Fight for the Fallen 1/1/25

Happy New Year as we celebrate a huge night in AEW history, as AEW Dynamite will be simulcast on Max and TBS!

• Triple Threat for the #1 Spot in the Casino Gauntlet: Roderick Strong vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Jay White
• The Acclaimed vs. The Hurt Syndicate
• Orange Cassidy vs. Adam Page
• Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart
• Rated FTR vs. Death Riders

Make sure to keep refreshing the page as the most recent results are below!

AEW Dynamite: Fight for The Fallen

I’ll be watching tonight’s show on Max, by the way, so I’m interested in seeing if there a difference between the Max feed and the TBS feed. Live from the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina! Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

Match #1. Hangman Page vs. Orange Cassidy

Both guys trade every one of their finishes for the first sixty seconds and we reset. Majistral by Cassidy gets two. Double jump lariat by Page sends Cassidy to the floor. Page now throws Cassidy into the guard rail, and the apron, before thinking about a powerbomb through the announce table but Cassidy back body drops him. Mounted punches in the corner by Cassidy on the outside. Back in the ring, Cassidy tries a crossbody block but Page catches him and delivers a fallaway slam. Stundog Millionaire by Cassidy! Cassidy tries a suicide dive but Page catches him and sends him reeling with a fallaway slam on the ramp. Commercial break now and on Max, at least, there is no PIP and we’ve got a full ad break. Back from commercial and Page drops Cassidy with a rolling elbow. Page thinks about the Buckshot now but Cassidy drops to his but and rolls out of the ring on the far side. Page follows up with a big boot and throws Cassidy into the LED board. Cassidy gets rolled in the ring again but rolls out the other side, and Page is getting frustrated. Shotgun dropkick by Cassidy, who now bounces Page’s head off the turnbuckles. Satellite DDT by Cassidy! Two! Two count. Superkick by Cassidy but Page responds with a lariat and a Buckshot attempt, but Cassidy counters into Beach Break. Two count. Orange Punch by Cassidy! Two! Page rolls to the apron and eats a third one. Cassidy goes for a fourth but Page boots him in the face and hits the Buckshot for the win.

Winner: Hangman Page

Rating: **1/4. This missed on a lot of fronts for me. The psychology didn’t necessarily make sense, the physicality was okay, but the finish was awful. Cassidy hits three of his finishers just for Page to shrug them off and hit one of his own?

After the match, Page continues the attack. Deadeye by Page, who holds on, and hits a second one. Officials hit the ring and Page blasts Christopher Daniels.

Match #2. The Acclaimed vs. The Hurt Syndicate

Bowens and Caster argue about who’s going to start as Lashley blasts Caster and here we go. Clothesline over the top by Lashley and a tag to Benjamin. Bowens gets the tag and hits a kick combo to Benjamin, before hitting the ropes and Caster may have tried to make the tag but they missed, so they re-do the spot and now Caster makes the tag. Release German suplex by Benjamin to Caster. Two. Three! Bowens drops off the apron and now Caster gets tossed for a fourth time! Running knee in the corner by Benjamin. Tag to Lashley and here’s a spear. Chokeslam by Lashley. Hurt Lock! Caster taps.

Winner: The Hurt Syndicate

Rating: NR. Not much more than a squash match here, for the former AEW world Tag Team Champions.

Alex Marvez is here with Swerve and Prince Nana. Swerve says he’s been a bit off lately, but his focus is solely on getting the title back. He’s never been in a Casino Gauntlet but it doesn’t matter. Prince Nana wishes everyone a Happy New Year!

Match #3. Julia Hart vs. Jamie Hayter

Hip toss into a neckbreaker by Hayter to start. Running clothesline in the corner by Hayter. A second one. Hayter runs into a back elbow and Hart kicks her to the floor. Hayter tries to suplex Hart into the steps but Hart bounces Hayter’s head off of them. Commercial break now and as we come back, Hayter is firing in some big boots to the face and some hammer fists. Haytebreaker by Hayter! Two count. Hayter charges in the corner but Hart gets the boots up and goes up top. Moonsault by Hart but she lands on her feet and grabs Hayter… STO. Two count. Hartless is locked in but Hayter stands up with Hart on her back! Hayter repositions, Death Valley Driver on the knee by Hayter! Sliding lariat by Hayter gets two. Hayter goes up top but Hart is on the apron and she trips out the leg, causing Hayter to land hard on the left side of her body. Hart has the arrow but the referee takes it from her, allowing her to mist Hayter in the face for the win.

