AEW did an excellent job weaving real life serious issues with an exciting wrestling program to advance toward the All Out PPV. Dynamite (Sep. 9, 2026) was the special Rebel Heart episode in honor of Tanea Brooks (aka Rebel, not Reba) to bring awareness to ALS. Brooks is suffering from terminal ALS. Plus, there was the sad news over the weekend that Butcher died. Instead of a dour mood, AEW did what they do best to provide a positive evening of entertainment.
The show featured Dr. Britt Baker DMD
returning to the ring with a helping hand from Rebel, the in-ring debut of Sting’s son (Steven Borden), tension simmering between Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay, and more from Akins Ford Arena in Athens, GA.
Rebel saves the day
Rebel made her first appearance of the night in the return of Dr. Britt Baker DMD’s talk show, The Waiting Room. Old school Dark fans will recognize the goofy vibe from Baker and Rebel. Baker hammed it up getting Rebel’s name wrong. Persephone and Hikaru Shida hyped the upcoming trios match. This segment was all about playing the old jokes between Baker and Rebel.
That closed with Rebel saying Baker forget her Lockjaw glove. Baker, Perse, and Shida wrestled Maya World, Hyan, and Thunder Rosa. When it came time for the finish, Rebel rolled down the ramp in her wheelchair to hand the glove off to Baker. The good doctor submit Hyan in the Lockjaw.
Baker hitched a ride in Rebel’s lap for a sweet reunion among friends.
The big question was how Baker’s character would handle being a heel without ruining the emotional moment for Rebel. They mixed those lines perfectly. Baker was able to stay heel with her aloofness at calling her friend Reba. During the match, Baker ran away from Thunder Rosa, and that gave a boost of cowardly heel heat. Even though Rebel assisted on the finish, it was all done in good taste. It got the story point across to keep booing Baker while also allowing the fans to be on the ride in support of the Roll Model.
As for Baker in the ring, I’m pretty sure she didn’t take any bumps from opponents. She got physical dishing out some offense, but I wouldn’t call this a proper return match for her. It will be interesting to see if this is a sign moving forward of Baker primarily as a manager.
Back to the tribute package for Rebel.
AEW also paid respect to Butcher with commentary in tears as Excalibur delivered a eulogy. AEW announced a tribute to Butcher for Collision on Saturday night.
The scenes about Rebel and Butcher were classy to make fans smile with tears in their eyes. AEW couldn’t have handled it any better.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
AEW World Trios Championship: Swerve Strickland & New Level (c) defeated Conglomeration to retain the titles. The action was on point, as was the comedy. Orange Cassidy grabbed a double headlock with his pants in pockets while kicking Swerve.
The champs took control in the end in a smooth manner. Kofi blocked Cassidy’s DDT, and Swerve swooped in for the House Call kick. New Level executed a teamwork flying stomp backbreaker. Austin Creed pinned Cassidy.
This match did a good job setting the mood for the night. With the serious topics at hand, the comedy added levity for a good time to be had. It wasn’t just the headlocks. Roderick Strong using Cassidy as a battering ram never gets old. They added a cool twist this time with Roddy tossing Cassidy on a fallaway slam to land on Swerve. There were also corner shenanigans with Strong losing patience with Cassidy’s slowness for punches. Strong would tag himself in, hit a barrage of ten punches in the corner, tag to Cassidy who was too slow again, Strong tagged himself in, and repeat a few times. The action did get serious too. The chemistry between Swerve and Strong as opponents caught my eye. New Level did their fair share of moves, and the finish was slick kick-started by Swerve.
I would like to see character exploration for how Swerve fits with the New Level. Swerve seems more chipper with his new pals, which is a different direction for his usual attitude. We got a glimpse of that old Swerve after the match when Hangman Page & Brodido ran out to even the odds from the Demand and Jay Lethal’s boys. Swerve stared daggers at Hangman when the dust cleared.
Speaking of Hangman, he sheepishly asked Brodido if they should ride again for the gold. The answer was yes. Humor was added with trying to figure out who is the Guapo (handsome) of the bunch.
AEW National Championship: Andrade (c) defeated Beast Mortos to retain the title. Beast wrestled with aggression, and Andrade matched that pace. El Idolo did his spots to take off his pants, share a selfie with the ladies, win with the back elbow and DM one-two punch, and deliver his catchphrase. It was fun watching Beast Mortos get the opportunity to clash with Andrade in the lucha libre style.
The real drama came afterward. Gabe Kidd led the Dogs to attack Andrade. Will Ospreay arrived for the save to clear the ring. It seems that any ice between Andrade and Ospreay has thawed within the United Empire. There is still Andrade’s world title shot at hand, but the current focal point seems to be building trust between them. We’ll see if that becomes a story tool down the line. Jon Moxley arrived as well to join commentary. Kidd was confused by Mox’s motive, or lack thereof in not attacking Ospreay too.
