AEW Dynamite in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, Live on TBS | January 7th, 2026 — The Episode Recap:

Mercedes Moné left in Cake as Willow Nightingale, AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions Harley Cameron, and the AEW Women's World Champion all took hits on Mercedes Moné. (Image courtesy of AEW)

The January 7th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match Results:

The Opening Match: Jon Moxley [c] defeated Shelton Benjamin in an AEW Continental Title Eliminator Match | via Pin-Fall — (19:55)

The 2nd Match: Jack Perry & The Young Buck (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeated The Demand (Bishop Kaun, Ricochet & Toa Liona) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (13:12)

The 3rd Match: Bandido defeated Sammy Guevara in a Singles Match | via Pin-Fall — (11:42)

The 4th Match: Toni Storm (with Luther) defeated Marnia Shafir (with Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta) in a Singles Match | via DQ — (07:57)

The Main Event Match: Adam Page & Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) defeated The Opps (Hook & Powerhouse Hobbs) in a Lights Out Tag Team Match | via Pin-Fall — (19:50)

My Thoughts on the January 7th Episode of AEW Dynamite:

My Thoughts: This was a solid episode that did a great job laying the groundwork for Maximum Carnage and making the upcoming storyline feel important. The pacing throughout the show felt deliberate in a good way, with each segment contributing something toward the bigger picture instead of just filling time. I especially enjoyed the Six-Man Tag Team Match, which delivered both in-ring action and story progression. The chemistry between the teams was strong, the transitions were smooth, and the match structure kept the crowd engaged from start to finish. It didn’t feel like a throwaway multi-man match; instead, it actually moved several rivalries forward and raised the stakes for what’s coming next. Andrade’s return was a real highlight and added a lot of much-needed drama to the episode. His presence immediately injected a sense of unpredictability and tension, particularly with the looming Kenny Omega match. The way they presented him made the upcoming clash feel bigger and more personal, and it gave the show a clear hook for future episodes. Overall, this was a very solid episode that balanced action, story, and anticipation for what’s ahead. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely accomplished its goal of building toward Maximum Carnage while keeping me invested in the characters and their rivalries.

The January 7th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match Ratings:

The Opening Match: Jon Moxley [c] vs. Shelton Benjamin in an AEW Continental Title Eliminator Match | The Match Rating: ***.50 — This was a very fun match. Shelton Benjamin is one of the guys I always felt like deserved more, but this was a hell of an opener. Jon Moxley, as the AEW Continental Title, he been making the title feel so important, and he's willing to go to war for that title. The match itself was very fun, and I liked how the ending was. Overall, a very fun match.

The 2nd Match: Jack Perry & The Young Buck (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Bishop Kaun, Ricochet & Toa Liona) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ****.25 — This was the best match of the night. I really enjoyed it, and the Young Bucks replaced the JetSpeed team after the Don Callis Family attacked them. The Demand suffered a loss, but the Don Callis Family and Demand seem to be united, and Andrade has officially returned after settling legal issues stemming from his departure from WWE.

The 3rd Match: Bandido vs. Sammy Guevara in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: **** — Bandido is one of my favorite wrestlers in the world today, and Sammy Guevara, who has been in the Ring of Honor territory, is going after the ROH World Champion, and this match wasn't that bad whatsoever. Bandido then, after defeating Sammy Guevara, MJF came out, and I liked that Bandido looked strong before the AEW World Title Match next week at AEW Maximum Carnage.

The 4th Match: Toni Storm (with Luther) vs. Marnia Shafir (with Daniel Garcia & Wheeler Yuta) in a Singles Match | The Match Rating: *.25 — A very down match, I wasn't shocked because Marnia Shafir isn't really green in the ring but Toni Storm try to make with what she had, and the DQ Finish add the icying on the top. Toni Storm, I hope, gets reinserted in the AEW World Title picture. But this was some uninteresting stuff, and the Orange Cassidy stuff was just uninterested in that as well.

The Main Event Match: Adam Page & Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana) vs. The Opps (Hook & Powerhouse Hobbs) in a Lights Out Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ***.50 — This was an okay main event. I expected more, but I do like the team of Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. The Opps suffered another loss as expected. But this Lights Out Match could've been better, and I thought it could've been done in a better way, but AEW is starting the year pretty well.

The January 7th Episode of AEW Dynamite — The Match of the Night: Jack Perry & The Young Buck (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. The Demand (Bishop Kaun, Ricochet & Toa Liona) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match | The Match Rating: ****.25

The January 7th Edition of AEW Dynamite — The Episode Grade: 7/10 (B-) — This was a solid episode; we saw some building towards Maximum Carnage. I enjoyed the Six-Man Tag Team Match, and thought the return of Andrade added a lot of much-needed drama as the pending Kenny Omega Match is coming. But this was an overall solid episode.

Next Week AEW Maximum Carnage January 14th Episode in Phoenix, Arizona, USA — The Announced Matches & Segments:

1. Kenny Omega vs. ??? in a Singles Match.

2. MJF (c) vs. Bandido in an AEW World Title Match.

3. Darby Allin vs. PAC in a Singles Match.

4. Babes of Wrath (Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale) & Kris Statlander vs. Triangle Of Madness (Julia Hart, Skye Blue & Thekla) in a Six-Woman Tag Team Match.