Winner: Julia Hart

Rating: *1/2. This one didn’t click for me. Seems like there they weren’t on the same page for a lot of this and then the commercial break smack in the middle didn’t do it any favors.

A video package detailing the Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher history is shown.

Kenny Omega returns live next week!

Here comes Mercedes Mone! Asheville, say hello to your CEO and the GOAT TBS Champion. Mone presents a special video package that she had AEW put together. The video is a highlight of Mone’s matches that she’s won since she got to AEW. Mone tells us this Sunday in Tokyo, she’s facing Mina Shirakawa for the REV Pro title in a title vs title match.

A video of the Hurricane Helena devastating and the charities that AEW are contributing to tonight are shown.

Alex Marvez is with the Undisputed Kingdom. 2025 is going to be different and the UK has all of their bases covered, but tonight’s about Roderick Strong.

Match #4. Triple Threat Match for the #1 Spot in the Casino Gauntlet: Swerve Strickland vs. Roderick Strong vs. Jay White

Swerve fights off both White and Strong early, but Strong hits a big chop. Hip toss by Swerve, who holds on, for a big vertical suplex. Corkscrew plancha by Swerve takes out White on the outside. Back inside the ring, double DDT by White. White chops everyone and dumps Strong to the outside. Gordbuster to Strong on the apron. Strong blocks another Uranage and drills White with a half-and-half backbreaker. Strong picks White up in a back suplex and throws him forward over the top rope (a la WWF Raw for SNES… deep cut). Commercial break. We’re back with a Tower of Doom back suplex and everyone is down. backbreaker by Swerve to Strong, and a buckle bomb on to White. Powerbomb into a powerslam by Swerve to White! Strong counters a flatliner into a Code Breaker. Two count. Angle Slam by Strong to White and a Tiger Driver! Two count. Swerve Stomp to Strong! Swerve misses a Housecall and flatliner to White! Swerve goes up top but settles for a pump kick to Strong off the apron. Swerve walks the barricade and pump kicks White in the face. Ricochet is in the crowd and he grabs Swerve by the hair and blasts him in the face with a pair of gold scissors! Strong and White get back to the ring and Strong eats the Bladerunner! One, two three!

Winner: Jay White

Rating: ***. Fun triple threat match here with Jay White getting some momentum back and now leading of next week’s Casino Gauntlet.

Swerve is busted open bad, and Ricochet still has the scissors. Ricochet is covered in Swerve’s blood as he’s carving him up at ringside. Nana tires to intervene but Ricochet shoves him into the steps and hits him in the back with a chair. Ricochet hits the Spirit Gun inside the ring now as he’s completely covered in Swerve’s blood. The Undisputed Kingdom actually hit the ring and make the save.

Alex Marvez is in the back with Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Satnam Singh, and now, Jeff Jarrett. Karen Jarrett shows up and says that she knows this business is what brought them together, but it’s also what’s completely broken him. Karen says whatever Jeff wants; she wants. Karen hands Jeff his boots as he prepares to go to the ring.

Maria May is here with her title… and she thinks the women’s division is great. May says she had more matches last year than any other woman, as the rest of them didn’t crack the top ten. May doesn’t have epics, she is epic. May says the rest of the women can’t touch her.

Here comes Jeff Jarrett. Slappy New Year, Asheville. Jarrett’s been trying to put words together and figure out what to say. Jarrett has a lot to be thankful for, and the Jarrett family started in 1946 in Nashville, Tennessee. When Jarrett’s grandmother took a second job selling wrestling tickets, it changed the course of his family forever. Jarrett goes on to talk about his dad’s impact on the business in the Tennessee territory. Jeff got into the business in 1986, when he dropped out of school and started his wrestling career. In 2002, Jarrett bet on himself and launched his own promotion, and that promotion has produced some of the greatest wrestlers of all time. But, that brings Jarrett to tonight. Jarrett grabs his boots and says that as a 12x heavyweight champion, and a two time Hall of Famer, should the Last Outlaw just ride off into the sunset? The answer is HELL NO. Jarrett signed his very last pro wrestling contract, and the Last Outlaw wants AEW gold. Not the trios title, not the tag titles, Jarrett says January 1st, 2025, his New Year’s Revolution is that he wants to become AEW World Heavyweight Champion.

