The bell sounds and off we go with this FTW Championship match, which is being contested under FTW rules, which means anything goes. Jericho takes Shibata down, but Shibata comes right back and applies a rear headlock to Jericho to take him down.

Jericho gets to his feet, but Shibata backs him into the ropes. They exchange chops and Jericho takes Shibata down again. Jericho connects with the Lionsault and goes for the cover, but Shibata kicks out at one. Jericho grabs a trash can lid and hits Shibata in the head with it.

After that, Jericho dumps a bag of hockey pucks in the ring, but Shibata slams him down onto them instead. Shibata follows with a suplex to Jericho on the pucks, and then stomps his back. Shibata chops Jericho a few times, and then Jericho comes back with chops of his own.

Shibata and Jericho continue to exchange chops back-and-forth as we head into a mid-match commercial break as this wild title tilt continues. As we return, we see Shibata chop Jericho into the corner. Shibata backs away and charges, but Jericho throws a puck at him and takes him down.

Jericho applies the Walls of Jericho, but Shibata counters into a Figure Four. Jericho throws a puck and hits Shibata in the face with it, and then grabs a trash can, and two kendo sticks from under the ring. Jericho puts the trash can over Shibata’s head and hits it with the kendo stick repeatedly.

Shibata gets to his feet as Jericho continues to hit the trash can with the kendo stick. Shibata backs Jericho into the corner and delivers headbutts with the trash can still over his head. Shibata kicks Jericho down into the corner and follows with a dropkick into the trash can and Jericho.

Shibata goes for the cover, but Jericho kicks out. Shibata gives one of the kendo sticks to Jericho, and they sit down in the ring. They hit each other with the kendo sticks and Shibata takes advantage. Shibata slams Jericho onto the pucks and grabs a table from under the ring.

Shibata props the table in the corner and chops Jericho into it. Shibata backs away and charges, but Jericho counters with a Codebreaker for a two count. Jericho goes for the Judas Effect, but Shibata counters into a rear choke. Shibata delivers an overhand chop and sets the table up in the ring.

Big Bill rushes the ring and drops Shibata with a boot to the face. Bill chokeslams Shibata through the table and leaves the ring. Jericho crawls over and gets the pin fall. After the match, Big Bill tells Jericho that he told him he deserves to be in “The Learning Tree,” to which Jericho nods.

Winner and STILL FTW Champion: “The Learning Tree” Chris Jericho

Willow Nightingale Accepts Skye Blue’s Challenge For AEW Rampage

Backstage, we see Renee Paquette standing by with Willow Nightingale, Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway. Nightingale apologizes for losing her cool last week and accepts Skye Blue’s challenge for a TBS Women’s Championship match tonight on AEW Rampage.

As they continue talking, Stokely Hathaway talks negatively about The Young Bucks and Jack Perry attacking Tony Khan last week. They say because of that, there’s no one he can go to with his problems, and also isn’t happy they did it before pay day on Friday.

We hear a message from Paquette, who informs Stokely and Statlander that they are banned from ringside for Nightingale’s title defense against Skye Blue on Rampage. Stokely flips out as they walk off. On that note, we shift gears and head into another commercial break.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage

We return inside the Canadian Life Centre, where we hear the familiar sounds of Claudio Castagnoli’s theme music. As the Blackpool Combat Club star makes his way to the ring for our next match of the evening, a split-screen interview with him from earlier today airs.

The theme for his opponent hits and out comes “The Machine” Brian Cage. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Cage starts off well, but Castagnoli hits a back-breaker to slow down his momentum.

Announced for next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 is Adam Copeland vs. Brody King of The House of Black for the TNT Championship, as well as a grudge match between Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta.

Cage takes over after hitting his impressive power-up-and-over the ring post super-plex on Castagnoli. On that note, we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as the action continues. When we return, Cage delivers a thrust kick and follows with the Area Code Shot.

Cage delivers a discus lariat and goes for the cover, but Castagnoli kicks out. Castagnoli comes back with a springboard uppercut and follows with a series of uppercuts in the corner. They exchange kicks to the face, and then Castagnoli delivers another uppercut and follows with a thrust kick.

Castagnoli also delivers an Area Code Shot and follows with a discus lariat of his own for a two count. Cage comes back with a hard shot and gets a two count, but Castagnoli comes off the ropes and delivers a pop-up uppercut for a two count of his own.

