AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage Live Coverage 1/15 - AEW World Title On The Line, Kenny Omega Takes On Brian Cage

Welcome to Wrestling Inc.'s live coverage for "AEW Dynamite" Maximum Carnage on January 15, 2025, coming to you live from the Andrew J Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio!

Jon Moxley will be putting the AEW World Championship on the line for the first time since retaining in a Four-Way Match at AEW Worlds End on December 28, 2024 as he defends against Powerhouse Hobbs. Hobbs emerged victorious over several other competitors in a Number One Contenders Casino Gauntlet Match during last week's edition of "Dynamite", hitting a spinebuster on Kyle O'Reilly in the closing moments to secure his spot in tonight's match. Later that night, Hobbs came to the aid of Cope after he was attacked at the hands of Moxley and his Death Riders stablemates.

Kenny Omega will be competing on AEW programming for the first time since he emerged victorious over Ethan Page on the December 9, 2023 episode of "AEW Collision" as he goes one-on-one with Brian Cage. Omega and Cage came face-to-face last week when he and his fellow Don Callis Family stablemates Kyle Fletcher and Lance Archer blindsided him while he was speaking until longtime rival Will Ospreay provided him with a helping hand.

The inaugural Women's Casino Gauntlet Match will be held tonight, with the winner receiving a shot at Mariah May's AEW Women's World Championship at AEW Grand Slam: Australia on February 15. Kris Statlander will be the first entrant in the match, having defeated Willow Nightingale and Toni Storm in a Three-Way Match last week to maximize her chances of earning a pinfall or submission victory quicker while there are less entrants inside the ring.

HOOK looks to finally settle his issues with longtime rival Christian Cage when the two square off with each other. HOOK has been looking to exact his revenge on Cage and his Patriarchy stablemates after they took out HOOK's father Taz with an attack a number of weeks ago, leading to a handful of messages, physical, and verbal exchanges between the two parties.

Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP of The Hurt Syndicate will be colliding with AEW World Tag Team Champions Private Party and Mark Briscoe in a trios match. Lashley and Benjamin made it clear that they were coming for Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy's title last week before Lashley defeated Mark in singles competition and Private Party confronted The Hurt Syndicate following the match.

Additionally, Ricochet will be making an appearance on tonight's show after coming up short in the aforementioned Number One Contenders Casino Gauntlet Match last week.

We are live! Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and the returning Taz greet audiences at home as Brian Cage, Don Callis, and Lance Archer make their way out to the ring. Kenny Omega follows.

The bell rings and the two lock up. Omega connects with a back elbow on Cage, then follows it up with a kick to his face. Cage lands a back body drop on Omega, then fires off shoulders on his midsection in the corner and delivers a second back body drop to him. Omega hits a Frakensteiner on Cage, but Cage turns Omega inside out with a clothesline after Archer momentarily distracts him.

Cage whips Omega into one of the barricades on the outside, then sends his face bouncing off the ring apron and sends him crashing into the commentary desk face first. Cage distracts the referee as Archer and Callis both take shots at Omega.

Back from the break, Cage delivers a suplex to Omega off the bottom rope. They then brawl on the ramp, but Cage powerbombs Omega over the top and back into the ring. He follows it up with an F5 and goes for a pin, but Omega kicks out. Omega levels Cage and looks to land a moonsault on Cage, but Cage gets his knees up.

Cage sits Omega on the top rope, but Omega pulls Cage off and follows it up with a V-Trigger. He goes for a pin, but Cage kicks out. Omega sets up for a Snap Dragon suplex, but Cage escapes. Omega then lands two more V-Triggers and the One Winged Angel for the win.

Winner: Kenny Omega

After the match, Kyle Fletcher makes his way down to the ring and beats down Omega with Archer. Will Ospreay appears and sends Fletcher crashing out of the ring, then lands a Hidden Blade on Archer and hits a knee on Fletcher. He delivers a crossbody to Fletcher over the top, but Konosuke Takeshita gets into the ring and exchanges right hands with Omega. Fletcher looks to help Takeshita, but Ospreay slides back inside the ring to help Omega. Fletcher and Takeshita then both send Omega and Ospreay crashing into the mat.