Hook is sitting on a stoop and challenges Christian for a match in two weeks.

Match #5. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Rob Killjoy & John Cruz

Killjow gets turned inside out with a lariat. Avalanches in the corner to both guys and a snap powerslam to Cruz. Spinebuster to Killjoy. Spinebuster to Cruz on top of Killjoy and this one’s over.

Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs

Rating: NR

Alex Marvez is with Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Bill says Jericho isn’t coming tonight, but Bill sees the hometown heroes, and it’s Rated FTR. Bill says home is where you find yourself, and

A video from World’s End is shown, and MJF says finally the chapter of Better Than You, Baybay, comes to a close. It’s time for the next chapter, and that is retribution. Something was taken from MJF, and that is his Triple B. Triple B is being paraded around in a briefcase? Jon, what’s a king, to a God? Ain’t nobody on the level of the devil, and nobody knows that better than Johnny Boy.

Match #6. Trios Match: Death Riders w/ Marina Shafir vs. Rated FTR

Claudio with some boots to Cope to start. Cope hip tosses Claudio over the top and hits a baseball slide. Marina Shafir posts Cope out of nowhere and we go to commercial. Back from commercial and Cope makes the hot tag to Cash Wheeler, who proceeds to clean house. Big powerslam to Yuta for a two count. Dax gets the tag but Claudio breaks up a spike piledriver with a big boot. Brainbuster by Dax to Claudio but Yuta rolls him up for a two count. Springboard crossbody by Dax gets two. Arm trapped Angle slam by Yuta for two. Yuta goes up top but Dax catches him and brings him back in the ring with an avalanche back suplex. Claudio breaks up the pin with a headbutt and then kicks Cope off the apron with a big boot. Jackhammer and a splash combo by Yuta and Claudio. Back from the last commercial break with Moxley raking the back of Dax. Quick tags by the Death Riders as Dax back suplexes Yuta and looks for a tag. Moxley and Cope get the tag and we’ve got a big moment here. Both guys trade elbows in the middle of the ring and Cope hits the Implant DDT! Moxley bails out of the ring as Cope looks for the spear, but Cope follows, the fight spilling into the crowd now. The referee is letting this one go and eventually the guys make it back to the ring. Yuta gets the tag and thinks Busiaku Knee, but Cope counters it into a Liger Bomb! Two count. Cope thinks spear but Moxley and Claudio pull him out and wrap him around the ring post! FTR are here and Cash tries a suicide dive but Claudio catches him with an anti-air European uppercut. Moxley starts tearing apart the announcer’s desk now and pulls Cope on top of it, but with the referee’s back turned, Jay White hits the ring and Yuta with the Bladerunner! Back body drop by Cope on the desk to Moxley and Cope dives through the barricade off of the desk! Running European uppercut by Claudio to Cope, who rolls him back in the ring, but FTR dump Claudio over the top. Shatter Machine to Yuta! Spear! One, two, three!

Winners: RatedFTR

Rating: ***1/4. Giving the people of Asheville what they want in this main event for sure. Absolutely loving the pairing of Cope with FTR, and these guys have gold in their future.

Final Thoughts: Well, this was a tale of two shows. The first half of tonight’s show left a lot to be desired. Something was amiss with Cassidy and Hangman for me, and the Julia Hart and Jamie Hayter match felt off… who are the fans supposed to cheer for? The show picked up after the triple threat match, and Ricochet’s becoming an incredible bad guy. Ricochet in his glasses and mannerisms really remind me of the dude from season two of Them, Edmund. Look it up. MJF confirming that he’s done with Adam Cole is good news for everyone involved, as was a strong main event and the return of Adam Copeland to the roster. Also, the ring was lit and shot differently than usual tonight and I personally think it looked great. 7.5/10.