Ospreay vs. Matthews, Hobbs Wins Casino Gauntlet, Omega appears

Photo Courtesy: AEW

AEW Dynamite

January 8, 2025

By: John Siino

F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville, Tennessee

Commentary: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni & Matt Menard

RESULTS

Will Ospreay over Buddy Matthews via pinfall (12:40) (Recommended)
Bobby Lashley over Mark Briscoe via referee stoppage (9:08)
Powerhouse Hobbs wins Casino Gauntlet via pinfall on Kyle O’Reilly (26:33) (Recommended)
Kris Statlander over Toni Storm, Willow Nightingale via pinfall (9:55) (Recommended)

Will Ospreay vs. Buddy Matthews

It is the first match-up from these two, as commentary mentions how Buddy Matthews is upset that Will Ospreay defeated Brody King in the Continental Classic on Christmas Day. Right away, Ospreay goes for the Os Cutter but Matthews blocks it before he dodges some kicks from Ospreay. Ospreay takes Matthews outside and takes him out with a plancha. Back inside they take each other out with a double crossbody. They continue to battle in and out of the ring until they take it to the apron and trade kicks and knees before Ospreay tries the Os Cutter again, but gets caught and tossed right into the commentary desk. Matthews stays in control before Ospreay stops him with a kick and finally hits the Os Cutter, this one off the barricade as Matthews just makes it back inside just to get stopped with a dropkick and another Os Cutter, but Matthews kicks out at two. They continue to trade strikes and kicks, before Ospreay tries yet another Os Cutter that gets blocked, as Matthews hits the stomp for two. Ospreay follows with the Styles Clash and the Hidden Blade to get the pin and the win.

Winner: Will Ospreay by pinfall at 12:40

Ospreay gets on the mic and accidentally calls him Buddy Murphy, before correcting himself and giving Buddy his props and telling him that he is just as good by himself, and could go after singles gold or tag gold if he chooses so and tells him that he’ll be in his corner, if he needs someone.

The Hurt Party

Private Party comes out to the ramp for a talking segment. They talk about making history by having the first tag match on Max & TNT and say how they should celebrate. Before they can celebrate, they get interrupted by The Hurt Syndicate. MVP talks about how he ‘invented this’ and they like to party as well and aren’t always about business. MVP goes to raise a toast for Private Party and asks for a shot as well. Bobby Lashley then says ‘And here’s to The Hurt Syndicate taking those tag titles’ before dropping the drink and heading to the ring for his match.

Bobby Lashley vs. Mark Briscoe

MVP goes to join commentary while Shelton Benjamin is standing behind him. Bobby Lashley stays on top of Mark Briscoe, sending him to the corner after hitting a suplex. Lashley stays in control as they take it outside with Lashley hitting another suplex as we head to commercials.

When we return, Briscoe takes out Lashley by diving off the chair as MVP gets up and starts screaming that Briscoe is cheating and using an ‘international object’. Briscoe takes him back inside and hits the Froggy Bow, but Lashley kicks out at one. Lashley comes back with a spear and puts on The Hurt Lock as the referee calls the match off.

Winner: Bobby Lashley by referee stoppage at 9:08

Shelton Benjamin runs in as he and Lashley keep attacking Briscoe until Private Party runs out with chairs to send The Hurt Syndicate packing.

Casino Gauntlet Match

Jay White comes out first, after earning that opportunity last week. Out at number two is ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to a big reaction. The winner of this match will get a shot at the AEW World Champion Jon Moxley next week on the ‘Maximum Carnage’ edition of AEW Dynamite. White & Page start the match by talking trash into each other’s faces before going into chops. They both start blocking the Buckshot Lariat, Blade Runner & Dead Eye before White puts Page on the top rope and hits a superplex. Out at #3 is Wheeler Yuta who immediately gets hit with a Blade Runner, but Page is there to break it up. Page & White start going at it on the apron, as Yuta is there to take a shot, as he gets in the way. We hear Swerve Strickland’s music before it gets cut off by Ricochet’s voice who says ‘It’s my house, bitch’, as he makes his way out instead at #4 as we head to a break.

