AEW Dynamite: Bash at the Beach rocks Miami with action-packed show

MIAMI (UPI) — AEW held a special Bash at the Beach edition of Dynamite, bringing fun, excitement and thrills to the Watsco Center in Miami. Passionate fans packed the arena and were loud throughout the duration of the event which also included a number of AEW Dark matches that will be aired on YouTube. AEW leaned into the Bash at the Beach theme by using neon-colored lighting and outfitted the stage with palm trees and surfboards. Women in bikinis sat in a lifeguard post and stagehands wore Hawaiian shirts. Announcers Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur and ring announcer Justin Roberts also wore beach clothes. The first match of the night featured The Young Bucks, Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega, Santana and Ortiz and Best Friends battling each other in a 4-Way Tag Team match to determine who will get to face SCU for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. The live audience was loud for the bout as a number of fan-favorite grapplers shared the ring together. The crowd chanted “This is awesome!” to show their appreciation for the highly-competitive and high-flying bout. Best Friends partner Orange Cassidy entered the ring while the referee was recovering from being hit. All the competitors had huddled into a Suplex line with Cassidy being the final member to join the fray. Cassidy’s assistance allowed Best Friends to come out on top after a massive Suplex, causing members Chuck Taylor and Trent to hug Cassidy in the middle of the ring. Page created issues among The Elite which includes himself, Omega and The Young Bucks. The cowboy tagged himself in as The Young Bucks attempted to perform the Meltzer Driver. Page and Omega went on to win after they nailed Trent with a Buckshot-V-Trigger combo for the three count. The Young Bucks, consisting of Nick and Matt Jackson, seemed upset with Page afterwards, however, Omega stepped in to calm things down. Also at Bash at the Beach, Sammy Guevara of the Inner Circle battled Jon Moxley after Moxley refused AEW World Champion Chris Jericho‘s offer last week to join the group. Moxley arrived in the sports car he was gifted by the Inner Circle before he stepped into the ring with Guevara. The Spanish God brought the fight to Moxley, landing a number of big moves including a Double Foot Stomp and a Shooting Star Press. Guevara was unable to finish Moxley off, however, and then attempted a Moonsault Press. Moxley caught Guevara after he landed and locked in a chokehold which forced Guevara to tap out. Jericho’s music hit and the lights in the arena went off until they turned back on to reveal Moxley being surrounded by Jericho, Santana, Ortiz and Jake Hager of the Inner Circle. The group viciously beat down their rival with Jericho grabbing a spike from his leather jacket. Jericho used the spike to injure Moxley’s left eye which left him reeling in pain and needing to receive medical attention. Professional wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page returned to in-ring action to team up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall against MJF, The Butcher and The Blade. Page excited the crowd after entering into the match, and had everyone in attendance counting down the number of times he threw MJF’s face into the turnbuckle. Page also delivered a number of Diamond Cutters and even leaped off the top rope to take out everyone. MJF was still able to win the match after he quickly rolled up Marshall and illegally held onto his trunks for the three count. The main event featured Pac facing Darby Allin with the winner facing Moxley next week to determine the No. 1 contender for Jericho’s AEW World Championship. Pac wanted to ensure his victory by Power Bombing Allin into the metal ring steps. Allin was eventually able to mount a comeback and hit Pac with the Coffin Drop. Allin also unleashed a Stunner followed by a Code Red for a near fall. Pac would end things with the Black Arrow, earning a shot at Moxley. Pac gave a post-match interview and claimed that Moxley’s injury would prevent him from competing, automatically making him the No. 1 contender. Moxley, backstage, then burst out of an ambulance with a bandaged eye and headed towards the ring. “I don’t care if I’m blind. I will be there next week. I will kick your ass because that title shot belongs to me,” Moxley said as Bash at the Beach went off the air. Other moments from Bash at the Beach included Cody accepting MJF’s three stipulations in order to have a match with him at Revolution on Feb. 29 and Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida defeating Brandi Rhodes and Mel of The Nightmare Collective. The live audience was treated to more AEW Dark matches and when all the action over, fans crowded the lower level seats as Cody, Omega, The Young Bucks, Brandon Cutler and Michael Nakazawa came to the ring to throw t-shirts into the crowd. The group joked with the fans and thanked them for their energy. Cody then made the surprise announcement that AEW would be back in Miami for a pay-per-view event in the future, drawing massive cheers. Fans appeared more than satisfied with the show AEW put on, leaving the Watsco Center with smiles on their faces. “I feel like Miami embraced AEW tonight,” Roberto Rodriguez of Miami told UPI. Floyd Smith of Hollywood, Fla., said the enthusiastic crowd added to the vibe of the event. “The theme of Bash at the Beach was on point and overall welcoming to the 305 scene,” he said. Reporting by Wade Sheridan