AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage recap & reactions (Jan. 14, 2026): MJF gets the job done

Even though Maxwell Jacob Friedman didn’t deliver maximum carnage, he did take Bandido on the maximum ride. The Maximum Carnage special of Dynamite (Jan. 14, 2026) featured that AEW World Championship main event, Darby Allin getting his win over PAC, Hangman Page plotting on Samoa Joe, Thekla pinning Kris Statlander, and more from Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.

MJF world title bout

MJF backed up his talk by retaining the AEW World Championship over Bandido. MJF stuck to a game plan of working Bandido’s arm. It was a smart strategy. Bandido carried the excitement with flashy offense. He climbed the corner to dive over the barricade and land on MJF. That was definitely awesome.

Bandido went for the 21 Plex a few times. After an X Knee, he finally hit the finisher, however, the damage done to his arm prevented a tight grip on the bridge.

Instead, Bandido released the suplex and crawled for a slow cover. MJF swiftly countered into an armbar. The champ sensed Bandido close to the ropes, so he transitioned to the LeBell Lock. Bandido passed out in defeat.

MJF shockingly praised Bandido as a future world champion in AEW. As such, that’s why he had to attack Bandido after the match. This amusing wit was a way to hopefully set up Brody King as the next challenger on TV. That would be a fascinating matchup. The big man rumbled into the ring for the save.

Overall, this was a decent match. MJF played his role well, although, it wasn’t the most exciting performance on offense. I did enjoy his aptitude when taking control. He played a thinking man’s game. MJF’s bigger purpose was to be the foil for Bandido to get the crowd hot on comebacks. MJF was effective in that manner. The crowd was rocking with hope that Bandido would pull the upset. Bandido’s rallies were electric. Gritting through the pain was another layer to create a rooting interest. Bandido stepped up big in this opportunity to establish himself as a legit world title contender.

Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.

Darby Allin defeated PAC. Allin wanted this win to close the book on the Death Riders. PAC was comfortable to handle this business by himself, so the Death Riders split. Just remember that PAC is a liar. Allin started with a cheap shot suicide dive before the bell. The action carried through the fans for Allin to land a Coffin Drop from the upper deck. Maximum! The lighting needs to be better on this clip.

PAC gained control for a German suplex on the floor, then he executed a belly-to-belly suplex onto the steel steps. Carnage! Sound on for this one. I wince every time that I watch this clip.

The match was officially underway once PAC and Allin entered the ring. PAC dominated for the most part demonstrating great strength to toss Allin like a rag doll, such as an avalanche belly-to-belly suplex.

PAC also launched Allin out of the ring on a powerbomb over the ropes crashing on stage.

The story of the finish was soft, however, the action was hot. With PAC in firm control, he tweaked his ankle hopping down from the turnbuckles. Really?!? That’s what is going to cost PAC the match? Allin blitzed for a barrage of offense. He nailed a variety of Coffin Drops and corner splashes. PAC tried to slow down the train by pulling the referee in front for a collision. Ref down! That didn’t stop Allin. He slapped on the Scorpion Deathlock. PAC tapped quickly, but the ref was still out. Wheeler Yuta tried to interfere with a chair. Allin saw it coming and served a Scorpion Death Drop to the most hated man in AEW. Allin hit the same move on PAC, then he turned violent. Allin placed PAC’s ankle inside a chair and landed a Coffin Drop. PAC applied the Scorpion Deathlock. The referee was awake to call the win.

That match was a lot of fun. For a contest without blood, it lived up to Maximum Carnage. PAC was a badass, and Allin was an example of intestinal fortitude. The one thing I didn’t like is how PAC twisted his ankle in such a weak way. It makes Allin’s victory feel tainted. A win is a win, but a proud competitor wouldn’t feel the satisfaction of glory that way. Allin’s satisfaction came by ‘breaking’ PAC’s ankle, which fits in the larger story. I would like to see one more round between these two before the chapter closes, but the finish on PAC might be a way to write him off for a bit. Ignoring my issue with the ankle, Allin did earn a very strong win with a dominant close. That can position Allin to challenge for championships.

