strickland gains the upper hand with a Swerve Stomp to Allin. Wayne is left by himself, and Swerve and Fox gang up on him. He refuses to give up, as he kicks out of a pin.
Wayne stacks up Fox and pins him, as Allin holds Strickland back.
Winner: Swerve Strickland & AR Fox
Strickland says he’s disappointed in Fox. He calls him a loser and says he blew this opportunity. Strickland says he can’t trust Fox at AEW All In. Prince Nana fires Fox from Mogul Embassy. Brian Cage attacks Fox. Allin, Wayne, and Sting make the save.

A video package highlights the AEW Women’s World Championship match at AEW All In.

Ruby Soho (with Toni Storm) vs. Skye Blue
Soho dumps Blue to the outside. Blue gains the upper hand. Soho takes control and chops Blue. She grounds the fan-favorite. Blue rallies and sends Soho to the floor. She rocks Ruby with a kick and dives onto her. Soho takes control again. Blue rallies and gets a two-count with a diving crossbody. Blue hits a neckbreaker for another two count. They trade pin attempts. Blue kicks Soho and slams her for a two count. Soho scores the win with Destination Unknown.
Winner: Ruby Soho
After the match, Soho says she has her eyes on TBS Champion Kris Statlander.

In a brief interview, Roderick Strong says that at the end of AEW All In, we’ll find out who the real MJF is, and who the real Adam Cole is.

The Acclaimed come to the ring and call out the House of Black. The AEW World Trios Champions come out and attack The Acclaimed. Billy Gunn makes the save. He grabs a microphone and calls walking out on The Acclaimed and his career two of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. Gunn says when The House of Black attacked The Acclaimed and destroyed his boots, they fired him up. Gunn issues the challenge for a trios match at AEW All In. He says “Daddy Ass” won’t be coming to London, but “Badass” Billy Gunn will.

ROH World Tag Team Championship: Aussie Open (c) vs. The Hardys
Aussie Open take the fight to The Hardys. The veterans gain the upper hand. Aussie Open take control during a commercial and isolate Jeff Hardy. They keep him grounded, but Jeff rallies. Matt Hardy tags in and takes control with a flurry of offense. The Hardys keep rolling with a superplex/splash combo. Aussie Open rallies and floors Jeff Hardt with a double-team slam for the win.
Winners and still ROH World Tag Team Champions: Aussie Open
Aussie Open cut a post-match promo and vow to beat Adam Cole and MJF at AEW All In. MJF and Adam Cole come out and brawl with Aussie Open. Mark Davis evades the double clothesline. Cole goes for a kick, but Fletcher ducks, so he nearly hits MJF. MJF catches the kick, and they stare each other down. MJF raises the AEW World Championship.
Cole extends a handshake, and MJF brushes by him. MJF grabs his Dynamite Diamond Ring and teases hitting Cole with it. They hug, and MJF poses to the crowd.