It’s nice to have pals. Will Ospreay called in reinforcements from NJPW to help with the Death Riders for a main event dubbed Chaos in Canada on AEW Dynamite (Apr. 8, 2026). The go-home episode to Dynasty also featured Kenny Omega standing tall over MJF, Chris Jericho finding a new rival, Don Callis booking an epic tag team bout for the PPV, bad news for Kyle Fletcher, and more from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Dynamite opened with Will Ospreay fighting Jon Moxley in the parking garage. Of course, the Death Riders swarmed to protect Mox. That’s when a black automobile rolled up. Alex Windsor got out to stand by her man, then she ushered in the troops from NJPW. Pause for a moment. Over the weekend, Ospreay visited NJPW to ask his United Empire mates for help. That’s how this came about in story. A glorious brawl ensued.
The action carried to the ring. Moxley had the upper hand to choke Ospreay, however, he rolled out to escape. New IWGP heavyweight champion Callum Newman landed a diving stomp onto Moxley. The Death Riders regrouped outside, and Ospreay issued an Anything Goes challenge for the main event.
What an electric way to start the show. It is worthy of the classic Anchorman quote, “Boy, that escalated quickly.”
United Empire and the Death Riders kept that same energy for the Chaos in Canada main event. It was pure donnybrook. Claudio Castagnoli was a badass with a marching vertical suplex to Henare through a table.
Henare would get payback to kick-start the finish. He tackled Claudio off the steps through a table.
Francesco Akira dealt with Daniel Garcia for a powerbomb onto a table. The wood didn’t break, so he tried a splash to no success. Boo that table! Newman cracked wood for a flying stomp to PAC through a table.
That isolated Moxley and Ospreay. Mox hit three Death Rider maneuvers in a row to soften Ospreay up before the PPV clash. Newman saved Bruv, and Ospreay exploded for a Hidden Blade to Mox through a table for the winning pin.
Bringing in the United Empire was a creative twist for the go-home episode. It fits naturally in the story with Ospreay needing allies to counteract the numbers of the Death Riders. I’m not expecting the United Empire to appear at Dynasty, and that’s alright. They made an impact within the story, and it may have planted seeds for Forbidden Door. The fighting between Ospreay and Moxley was ruthless. It was an intense hype job to get excited for the PPV bout. Windsor battling Marina Shafir was worthy of the crowd popping, and that gives a jolt to their pre-show match at Dynasty.
It’s funny how Newman is the next big star, and I found him the least exciting member of the United Empire on this evening. Henare was the scene-stealer with tremendous hoss tactics. Akira had some nice dives and showed moxie not backing down from Moxley. Newman was fine, but he came across like Ospreay’s little brother rather than a star in his own right. That might have been by design as a way to connect fresh eyes to the idea that Ospreay mentored Newman. All in all, thumbs up on that chaos.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
The Devil versus the God of Pro Wrestling. After the main event, the show closed with one final promo session between MJF and Kenny Omega. The work on this feud is already done, so they rehashed talking points. Omega is feeling 100% now, so MJF questioned his excuse for when he loses at Dynasty. Even at Omega’s best, he is not on the level of the Devil. Omega requested a handshake as a photo moment. MJF turned his back and went for a sucker punch. Omega dodged that trick and blasted MJF with a jumping knee. Omega stood tall with confidence that he will win the world championship.
The biggest compliment here is for MJF’s suit jacket. Other than that, it was a standard session to hype the big match. Hit some catchphrases and pop a little action. I thought Omega would steal the Dynamite Diamond Ring as insurance to prevent cheating, but he gave it right back. I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, since MJF probably has five more rings from all the years that he won.
Chris Jericho speaks. Jericho was there to officially sign his AEW contract. He was in selfless babyface mode with a love for professional wrestling. Jericho doesn’t care where he is on the card. He only wants to help build AEW.
The Demand interrupted the good vibes. Ricochet proclaimed himself as the top star in Jericho’s absence, and he’s not giving up that spot. Jericho shrugged off Ricochet’s threats. The contract allows Jericho to pick his opponent for Dynasty, and Ricochet just made the list.
This was a fun dose of Jericho. He was likeable and humble, at least on this evening. Ricochet was the easy bad guy, so Jericho haters can set their feelings aside to boo that bald man instead. I am intrigued by the PPV matchmaking, because it’s a 50/50 call on who will win. Plus, Ricochet has numbers, and that could lead to a reunion from one of Jericho’s many factions or perhaps new players by his side.
Kyle Fletcher vacates TNT Championship. This was the first domino of Callis Family business. Fletcher suffered an injury. Tony Khan arranged a Casino Gauntlet match to crown the new TNT champion at Dynasty. Don Callis had planned to arrange ProtOkada versus the Young Bucks at the PPV. Thankfully, he has a backup plan, which was revealed later. That’s a bummer for Fletcher. Get well soon. On the bright side, gauntlet matches in AEW always rule, so that’s cool.
