AEW Dynamite results (7/15): Barnett’s review of Kenny Omega’s AEW World Championship

Kenny Omega’s Return to the Top of AEW

For the first time in nearly five years, “The Best Bout Machine” Kenny Omega holds the AEW World Championship, a milestone celebrated during the July 15 broadcast. As reported, Omega previously held the title for 346 days between the end of 2020 and the fall of 2021. His current reign began after a high-stakes victory over Maxwell Jacob Friedman at the Beach Break edition of Dynamite, where Omega overcame a low blow and a shot to the head with the AEW World Title. Omega avoided the Dynamite Diamond Ring when Will Ospreay took it away from MJF, eventually finishing the match with three V-Triggers and the One-Winged Angel.

The championship celebration serves as a prelude to a significant showdown on August 30, when Omega is scheduled to defend his title at Wembley Stadium at All In. According to the event reports, Omega has also confirmed his first title defense for the Redemption pay-per-view, where he will face TNT Champion “The Jet” Kevin Knight. However, Knight is also tasked with defending his TNT Title against Darby Allin on next week’s episode of Dynamite.

Tag Team Title Defense and Post-Match Chaos

The opening contest of the July 15 show saw Adam Copeland and Christian Cage successfully defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against The Death Riders’ Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia. Before the match, Renee Paquette appeared at ringside to recap a conversation with Adam Copeland, who described The Death Riders as “pieces of shit.” The challenge for the match was issued by Copeland and Cage to address the Death Riders jumping them on Collision two weeks prior. The post-match environment turned volatile as a physical attack by The Dogs and The Death Riders saw the Bang Bang Gang intervene to make the save.

Backstage, Jon Moxley provided guidance to Will Ospreay regarding the high-pressure environment of the division. Moxley told Ospreay that the hard work is mostly done, but now mistakes could cost him everything. Moxley told him that hard decisions will eventually be required, but he has to pull the trigger no matter who the target is.

Mercedes Moné’s Main Event Victory and Redemption Stakes

The main event featured Mercedes Moné competing in her hometown of Boston, where she received a huge ovation. Teaming with the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions, Divine Dominion, Moné defeated the trio of Willow Nightingale, Maya World, and Hyan. This match followed significant developments at Beach Break, where Willow Nightingale returned to win the Women’s Casino Gauntlet by hitting a Babe With the Powerbomb on Julia Hart. Nightingale earned a shot at the AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla at Redemption, though she was speared by Thekla after the match and subsequently taken out by a belt shot from Mercedes Moné.

The card for the upcoming Redemption pay-per-view in Montreal is rapidly taking shape:

• AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Knight.
• AEW National Championship: Mark Davis vs. Andrade El Ídolo, following Andrade’s victory over Jake Doyle on July 15.
• AEW International Championship: Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido, following Fletcher’s successful defense against Komander and a subsequent altercation involving Konosuke Takeshita, Kazuchika Okada, and Bandido.
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale.

Additionally, the International Championship landscape shifted at Beach Break when “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher defeated “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita to bring the title to the Don Callis Family. Following that match, Andrade El Ídolo lured the Callis Family into a trap involving Darby Allin and an exploding skateboard.

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