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AEW Dynamite Recap – 1/7/26

The new year begins again with a Dynamite show!
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AEW Dynamite Recap

Hello everyone, it’s the first Wednesday of 2026…AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!!!! All Elite Wrestling brought its first Dynamite to bear on the new year, and it was definitely one to remember. Now watch as I break it all down in my AEW Dynamite Recap!

So…how did Dynamite start off the new year? Well…how do you think?

Yep! I found it rather fitting that they’re continuing the “streak” of Moxley greatness by having him start off Dynamite for the year. He is one of the most loved things on the brand, currently, which is hilarious to say…given where he was just a few months ago. Plus, people have been eager for Mox versus Shelton since it was teased last week…and it didn’t disappoint.

These were two wrestlers who are still some of the best at what they do, and what they do…is wrestle epically.

Yeah, this match not only went nearly 20 minutes (which was not something I expected at first), but it went all over the arena! They were making this feel like a heavyweight title bout, even though it was for the Continental Crown. That’s important, in my mind, as they need to defend every belt like it’s the most important one on the card, and I hope that this is a trend that continues in 2026, whether it’s with title matches or eliminator matches.

I liked that ending a lot, as it made Moxley and Shelton look strong. Mox had to get clever once again to get the win, but he also didn’t have to cheat to do it. He just outplayed Benjamin. If you didn’t know, Lashley is out with an injury, so this could be the start of a nice push for Shelton to further showcase why he’s one of the most athletic wrestlers to ever do it.

Another thing I didn’t expect from AEW tonight was certain glimpses into the future and the past, including showing off Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last match from this past weekend at Wrestle Kingdom. Then again, given their close ties to New Japan, TK’s love of Tanahashi, and the fact that Okada was the one to end his career, it does make sense to pay tribute in this way:

Next, we had a bit of a fakeout, as it was SUPPOSED to be Jack Perry and JetSpeed versus The Demand. But, to kick off the show…

…yep! That’s how they BEGAN Dynamite tonight. There were rumors that Jake Something wouldn’t return to TNA, but I wasn’t expecting him to debut like this! I love the idea of him and Mark Davis as a true “bruiser” tag team, and hopefully, that means the tag division will be even stronger after tonight.

…so, what happened to Jack Perry? Luchasaurus is confirmed to be out with an injury, so he needed some “new friends” to help him out of the jam he was in. Maybe some…ELITE…friends, perhaps…?

As Tony correctly noted, it’s been a WHILE since we heard “SUPERKICK PARTY!!!!” and that’s what made the crowd pop so special, as it was clear some people forgot the intro to the original Young Bucks track.

Then, the match started, and it was just as incredible as you would’ve guessed it to be!

All six men in this match were incredible, and the crowd was digging it, too! They didn’t hold back, and we got some true spectacle moments like this one:

That hurts my back just looking at it! Just saying. And this hurts my neck:

In the end, Jack and the Young Bucks won the match, and I can’t help but wonder if they’ll go for Trios gold right now, especially with Kenny (who will be back next week!) going back for the world heavyweight title! And wait…is that who I think it is…?

…he’s BACK!!! And for real this time!

For those who don’t know what happened to Andrade previously, and why he left AEW after the infamous AEW World’s End 2023 event, I won’t do a massive exposition on things. However, after coming back months ago, getting screwed by The Fed because of a certain condition they tried to enforce, and being at Wrestle Kingdom this past weekend…he’s back…FOR REAL!!!! I look forward to seeing what he does in AEW this go around. Oh, and yes, Jake Doyle got the graphic, too:

The fact that they’re teasing even MORE belts coming to the Don Callis family through new and old members means you’ll have to watch out for each and every one of them going forward…and things will be busy…

After that, we had the “celebration” of Willow’s victory last week to become the TBS Champion. That was truly the perfect way to end the year, and surely when Mercedes Mone came to the ring, she would be happy for Willow, …right?

…right?

This is a fun crashout, wouldn’t you say? Fun times, everybody! I’m curious what happens with Mone next. Could they do the “rubber match” at Revolution? Will someone else step up to face her first?

