Hall’s AEW Dynamite Review 2.11.26

AEW Dynamite
Date: February 11, 2026
Location: Toyota Arena, Ontario, California
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time to get ready to head down to Australia for Grand Slam later this weekend, and that should make for an interesting show. This week is quite the warmup as we have a pair of title matches, with both the TNT and Women’s Titles on the line. Other than that, we have more build towards Revolution, so let’s get to it.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and brings out Kenny Omega and Swerve Strickland for a chat. Strickland says Omega was on top of his game five years ago, and everyone wanted to face him, including Strickland himself. It took him two years to get to the top of AEW, but then Omega was nowhere to be found. Omega was either in a hospital bed or suspended, and in his absence, AEW needed someone else to step up into that role.

Then everyone was shouting SWERVE’S HOUSE, but now Omega wants back in this spot. It sounds like he’s using his EVP powers, and Strickland is ready to knock another one of them down. Omega said the people called him the god of professional wrestling, and that’s in the eye of the beholder, but he takes that as a personal responsibility. Now the fans want Omega back, so while it may be Swerve’s house, there might not be any lights on in the house.

Omega knows someone who can burn down a house, and he’s ready to face Swerve if that’s where this is going. Swerve offers to put Omega back in the hospital bed, so Omega slaps him, which Swerve says is Omega making a choice. The fight is on, and they go up to the stage, with Swerve escaping the One Winged Angel and spearing him down through a table. This was two big names having a clear issue and arguing about it to set up a top-level match. That’s always going to work.

We run down the card.

Kyle Fletcher is ready to regain the TNT Title, and Don Callis can sit back and watch. This is different than anything else he does, how?

Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family

Davis powers Pac down to start a few times before it’s off to Moxley. That goes a bit better as Davis is driven into the corner for some chops, followed by Castagnoli for the uppercuts. Davis fires off some chops of his own, and a running shoulder actually puts Castagnoli down. Back up, and Castagnoli grabs a big suplex before Takeshita comes in and goes right after (the illegal) Moxley.

Everything breaks down,n and the fight heads to the floor, leaving Castagnoli to tilt-a-whirl backbreaker Takeshita back inside. Pac gets pulled down onto the apron, though, and the Riders are in trouble as we take an early break. We come back with Pac hiptossing his way out of a neck crank and handing it off to Castagnoli. That means the running uppercuts in the corner until Davis hits a hard running clothesline.

Takeshita and Moxley come back in for an exchange of failed finisher attempts, and Takeshita is taken into the corner. The Riders fire off some running uppercuts,s but the Family is back in to roll German suplexes on Moxley. Back in, and the Riders clear out most of the Family, leaving Moxley to choke Alexander. The Death Rider finishes Alexander at 15:06.

Rating: B+. This was a fast-paced, hard-hitting match, and it was a heck of an opening match. The match was a way to help set up the Takeshita vs. Moxley showdown, and that’s the real main event of the whole thing. At the same time, Alexander is just the jobber to the stars of the team, and that’s all he was pretty much ever going to be.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Fletcher is challenging,g and Don Callis is on commentary. Fletcher backs out to the floor to start before coming back in (as invited by Ciampa) for a running shoulder. A boot to the face drops Ciampa again, but he snaps off a DDT for a knockdown of his own. Back u,p and Fletcher hits a quick full nelson slam, so Ciampa gives him a jumping clothesline. The running knee sends Fletcher outside for a ram into the barricade, and yes,s Ciampa will applaud himself. Fletcher snaps off a half-and-half suplex on the floor, though, and we take a break.

We come back with Fletcher missing a running knee in the corner, but avoiding a running knee into the steps. Ciampa’s knee is fine enough to hold Fletcher up for an Air Raid Crash onto the steps, followed by a running knee for two back inside. A reverse DDT gets the same, and Ciampa takes him up top, where Fletcher reverses into a spinning belly to back superplex.

The sitout Last Ride gives Fletcher two, and he powerbombs Ciampa onto the apron. Fletcher’s brainbuster gets tw,o and both of them look stunned on the kickout. Ciampa is able to get in a superplex of his own, and a running knee gets two more. Fletcher spits at him and manages a lawn dart into the corner. Ciampa is right back with a running knee into a brainbuster for tw,o but Fletcher blasts him with a clothesline. The brainbuster gives Fletcher the title back at 16:34.

Rating: A-. Yep, that worked, as they just beat the daylights out of each other, and it was even better than expected. While I could have gone with Ciampa holding the title longer, this was about getting the belt on Fletcher before he goes back home to Australia. Either way, awesome match here with both guys looking outstanding.

Post-match, Fletcher is proud of his title win, and he’s ready for his hero’s welcome in Australia. He’ll even defend the title against anyone, so here is Mark Briscoe to interrupt. He’s proud of Fletcher for winning again,n but brings up that they’re 3-3, so he’s willing to give Fletcher home field advantage. Fletcher is sick of Briscoe but wants it to be bigger than ever, so we’ll make it a ladder match. Deal. Of course it is.

Video on the Babes Of Wrath defending the Women’s Tag Team Titles against Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne on Saturday.