Ricochet then makes his way down to the ring.

Fans make their frustrations with Ricochet known as Ricochet says a picture is worth a thousand words. Swerve Strickland's music then hits, and Prince Nana appears hitting Ricochet with a chair from behind. Strickland slowly makes his way down to the ring with a chain around his neck, and Ricochet retreats when Strickland looks to hit him with it.

The Hurt Syndicate then make their way out to the ring. Private Party and Mark Briscoe follow.

The Hurt Syndicate wastes no time going after Private Party and Mark. The bell rings and MVP goes after Mark in the corner, but Mark connects with a dropkick on him off the ropes and goes for a pin. MVP kicks out, then levels Mark with a boot before Bobby Lashley sends Mark crashing between one of the barricades and the ring apron. He then delivers a bodyslam to him onto the floor.

Back from the break, MVP connects with an elbow drop on Mark. Isaiah Kassidy and Shelton Benjamin tag in, and Kassidy levels Benjamin. Marq Quen tags in and delivers a double dropkick to an interfering MVP with Kassidy. The pair then land double dropkicks on Bnjamin and Lashley, then hold open the ropes for Mark to fly to level Lashley on the outside.

Quen sends Benjamin crashing into the mat face first, and Kassidy flies off Quen's spine to continue wearing down Benjamin in the corner. Benjamin delivers a German suplex to Kassidy, and Lashley follows it up with a spear. Benjamin then delivers a German suplex and a superkick to Quen for the win.

Winners: The Hurt Syndicate

Back from the break, Jeff Jarrett makes his way down to the ring.

Jarrett says the last few weeks have been humbling for him. MJF's music cuts off Jarrett, and he makes his way down to the ring.

MJF says he gave Jarrett the opportunity of a lifetime last week, but Jarrett cuts him off and says MJF came up with a scheme because he was too lazy to enter the Casino Gauntlet Match last week. MJF warns Jarrett against interrupting him and says he's a living legend while Jarrett is "the definition of a pro wrestling grim reaper". He takes a few shots at Jarrett's previous demons and his wife.

Jarrett says he knows the best years of his career are behind hi, but AEW fans woke up a passion in him he didn't know he still had when he entered the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament last year. He says he's done everything MJF can say or do and did it better than him, then says there are days where he feels sorry for MJF. He takes shots at MJF's parents and says he's scared that his best years are behind him and being a one hit wonder.

MJF says he's nothing like Jarrett and says he made himself unlike Jarrett. He says he got screwed out of the AEW World Championship and his legacy, then says the same people who put him on a pedestal took it out from under him and treated him like he was nothing. He then brings up Jarrett's friendship with Owen Hart, prompting Jarrett to rain down right hands on MJF. Officials run down to the ring to try and pull Jarrett off MJF, but are unsuccessful until Karen Jarrett runs down to the ring to pull Jarrett away.

Christian Cage and Mother Wayne then make their way down to the ring. HOOK blindsides him from behind and fires off right hands on him, then sends his face bouncing off the ring apron face first. Cage looks to retreat to the back, but HOOK pulls him back into the ringside area. HOOK dumps Cage back into the ring, and Cage looks to hug HOOK. HOOK sees right through the ruse and continues beating down Cage.

Back from the break, Cage rains down right hands on HOOK in the corner. HOOK dumps Cage out of the ring and lands a right hand on him off the ring apron, then looks to stomp on his hand. Cage sees him coming and trips him to send him crashing into the ring steps, then delivers a pair of splashes to him off the top as Kip Sabian joins Mother Wayne at ringside.

Cage sends HOOK crashing into the ring post shoulder first as Katsuyori Shibata appears to provide HOOK with back-up. Cage takes down Shibata, but HOOK locks in Redrum on Cage. Sabian and Nick Wayne then slide into the ring to break the hold, causing the disqualification.

Winner: HOOK (via disqualification)

After the match, The Patriarchy continue to beat down HOOK. Taz gets in their faces from the commentary desk, but Samoa Joe's music hits and he makes his way down to the ring to make his return to AEW! Joe takes down The Patriarchy, then stands tall alongside HOOK and Shibata.

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