…I know a trio of women who has their eyes on Statlander and the Babes of Wrath…

…and Mark Briscoe is ready to defend his title for the first time in 2026!

Next up was Bandido versus Sammy Guevara. And look, I know Sammy’s not everyone’s “cup of tea,” but that guy gets WAY too much hate, and tonight’s match proved why he’s still someone to respect, and someone to push in 2026…you know, alongside the great push that Bandido is getting.

Thanks to these twos’ high-flying moves, we got plenty of incredible spots and moments, to the point that this was the third match in a ROW to get the “This Is Awesome” chant, and it’s not hard to see why they did that!

Even with Sammy bleeding by the end of the match, he was still going strong, and I truly appreciated how far they went with this match. Though we all knew who would win…Bandido!!! …and then HE showed up…

Whether you liked this segment or not (I would’ve trimmed down a few minutes), it was great seeing how behind Bandido the crowd was, especially by the end. My personal hope for next week’s world title match is that it goes 20+ minutes, as that would set a great tone for what’s to come in the rest of the year.

Next up was the women’s match for the night, with us FINALLY getting Toni Storm and Marina Shafir going at it 1-on-1.

While it was hardly my favorite match of the night (for reasons I’m about to get to,) I did like how they handled Marina, with her not only beating up Toni pretty royally, but also, having her “mock” the dance moves that Toni and Orange Cassidy have done recently. They did a whole sequence of it and I really liked it.

Then, though, things got confusing, as Toni had the win locked up, but the Death Riders (Garcia and Yuta) interfered, getting the whole match thrown out. Granted, DQ wins in AEW are incredibly rare, but given how magnificent last week’s match between Mone and Willow was, I really wanted them to follow up on that.

Instead, we once again got a women’s match that was the shortest one on the card.

…okay, yes, the “throuple” moment was cute, but we could’ve had that AND a long match!

Oh, and Brody got a cool package to tease his 2026:

I’d argue that Brody is one of the most adaptable members of the AEW roster, which he proved many fold last year, including with Brodido, so I’m hoping he gets a lot of big matches and title shots this year, as he’ll always deliver and have the crowd barking alongside him.

Another package we got throughout the night was Darby stalking Pac to get his rematch against him. As you would expect, Darby acted “totally rationally” to get what he wanted…

…I lied.

Finally, there was the “Lights Out” tag match, and let me tell you…I was WORRIED about this match going in, because they were already at the “time limit” for the show itself, which meant they had to use the overrun (however much they got) to make the match worth it.

…so that’s exactly what Tony Khan did. Sorry for doubting you, sir! Also, that “spotlight start” really had me concerned about the wrestlers, as it’s hard enough doing their moves in a brightly lit room, let alone a darkened one!

Once the match got started, it was intense and didn’t let up:

While Hook may not have been people’s “first choice” for a match like this, I think he handled himself well, and many of the big spots in the match were because of him. Then again, when you have Hobbs, Hangman, and Swerve to work alongside, you’re going to look good if you do your part, and he did.

…here’s your reward, Hook!

…oh, and don’t forget Hobbs!

Even Nana wanted a piece of the action as things ramped up!

The longer the match went, the more invested I got, as I was REALLY glad it went nearly 20 minutes (just like the first match of the night…) and plenty of spots had me appreciating the “Lights Out” gimmick:

Coffee is hot, man! I wouldn’t want that splashed on me! The end of the match was truly brutal, and I loved every second of it:

So, yeah, that rocked, and outside of a few gripes, the entire Dynamite was incredible. THIS is why All Elite Wrestling exists, to give cards like this and epic matches like this on weekly television for fans who want to watch WRESTLING!

So strap in, ladies and gentlemen, while my AEW Dynamite Recap might be over, the year has just begun for the best wrestling promotion on the planet.

 

 

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A self-proclaimed Nintendo fanboy, born, bred, and Mushroom fed! He’s owned every Nintendo handheld and every console since the SNES. He's got a degree in video game development, is a published comic book writer and an author of several novels!