Castagnoli delivers the Giant Swing with nine rotations, and then applies the Sharpshooter. Cage goes for the ropes, but Castagnoli pulls him back and Cage taps out. Castagnoli gets the win and we head to another commercial break.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb

He talks about his goal of capturing gold in AEW and then challenges Kyle O’Reilly for a match on tonight’s special live episode of AEW Rampage that follows Dynamite. Back inside the arena, the theme for Mariah May hits and out she comes accompanied by “Timeless” Toni Storm.

The theme for her opponent hits and out comes “The Professor” Serena Deeb. The bell sounds and we’re officially off-and-running with this one. Deeb starts off in the lead. She ties up May like a pretzel with her ass up in the air, unable to move. Deeb drop kicks her.

May starts to take over control of the action as we shift gears and head into a mid-match commercial break as this one continues. When we return, we see May almost get the win with Storm’s Hip Attack and her own May Day knee, but Deeb hangs on.

She locks May in a single leg Boston crab and Storm throws in the towel. With the win, Deeb is now the challenger for Storm’s AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW Double Or Nothing 2024.

Winner and NEW No. 1 Contender: Serena Deeb

Kenny Omega Makes His AEW Dynamite Return In Hometown Of Winnipeg

It’s main event (segment) time!

After a quick backstage interview where Renee Paquette asks if Adam Copeland is okay after seeming out of it following his match tonight. He talks about his TNT title match next week against Brody King and then Kyle O’Reilly comes in and sings Copeland’s praises.

Back inside the Canadian Life Centre, we get “The Dapper Yapper” Justin Roberts’ long, drawn out, dramatic ring introduction for “The Cleaner” Kenny Omega. Out he comes in a suit with sunglasses on getting a huge response from his home crowd in Winnipeg.

Omega settles in the ring and the fans chant “Welcome home! Welcome home!” He says they aren’t making this easy. He says he’s not good at this. He’s not good at talking about injuries, sickness and weakness. He talks about being diagnosed with diverticulitis.

He says the doctor told him he almost died. He says he was told he would have to get what is inside of him out of him. The doctor told him it could take six months, nine months, a year, or maybe the rest of your life. He says if he doesn’t, it’ll be like a ticking time bomb where any force to his stomach could kill him.

“The Cleaner” says since that day, he can’t lie, he had to stop watching. He had to stop watching because his hands would shake. His voice breaks as he says for the first time in his life he felt pathetic and like a coward. He says he felt like this whole thing was for him to come out and say he’s got to retire, but then he turned AEW on and finally watched again.

Kenny says he watched AEW Dynasty and saw Swerve become AEW Champion. He says he saw Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay have one of the best matches he’s ever seen in his life. He says he thought he felt normal again but then he noticed his hands shaking even worse. He says then he came out here tonight and he heard the fans chants and cheers.

He says he realized he was withdrawling. He says he needs to get back in this ring. He says already he’s been forgotten in the conversation for who is the best pro wrestler in the world. He says so he made a promise to himself. He’s gonna make the same promise to all of us. He says he’s not gonna stop until he exhausts every option. If there’s a 5% chance or even a 1% chance, he’s got to come back.

Omega then talks about two other punks. He brings up Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. He says they aren’t the only EVPs in AEW. They forgot he’s also an EVP of AEW. He says they can kick him out of The Elite, but they can’t kick him out of AEW. The theme for Kazuchika Okada hits and out comes “The Rainmaker” from The Elite.

As he heads to the ring, Dynamite wraps up and Excalibur tells us it’s time to transition to Rampage. Omega tells Okada they had a rivalry once. He says give him a few months and they’ll share the ring again. He asks him what he thinks. Okada says, “I’m sorry, Kenny … I’M the ‘Best Bout Machine’ now.” With that said, Jack Perry knocks out Omega with a cheap shot from behind.

He grabs a chair and Okada is taken out of the ring. He goes after Jack Perry and knees him in the gut over and over again as the commentators remind us any blunt-force trauma to his stomach could literally kill him. Omega tears his button-up shirt open and does the gun gesture to him. He hits the ropes but Okada trips him up from the floor and Perry blasts him in the gut with a steel chair.

The Young Bucks make their way out from the back looking confused. They enter the ring and tell Okada and Perry to relax. They act like the two went too far, but then Omega starts crawling up their bodies and puts himself in the EVP Trigger position.

Matthew and Nicholas drill him with the EVP Trigger and then FTR’s theme hits and out comes Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler to run them off. The Dynamite portion of tonight’s double-header wraps up on that note. Excalibur tells us to stay tuned for AEW Rampage, which starts live now. Thanks for joining us!