AEW Dynamite delivered a packed, storyline-driven night in Houston’s Bayou Music Center on Wednesday — one that did more than set the table for Blood & Guts and Full Gear on November 12 and November 22. Tony Khan’s surprise blockbuster (a brand-new AEW National Championship to be decided in a Casino Gauntlet at Full Gear) provided the show’s biggest news, while in-ring action produced genuine momentum shifts: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron (the “Babes of Wrath”) shocked Mercedes Moné & Athena, Claudio Castagnoli toppled Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin beat Daniel Garcia, and The Opps kept their trios standing in a brutal main event. 

Quick results — the night in one glance

• AEW National Championship announced — inaugural champion to be crowned in a Casino Gauntlet at Full Gear (Nov. 22); early entrants announced.  
• Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) def. Mercedes Moné & Athena — quarterfinal, AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament (major upset).  
• Claudio Castagnoli def. Orange Cassidy — Men’s Blood & Guts Advantage Battle.  
• Darby Allin def. Daniel Garcia — Men’s Blood & Guts Advantage Battle.  
• Megan Bayne def. Mina Shirakawa — Women’s Blood & Guts Advantage Battle (Bayne earns early edge).  
• The Opps (Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs & Katsuyori Shibata) def. Hangman Adam Page, HOOK & Eddie Kingston — violent trios main event; The Opps remained dominant.  

The big story: AEW creates the National Championship — Casino Gauntlet set for Full Gear

Before the bell, Tony Khan and AEW’s broadcast team dropped a major strategic move: the promotion will resurrect a “National” lineage with a modern AEW National Championship. The inaugural title will be decided in a Casino Gauntlet at Full Gear (Nov. 22) — a format designed for unpredictability and spectacle. AEW immediately announced the first confirmed entrants — established names including Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and Ricochet — giving the match instant star power and signaling AEW intends this belt to travel (Khan called out defenses across AEW/ROH/NJPW Strong). That announcement reframes Full Gear and injects a fresh, TV-friendly title into AEW’s landscape. 

Why it mattered on Wednesday: the reveal stole the show’s narrative oxygen and put a neat exclamation point under AEW’s November booking: Full Gear will now carry not only the AEW World and Women’s World title matches but also a high-profile gauntlet with immediate crossover appeal. 

Match-by-match: what happened, why it mattered

Babes of Wrath shock the favorites — tag tournament chaos

Mercedes Moné (TBS Champion) and Athena (ROH Women’s World Champion) were presented as the tournament favorites. Instead, Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron pulled off a convincing upset — aided by ringside chaos that included Billie Starkz and a timely run-in from Kris Statlander to neutralize interference. The Babes of Wrath’s win not only propels them into the next round, it underlines AEW’s willingness to protect TV momentum for rising teams and keep the tag bracket unpredictable. This result immediately reshuffles the women’s tag picture and gives Nightingale/Cameron a huge credibility stamp. 

Claudio Castagnoli over Orange Cassidy — heavyweight credibility

Claudio’s win over Orange Cassidy in a hard-hitting, methodical contest gives The Death Riders momentum going into Blood & Guts. The match leaned on Claudio’s power and technical chops versus Cassidy’s timing and offense; the Swiss veteran closed the match and left a clear impression of threat. This is the kind of result that protects Cassidy’s stock while making Claudio feel like a legitimate engine for The Death Riders’ Blood & Guts plans. 

Darby Allin beats Daniel Garcia — speed, stakes, and vendettas

Darby’s victory over Daniel Garcia continues his run as a figure who thrives in high-pressure, high-visibility matches. The win ties into the broader Death Riders/Allin arcs surrounding Blood & Guts and ensures Darby remains a credible offensive piece for his side when the cage match arrives. It also forces the Death Riders to respond, keeping the feud simmering. 

Megan Bayne takes the early women’s advantage

With Queen Aminata medically scratched, Mina Shirakawa subbed in — and Megan Bayne capitalized, hitting a running Liger Bomb for the win and an early lead for her team in the Women’s Blood & Guts advantage series. That win matters: Blood & Guts advantage points determine narrative leverage in next week’s first-ever women’s Blood & Guts. Bayne now carries the momentum and the onus of being an aggressor for her side. 

The Opps brutalize the babyfaces — trios gold stays put

In the main event, The Opps (Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata) physically dominated Hangman Page, HOOK and Eddie Kingston, delivering chaotic violence that saw Hobbs throw Page through a stage and the champions leave standing. The Opps’ win preserved the trio belts and kept Samoa Joe’s menacing climb intact — an important seed for Hangman’s world-title program with Joe and a reminder that The Opps are an active, dangerous holding group. 

What this Dynamite means for Blood & Guts and Full Gear

• Blood & Guts (Nov. 12) drama just got bumped up a notch. The advantage series is now competitive on both sides; the Death Riders and Conglomeration will approach the cage with real, tangible story consequences. Results from Dynamite force booking permutations for Collision and next week’s Dynamite.  
• Full Gear (Nov. 22) now has a fresh, must-see centerpiece with the Casino Gauntlet for the AEW National Championship — a match that will bring veterans and high-flyers together in a format that encourages surprise entrants and memorable moments. Early confirmations (Lashley, Shelton, Ricochet) suggest AEW wants the belt to launch with big names but be available for new stars to elevate themselves.  

Analysis: smart booking or title glut?

AEW’s announcement of the National Championship during a live Dynamite episode is smart from a marketing and spectacle perspective — the timing ensured maximum social buzz and positioned Full Gear as an event with multiple big debuts. Adding the belt via a Casino Gauntlet creates a memorable crown moment rather than slowly introducing yet another strap on TV. That said, AEW must still manage title differentiation: multiple meaningful belts work when each has a distinct identity and a guaranteed defense schedule. If the National Title becomes a consistently defended TV workhorse or a cross-promotional widget (AEW ↔ ROH ↔ NJPW Strong), it can avoid “belt bloat” and instead function as a launchpad for midcard-to-main-event ascension. Early signposting (traveling defenses + big-name first entrants) suggests AEW is trying to do that. 

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