AEW World Championship eliminator: Will Ospreay (c) defeated David Finlay. Ospreay and Finlay put on a solid match. Finlay was a game opponent with knowledge of Ospreay’s tendencies. He prevented the Hidden Blade twice. This was always going to be a win for Ospreay, and so he had to adjust to catch Finlay off guard for the smooth transition into the Styles Clash as the finisher. Moxley didn’t shed much insight on his mindset for protecting Ospreay. It was mostly a scouting mission. I hope someone puts together a montage of Moxley saying Dogs.
AEW did a good job following up on the Moxley drama with a backstage promo. PAC never trusted Ospreay. When Daniel Garcia chimed in about liking Billy, Kidd was having none of it. He wanted an explanation from Moxley why show respect now after breaking his neck. Ospreay entered the scene to request a chat with Mox. Ospreay was the one who asked for the All Out fight, because he owes Moxley for the training. He won’t be coming for revenge this time. Ospreay will execute a calculated game plan to cave the skull of the ace.
Solid trash talk from Ospreay. That’s the kind of game that makes me excited for the PPV match. Moxley’s reaction is up for interpretation. It seemed like he flashed a minor smirk of pride then masked it with surliness at PAC’s disapproving glance. I wonder if Moxley sees this as training Ospreay to be the ultimate test for himself. A character like Moxley would relish the chance to test himself against the best, which Ospreay has become. For another layer of drama, we’ll see if the attitude from PAC and Kidd is the start of a rift in the Death Riders.
Darby Allin & Steven Borden defeated Josh Alexander & Mark Davis. Motivation for the in-ring debut of Sting’s son was set up well with a backstage promo. Borden looked like a bad boy heartthrob from the 80s/90s. He explained his fear in following Sting’s footsteps. Borden was relatable in being scared of not living up to the legend. He decided to take the shot rather than wonder what if.
Alexander also had something to prove coming back from injury. The main reason to watch this promo is Okada’s cheesing grin at Kyle Fletcher.
The villains clipped Allin’s knee, and that set up the hot tag to Borden running wild with body slams. Borden also executed an overhead press to toss Alexander.
The heroes prevailed in the end with a Coffin Drop combo with the Scorpion Death Drop. Borden pinned Alexander for the win.
If we’re going to judge Borden as sink or swim, I would say he swam. Borden did well in what was asked with babyface energy and athleticism. He kept the family undefeated streak alive. I am a little surprised that this Callis Family duo lost. However, the win helps Borden gain momentum as someone to take seriously, and it was a happy moment on a night like this. I like the combo finisher from Allin and Borden. It’s easy to imagine milking the emotion from the crowd when the time comes for a big match.
Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Thekla oozed charisma as always. Even though Thekla is a heel, she has a unique charm that demands attention. She had good lines about how the party follows here even without a title to celebrate. When Mercedes Moné interrupted from high above, Thekla delivered another smooth line about hoping the title belt still smells like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. They agreed that Willow Nightingale is the dumbest B. Willow arrived, and Thekla retreated with the Sisters of Sin to watch her back. I’d say that signs point to a triple threat title bout for All Out.
Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight defeated Young Bucks in a tables match. Both members must be put through a table on an offensive maneuver to win. The Callis Family pair weren’t fooling around with petty jealousy in the main event. The Bucks are too great for Fletcher and Knight to just hand away mistakes. The action developed several teases of table spots. The first crash came down the stretch as Knight grabbed the ropes on the apron. Nick Jackson nailed a superkick for Matt Jackson to execute a powerbomb through the table.
The numbers advantage didn’t have time to take effect. Fletcher sent Matt crashing through the table on a back body drop over the ropes.
FTR stymied the finish. Nick was in control with Fletcher atop the table. He was able to fight off those goons. Stokely Hathaway was the man for the job to grab Nick’s foot. Fletcher took the win with an avalanche brainbuster through the wood.
FTR added a Shatter Machine to Nick as an insult. Darby Allin and Steven Borden arrived for the save. They buried the hatchet with the Bucks by shaking hands.
That was a darn good tables match. Having the Bucks lose seems like an odd choice given that we are so close to the tag title match at All Out. I don’t care that there was interference. One of the greatest lost to a team of singles wrestlers when they should be riding high with momentum. If the Bucks lose at All Out too, then this won’t matter. If they win the titles, this looks even cheaper. It begs the question if wins and losses matter anymore.
Stud of the Show: Steven Borden
The rookie must have felt huge butterflies, and yet it didn’t show. Borden aced his debut.
Match of the Night: Swerve Strickland & New Level vs. Conglomeration
Sweet blend of action and comedy.
Grade: B+
Fun show given the circumstances.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