Konosuke Takeshita, Andrade El Idolo, & Mark Davis defeated Darby Allin, Bandido, & Jack Perry. High-octane trios match. The Callis Family treated Allin like an idiot. Andrade suckered him up stage as a trick for Takeshita to hit a rolling German suplex from behind. Later, Takeshita and Davis tossed Allin like a small child over the timekeeper table. That was funny.
The finish was 3-on-1 against Perry. Davis obliterated Jungle Man on a piledriver, and Andrade hit the DM to win. Also of note, here is the obligatory ladies love El Idolo shot.
The action did enough to tease Allin versus Andrade at Dynasty. They tangoed a little, and the matchup will still feel fresh for the PPV. It’s a curious decision to see Perry eat the pin as the only champion in the match. Since Davis was the one to serve Perry on a platter, I think that the Aussie should get the next crack at Perry’s gold.
The aftermath led to more news. Andrade hit a low blow on Allin. The Young Bucks ran out to save Perry. The Callis Family sent out the goons, and it was Okada who saved Takeshita from a Meltzer Driver. That didn’t mean ice thawed between Okada and Takeshita. They came to blows and had to be separated by the Family. The Rascalz ran in, and Myron Reed had the last laugh for a dive onto Okada. Reed will challenge Okada for the international title on Collision. I’m pumped for that matchup. I’m looking forward to Reed shining against top stars.
Callis plotted for Okada and Takeshita to wrestle the Young Bucks at Dynasty. Both scoffed at that idea. Takeshita relented when Callis said he would allow a title shot for Okada’s belt down the line at Double or Nothing.
Callis’ comparisons to the Chicago Bulls made these scenes gel. It helps explain how he doesn’t need all his Family to like each other, as long as they win. It also set up Okada to deliver a funny line. The Rainmaker claimed that he was the Michael Jordan of the Callis Family and Takeshita was the Scottie Pippen. Okada is such a great troll. For me, the heat was cold on seeing Takeshita challenge Okada, so I’m glad to see AEW put the effort into warming the meal back up rather than serving it in a rush. The bickering here was effective in stoking the fire.
Continuing with promos, Allin went emo about why it means so much to win the world title. This delivery lost me as too much of a whining tone. However, it is character development toward the big win in the future.
Casino Gauntlet qualifier: Tommaso Ciampa defeated Mascara Dorada. Winner earns the #1 spot. Dorada sizzled with skills, and Ciampa dished out physicality to ground the high-flyer. The closing sequence was cool. Ciampa ducked a roundhouse kick, rolled Dorada to get caught in the ropes, then struck with a DDT. Ciampa closed with a running knee strike to win. Ciampa has been a great addition for depth to AEW. he always puts on good matches, and his aggressive attitude separates him from the pack. On Collision, Anthony Bowens versus Rush determines the #2 spot.
TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) defeated Queen Aminata. Rugged action. Aminata fought with aggression, so Willow matched that mood. The finish was nice. Aminata showed defensive strategy to sandbag the gutwrench powerbomb finisher. Aminata countered into an Air Raid Crash. Willow kicked out then pounced Aminata.
The champ seized the win with her gutwrench powerbomb.
Strong performance from Aminata in her return from injury. She showed that she should be back in the mix quickly as a threat to beat anyone. I enjoyed the competitive spirit from Willow. She wrestled with a smile for the clash of babyfaces. When push came to shove, Willow didn’t pull any punches.
Also of note, a visibly annoyed Hikaru Shida scouted this match while holding her kendo stick. That’s continuation from last week’s heel tease when Shida lost the open challenge to Willow on Collision.
Christian Cage injured? Adam Copeland talked smack about FTR’s jealousy. Christian claimed that he banged their mothers.
FTR and Stokely Hathaway arrived to the ring. Fisticuffs erupted with an ambush from RPG Vice. Big Stoke speared Christian, and FTR ‘broke’ his arm with a chair stomp. The best part was Stokely stealing Christian’s watch before it happened.
This injury is a curious development. I can’t help but think that it was done to protect C&C in defeat. Or perhaps the intention is to create doubt about C&C winning, which I think was the most assumed outcome for Dynasty. Either way, Stokely is going to pay.
Notes: The Dogs mauled Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong backstage. They are coming for the trios champions on Collision.
Thekla oozed charisma once again. She poetically described breaking the bones of Lexy Nair by taking her to a seafood dinner and the strip club. The Toxic Spider is tired of hearing about Jamie Hayter as a former world champion. The landscape has changed, and Thekla rules now. Very entertaining promo painting a picture.
Prior to Dynamite, I had never seen Henare before. Now, I want him in all the hoss matches against AEW big men.
Match of the Night: Willow Nightingale vs. Queen Aminata
In a night of wild action, the one-on-one affair takes the cake. It was hard-hitting and strategic.
Solid entertainment. There was a good level of hype to leave the PPV feeling fresh.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?