After the break, Adam Cole comes out at #5 and goes right after White, just to get stopped by Page. Cole starts hitting super kicks on everyone including a springboarding Ricochet. Cole follows with the Panama Sunrise, but Ricochet kicks out as Daniel Garcia comes out at #6. Garcia puts Cole, White & Page in the corner and hits them all with the 10 punches. Yuta enters as he and Garcia start slapping away at each other. Yuta & Ricochet start working together as the #7 entrant is Powerhouse Hobbs. Hobbs starts going after everyone and stays in control as we go back to commercials.

Roderick Strong comes out at #8 as he, Garcia & Cole start triple-teaming on Ricochet. White tries to hit a Blade Runner on Ricochet, but Yuta stops it with a low blow. Lance Archer is out at #9 and hits a bunch of chokeslams before it’s just him and Hobbs standing face-to-face, after tossing Ricochet back and forth. As they go at it, Kyle O’Reilly comes out at #10. Cole, O’Reilly & Strong start working together as Jeff Jarrett is out at #11, but he gets attacked from behind by Yuta as they start brawling to the back. Archer tries the Blackout on Hobbs, but he’s able to escape, sends Archer to the outside, and hits the Spinebuster on O’Reilly to get the pin and the win.

Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs by pinfall at 26:33

Renee Paquette enters the ring and asks Hobbs for his thoughts on next week’s match. Hobbs says ‘Let’s shoot for a second’ and mentions how Moxley brought him to AEW but next week he makes Moxley his bitch. As Hobbs is leaving, he sees Jarrett by the entrance and shakes his hand.

One Year Left

They show a video package for Hook & Christian Cage taking place next week before Ian Riccaboni joins Jeff Jarrett in the ring and asks how he’s feeling as the Tennessee crowd gives him a great reaction. Jarrett says it’s 2025 and he has to ask himself one question; if he still has what it takes to climb that mountain? Before he can say more, he gets interrupted by MJF. MJF calls Riccaboni a ‘Bible-thumping prick’ and tells him to get out of the ring. MJF introduces himself to Jarrett and mentions all the other names who are going after the world title before running down Jarrett’s accolades. He says he had to Google that because he’s not a dinosaur and his dad was a fan of Jarrett when he was a little kid.

MJF tells Jarrett that the clock is ticking and MJF said he did some digging about Jarrett not being completely honest with the people. MJF says it turns out the contract that Jarrett signed is only for one more year and that’s embarrassing because Jarrett doesn’t want to retire and he had to sign that contract because that’s all that professional wrestling has left to give. MJF says Jarrett only has a year to prove that he still has it and he can help Jarrett become champion of the world one more time and without his help, Jarrett can’t even win a match. He asks Jarrett for one favor, when Jarrett wins the title, MJF will be first in line for a title shot. MJF extends his hand but instead, Jarrett grabs the mic and tells MJF that you learn more from your failures than your successes, and just because MJF was on top before doesn’t mean he’ll get there again and they call kids like him around here one hit wonders. Jarrett says he’s been on rock bottom as life has put him there but that allows him to fight his way back to the top of the mountain. Jarrett says he’s going to make the most of 2025, and he doesn’t need MJF and he’s not buying what MJF is selling, calls him an entitled prick, and leaves.

When we return, they show the footage of Death Riders taking out Darby Allin on the finale of AEW Rampage and say nobody has heard from Darby since and say he has fallen off the map.

