AEW Dynamite results (12/27): Powell’s live review of Swerve Strickland vs. Jon Moxley vs. Jay White, and Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston in Continental Classic semifinal matches – Pro Wrestling Dot Net

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

AEW Dynamite (Episode 221)
Orlando, Florida at Addition Financial Arena
Aired live December 27, 2023 on TBS

[Hour One] The Dynamite opening aired and then pyro shot off on the stage… Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone were on commentary, and Justin Roberts was the ring announcer…

Entrances for the gold league Continental Classic semifinal match took place. Jon Moxley entered via the crowd while the broadcast team played up the knee injury he suffered during last week’s match against Jay White, who then made his entrance. Swerve Strickland was accompanied onto the stage by Prince Nana. Strickland headed to the ring alone while Nana went backstage after doing his dance…

1. Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland vs. Jay White in a three-way in the Continental Classic tournament gold league semifinal match. White tried to exit the ring once the bell rang, but Swerve beat him to it and blocked his path. Moxley sent White to ringside. Swerve returned to the ring and rolled up Moxley for a quick two count.

Moxley and Swerve ended up fight at ringside. Moxley and Swerve teamed up to toss White over the barricade, and then Moxley threw Swerve over it. Moxley hopped over the barricade and the three wrestlers fought in the crowd. Moxley crotched White on a guardrail. Swerve sat Moxley on a chair and bit his forehead. Swerve backed up and hit double knees on Moxley.

Taz acknowledged that referee Paul Turner was being “very lenient” and said he understood given what was at stake. All three men fought up a flight of stairs briefly before returning to the main floor. Moxley tossed Swerve back into the ringside area and followed him. White returned and chop blocked the back of Moxley’s leg.

Excalibur said the ROH Tag Team Title match with MJF and Samoa Joe defending against The Devil’s masked men would be the main event of the show. Meanwhile, Swerve drilled White, who was on the floor, with a knee strike from the apron. All three men returned to the ring. White was quickly cleared to the floor.

Moxley flipped off Swerve, who bit his finger. Swerve put Moxley down with a clothesline. Swerve hit Moxley with an elbow strike from the middle rope and then played to the crowd. Swerve pulled white back inside the ring and stomped his hands. Swerve sent both men to ringside and then went up top and executed a crossbody block heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]

Moxley hit Swerve with a suicide dive. Back in the ring, Moxley mounted Swerve in the corner and threw punches at him before biting his forehead. Moxley put Swerve down with a piledriver that led to a two count. Moxley threw elbows at Swerve’s head. Moxley placed Swerve on the top rope in a seated position and then chopped him.

Moxley went for a superplex that was stuffed by Swerve, who then jumped off the top rope into a kick. Moxley put Swerve down with a DDT for a near fall. Moxley brought Swerve to ringside and set up for a table spot, but White returned and slammed a chair over the back of Moxley twice. Once Moxley was down on the mat, White slammed the chair over Moxley’s bad knee.

Back in the ring, Swerve caught White in a crucifix pin for a good near fall. Swerve threw a couple of kicks at White and then played to the cheering crowd before slamming White. Swerve went up top and executed a 450 splash. Moxley broke up the pin by hitting a Stomp on Swerve, who was on all fours to take the move even though it made for one strange cover. [C]