Daniel Garcia/Clark Connors vs. Roderick Strong/Orange Cassidy

Strong whips Connors into the corner to start fast and hits the big dropkick. Connors knocks him down into the corner and hammers away, allowing Strong to come in and fire off the chops. Cassidy comes in with the Stundog Millionaire, but the tornado DDT is countered into a sleeper from Garcia. That’s broken up, and we take a break, coming back with Cassidy escaping a full nelson.

Strong walks out on a tag attempt, though,h and that means Cassidy gets double stomped down in the corner with no one around to help. Connor hits a spear on the apron but misses a charge into the barricade. Cue a man in the crowd (clearly Darby Allin) to take out Connors, leaving Cassidy to small package Garcia for the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C+. Now this was a better use of Allin, as he’s someone who can sneak up on people and take them out rather than getting beaten up every week. Cassidy and Allin as a potential team is….I guess intriguing? It’s either amazing or not so good, and I’m not sure which. Strong walking out on Cassidy makes sense,e and hopefully it lets him go off and do his own thing.

Post-match, Toni Storm pops up on the platform to say that if Marina Shafir can knock her out, she can shave her head bald, but Storm will be the most beautiful bald woman in the world. On the other hand, though, Storm plans to shave her so bald that they’ll sell Shafir’s head at Spirit Halloween. Cue Wheeler Yuta, who says, “bring her out”. Cue Shafir, holding Mina Shirakawa in Mother’s Milk and cutting off some of her hair. Ok, that was a nice touch.

Last week, Don Callis (yes again) praised Andrade El Idolo for his win, with Andrade threatening Hangman Page.

Page wanted to face Kenny Omega again and threatens Andrade’s….pants?

Jet Speed is looking for challengers to the Trios Title,s but want singles titles. Why are these two part of the Trios Champions? It feels like they’re rarely even around Page.

Young Bucks vs. Rascalz vs. ???

For a future Tag Team Title shot, and the wild card team is…the returning Private Party, for their first AEW match in over a year. Quen headlocks Xavier to start,t and the Rascalz are quickly cleared out. That leaves the Bucks to take out Private Party and then drop the Rascalz as well.

Reed is back in with a big dive to the floor, followed by another one from Kassidy. Xavier’s shooting star takes out the pile at ringside, and we take a break. We come back with the Bucks cleaning house again, including a bulldog/running clothesline to Private Party. A stereo top rope elbow and 450 get two on Private Party as Hook is watching.

Silly String (not named) drops Xavier, and a bunch of superkicks leave everyone down. The Bucks fire off superkicks,s and Reed’s big diving cutter over the top (that always looks great) takes out Private Party on the floor. We mix it up a bit with the Bucks firing off even more superkicks until the TK Driver finishes Reed to give the Bucks the win at 13:17.

Rating: B. The result isn’t a big surprise, as Reed was debuting and therefore he had to lose the match. I guess I’ll take that over Private Party returning and losing the fall, but what matters the most here is that it was another fast-paced match. At the same time, it sets up the Bucks vs. FTR 97 or so, because I guess Australia needs to see it as well.

Post-match, FTR comes out for the staredown. Dax Harwood says they’re both great teams,s but FTR are ahead. The Bucks needed to make their own company to become the top stars and….superkicks drop FTR. The Bucks scare Stokely Hathaway before leaving him alone.

Video on Will Ospreay.

Video on MJF vs. Brody King for the World Title on Saturday.

Women’s Title: Kris Statlander vs. Thekla

Statlander is defending in a strap match. They pull on each other to start, and Statlander drops her with a clothesline. Statlander knocks her to the floor,r but Thekla WHIPS HER IN THE FACE with the strap. That’s a violent enough one, so Statlander is back with a big boot. Thekla pulls her into the steps and flips her off, which is enough to bust Statlander open.

We take a break (the match started after 10 pm EST) and come back with Thekla grabbing the upside-down leg choke in the ropes. Thekla does her spider pose, which allows Statlander to pull her into a superkick. Statlander goes up top and gets pulled down with a Spider superplex. A discus lariat drops Thekla again, and Statlander (bleeding quite a bit now) unloads with the whip. Statlander hits a Tombstone,e but here are the Sisters of Sin for a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit the spear. A Stomp gives Thekla the pin and the title at 14:03.

Rating: B-. It was violent, but the ending was kind of flat, with the villains coming in and Thekla just getting the win. At the same time, it’s the result that should have happened in their first title match. Thekla is on a roll right now,w and it makes more sense for her to win the title, though I’m not sure why they needed the delay. Either way, the end result is the right one.

Post-match, the beatdown is on, but the Brawling Birds make the save (commentary does make it clear that the Babes Of Wrath are already in Australia) to end the show.

 

Results
Death Riders b. Don Callis Family – Death Rider to Alexander
Kyle Fletcher b. Tommaso Ciampa – Brainbuster
Roderick Strong/Orange Cassidy b. Daniel Garcia/Clark Connors – Small package to Garcia
Young Bucks b. Rascalz and Private Party – TK Driver to Reed
Thekla b. Kris Statlander – Stomp

 

 

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9.0

The final score: review Amazing

The 411

Those opening matches are more than enough to carry the show and anything else on the night was just going to be gravy. While I’m not wild on having Ciampa be a really short transitional champion, it’s going well if that’s the low point of the show. Other than that, you had the big title change at the end and the show was quite a hit. Heck of a show here and I’d be rather pleased if AEW can keep this up.