Hope For Cope

Cope makes his way to the ring. He mentions Jon Moxley his Death Riders taking out Bryan Danielson possibly for good and sending Darby Allin down some stairs and we haven’t seen him since. They then made a massive mistake going after FTR, as he is close to them. Cope mentions other names possibly not having the same grind as him, and calls himself a different animal and a man who broke his neck in a match with Eddie Guerrero, and then he got up and wrestled 20 more minutes and won that match. You are looking for a man who wrestled Malakai Black in a barbed-wire steel cage match, broke his leg, and then got up, wrestled 10 more minutes, and won that match. He tells Moxley to enlighten him on what he could do to him, that hasn’t been done more. Moxley’s music hits as he makes his way through the crowd with Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta. Before they can hop the barricade they get attacked from behind by FTR as Cope joins in on the three-on-three brawl. Marina Shafir runs out and tosses the briefcase in the ring, but as Cope grabs her and is conflicted on what to do, he gets attacked from behind by Pac. Moxley puts the Bulldog Choke on Cope as he passes out. Moxley grabs a plastic bag and goes to put it over Cope, but Powerhouse Hobbs makes his way to the ring as the Death Riders retreat.

Hot Girl Graps

Mariah May is in the back and tells the women to make history next week in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet before she cuts the strings from the puppets. Harley Cameron interrupts and mentions getting an opportunity against Mariah May at Collision. May says that Cameron won’t get a title shot, as Cameron is okay with that and mentions that it’ll be ‘hot girl graps’ and says May will ‘feel the wrath’.

Toni Storm vs. Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale

This match is for the #1 spot in next week’s Casino Gauntlet match where the winner gets a title shot against Mariah May at Grand Slam Australia. They announce that on Collision, Cope will take on Big Bill while Chris Jericho goes one-on-one with Dax Harwood. Willow Nightingale stays in control, by slingshotting Toni Storm right into Kris Statlander, as we head to a break.

When we return, we see Willow hesitating on attacking Statlander, but before she can decide she gets taken out by Storm before all three women are laid out. Willow whips Storm into Statlander in the corner, resulting in a hip attack followed by a cannonball and a Death Valley Driver on Storm, but she kicks out at two. Willow grabs both Storm & Statlander and hits them with a double German Suplex. Statlander sends Willow to the outside and hits Storm with the Night Fever to get the pin and the win.

Winner: Kris Statlander by pinfall at 9:55

Renee is in the back with Toni Storm and says people are surprised she didn’t win. Storm said she gave her best but clearly, she’s not ready and it was an honor to be there and acts disappointed and gives good luck to all the women in next week’s Casino Gauntlet.

Kenny Omega Returns

Kenny Omega makes his way to the ring, using the same new music he debuted at Wrestle Dynasty over the weekend in Tokyo. Omega enters the ring and tries to not get emotional. Omega says a little over a year ago, he checked into the hospital and was given the bad news that he had diverticulitis and explained that it took two feet of his intestines from him and that if he didn’t check himself in, the doctor told him that he would have been dead. He says after his surgery he had two questions; how long would recovery be and when could he get back in the ring the doctor told him that he would be lucky if he could return to a regular way of life, let alone return to the Kenny Omega he used to be. He pushed himself too hard and returned to the hospital four more times and asked himself if he could even do this and he said that maybe giving up would have been the safest option. Once he considered that option, he asked himself what purpose did he even have on this planet if he didn’t have these people for him. A few days ago, he tested his theory in Tokyo, Japan, and found his purpose that if he’s not in this ring every single week, giving everything he has then he’s just not living. Even though he can’t do the things he used to be able to do, this new version of Kenny Omega that isn’t concerned about money, power, or revenge can still prove that he is.. but before he can continue he gets cut off by Don Callis’ “music”. Callis goes to say ‘Look who’s back from the dead’, but Omega immediately rushes towards him and starts attacking him before he gets stopped by Brian Cage & Lance Archer. The Murder Machines send Omega back inside the ring and get joined by Kyle Fletcher before Cage attacks Omega with a body blow. Before they can do more damage, Will Ospreay runs out with a chair and chases the Don Callis Family away. Ospreay drops the chair and goes face-to-face with Omega. They end the show announcing that Kenny Omega will take on Brian Cage next week.

Collision Line-Up