Jon Moxley opened AEW Dynamite’s tribute to Pac with a successful defense of the Continental Championship against Orange Cassidy, but the night’s most affecting image came after the bell. Following his win, Moxley remained in the ring as Bryan Danielson made an emotional entrance, leading to a tearful embrace between the two longtime allies.
The opening match was presented in a notably somber atmosphere. Before Moxley came to the ring, Dynamite held a ten-bell salute. A chair and towel were placed as part of the presentation in recognition of Pac, establishing the tone for a show built around tribute and reflection.
Moxley entered for the championship defense carrying the weight of the moment, while Cassidy was visibly emotional both during his entrance and once the match began. Referee Bryce Remsburg also appeared affected by the occasion. Despite that mood, Moxley and Cassidy still delivered a competitive title match that referenced both their own history and Pac’s connections to each man.
Moxley and Cassidy Begin With a Technical Battle
The Continental Championship contest did not immediately become the kind of brawl typically associated with Moxley. Instead, Moxley and Cassidy began with chain wrestling, working through holds and counters while looking for an advantage on the mat. Moxley generally had the upper hand during those exchanges, forcing Cassidy to fight from underneath early in the bout.
For more background on this topic, read Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet Set to Headline AEW Dynamite PAC Tribute Show.
That measured opening eventually gave way to a more forceful attack from the champion. Moxley caught Cassidy and set up for a piledriver, pausing before delivering the move as the crowd reacted. The moment allowed Moxley to absorb the audience response before he drove Cassidy down.
Moxley continued pressing the issue outside the ring, sending Cassidy into the announcers’ desk. When he returned Cassidy to the ring, however, Cassidy rolled back to the floor rather than remaining in position for the champion. The spot served as a clear callback to Cassidy’s long-running on-screen history with Pac, adding another layer to a match already filled with emotion.
Moxley appeared ready to pursue Cassidy, but the challenger turned the situation around. Cassidy landed a tope, then followed it with a DDT after bringing the action back inside the ring. That sequence produced the first significant near-fall of the match and gave Cassidy an opening against a champion who had controlled much of the early action.
Pac References Shape the Championship Match
As the contest continued, Cassidy introduced one of the most familiar elements of his style: the deliberately slow kicks that often invite an opponent either to dismiss him or become increasingly frustrated. Moxley engaged with the moment rather than simply overpowering Cassidy. He began throwing slow kicks of his own and teased putting his hands into his pockets, only to flip Cassidy off instead.
The exchange was a brief moment of defiance and personality in a match otherwise framed by grief and tribute. It also showed the unusual chemistry between Moxley and Cassidy. Cassidy’s relaxed, understated manner has often served as a contrast to Moxley’s volatile intensity, but here Moxley was willing to meet him in the same space before returning to the fight.
The two men also traded attempts at the Brutalizer, the submission hold closely associated with Pac. Neither man was able to secure a decisive finish through the hold, but the exchange maintained the thread running throughout the match: a Continental Championship defense built around the influence and memory of Pac.
In the end, Moxley found the opening he needed by drawing on another part of Pac’s in-ring identity. He ran the ropes in a manner associated with Pac before dropping Cassidy with a stomp. Moxley then hit the Death Rider and covered Cassidy for the pinfall victory.
Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the AEW Continental Championship.
The win kept the Continental Championship with Moxley, who survived a resilient performance from Cassidy in a bout that was as much about the night’s atmosphere as it was about the title itself. Cassidy had moments of momentum, particularly after the tope and DDT, but Moxley’s experience and ability to capitalize on a narrow opening once again proved decisive.
Bryan Danielson Joins Moxley After the Bell
Rather than immediately leaving after his title defense, Moxley stayed in the ring. The arena then heard Bryan Danielson’s music, prompting an emotional reaction from Moxley before Danielson came down the entranceway.
Danielson entered the ring and embraced Moxley at center ring. Both men were visibly in tears as they held one another, with the crowd responding in support. Fans chanted, “He’s our b******,” as the moment came to a close.
“He’s our b******.”
The scene did not require a lengthy speech to make its point. Moxley and Danielson’s embrace provided the emotional conclusion to the opening portion of Dynamite, bringing together two wrestlers whose relationship has been a major part of AEW’s modern history.
Danielson and Moxley have stood beside one another in some of the promotion’s most significant moments, including their time connected through the Blackpool Combat Club. Their on-screen partnership has at times involved disagreement, violence, and shifting priorities, but the post-match scene set all of that aside. In a night devoted to Pac, the focus was on shared feeling rather than rivalry or future business.
The tribute elements threaded through the title match and the post-match segment gave the opening of Dynamite a distinct identity. The ten-bell salute, the chair and towel, Cassidy’s roll out of the ring, the Brutalizer attempts, and Moxley’s rope-running sequence all contributed to a presentation that made Pac’s presence felt without changing the central result: Moxley remains Continental Champion.
A Meaningful Start to Dynamite
Moxley’s title reign continued, but the Continental Championship result was only one part of what made the opener memorable. Cassidy brought an emotional, determined challenge to the ring, and Moxley matched that intensity while incorporating multiple acknowledgements of Pac throughout the match.
The champion’s approach was especially fitting for the occasion. Moxley is often at his strongest when a match becomes raw and unpredictable, and while this bout contained physicality, it was not merely a straightforward fight. The pauses, callbacks, submission attempts, and shifts in tone allowed both wrestlers to communicate the significance of the night.
For Cassidy, the match gave him an opportunity to show vulnerability without abandoning the traits that make him distinctive. His slow kicks and unconventional rhythm remained present, but they existed within a much heavier emotional context. His offense after being thrown outside, including the tope and DDT, showed that he was not simply participating in a tribute; he was attempting to take the Continental Championship from Moxley.
Moxley ultimately denied him, ending the challenge with a stomp and the Death Rider. Yet the visual that will likely endure from the segment is not the pinfall. It is Danielson arriving after the match, Moxley waiting in the ring, and the two embracing as the crowd voiced its support.
AEW Dynamite’s tribute to Pac began with a championship match shaped by remembrance and concluded with a deeply personal reunion between Moxley and Danielson. Moxley left the opening segment still holding the Continental Championship, while the show’s first major moment made clear that the night’s emotions extended far beyond the title at stake.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.