Hangman Page defeated Bryan Keith. Samoa Joe is focused on the trios title defense for Collision, so he put a bounty on Hangman to keep him out of Opps’ business. The Bounty Hunter wanted to collect that cash.

Hangman was laying in haymakers. Big Bill was on the outside for distractions and interference to help Keith make it competitive. The finish was pretty cool with an appearance from Swerve Strickland out of nowhere. Bill goozled Hangman, then Swerve popped in to choke the 7-footer with a chain. That freed up the cowboy to win via buckshot lariat.

For a showcase match, this was another fun one. Hangman was throwing bombs. Swerve’s presence was smooth. This action left me wanting to see Hangman versus Bill, Swerve versus Bill, or the tag team duel. The way the finish unfolded gives AEW directions to choose if they desire. Speaking of directions, Excalibur planted seeds for Hangman and Swerve to become a tag team. Both men want the world title right now, so it will be interesting to see how AEW would get those characters focused on tag team gold.

The scene didn’t end there, but pause for a moment. It was later revealed that Hangman and JetSpeed will challenge the Opps for the AEW World Trios Championship on Collision. Swerve praised Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight, then Hangman flat out told them to be his partners. It was a funny way to form this team.

Kenny Omega returns. After Hangman’s win, it was promo time. The cowboy vowed to take everything from Joe. Swerve is coming for MJF’s world title. Hangman is too. Enter Omega. That makes three world title challengers without something to prove. Omega and Hangman shared a moment expressing good luck when they’re paths collide. Swerve just eyed Omega up and down.

Exit Hangman and Swerve. Enter the Callis Family. Josh Alexander and Omega were game to fight, but Callis pushed it off until next week.

AEW is two months away from the Revolution PPV. This promo sets the field to find out who emerges when the dust settles. It’s a good way to chew up TV time. I like how the babyfaces still have respect for each other. There doesn’t appear to be any funny business looming between Omega, Hangman, and Swerve. This is only about competition to be the best. Plus, we get Omega versus Alexander. That matchup rocks. Splash in the personal edge of injuring Ibushi, and we have heat.

Brody King defeated Jon Cruz. This standby match was set up backstage. Cruz requested that Bandido keeps hands off him. King agreed, then said it was his turn to hurt Cruz. Out to the ring. King punched Cruz out of the air and finished with the Gonzo Bomb. Talk about maximizing minutes. Cruz quickly turned into a must-see comedic lackey. It was all about getting the opportunity on screen.

Too bad it looks like MJF fired Cruz.

Tornado Tag Team #1 Contender: Mark Davis & Jake Doyle defeated Young Bucks, JetSpeed, and Gates of Agony. The story was tentative teamwork. The bigs hossed power together, and the littles shined with high flying. The pace was frantic with so many highlights. Shout out to Toa Liona for a moonsault off the apron. Damn!

In another moment of madness, Liona was stacking bodies on his shoulders. Mike Bailey caught him off guard for an Ultima Weapon onto the pile. Knight landed a UFO splash on Liona. Kaun made the save to break the pin.

Down the stretch, the Young Bucks had victory in their grasp if not for the grubby hands of Ricochet. They nailed the BTE Trigger. Ric ran over from commentary to pull the referee out of the ring. Jack Perry ran in to run Ricochet off. The Callis Family seized the moment with beefcake moves. Doyle powerbombed Bailey over the ropes onto the pile outside. Davis finished Knight on a piledriver. Afterward, FTR stared down their contenders, and a fisticuffs broke out.

The action was nuts for the AEW style of excitement. Davis & Doyle is an interesting pick to win given the heel versus heel matchup looming with FTR. I don’t mind that one bit. Sometimes, it’s cool to see who is the baddest in the yard. The Young Bucks looked sharp, and they were protected in defeat by Ricochet’s interference. The luckiest man from that segment is Stokely Hathaway. I thought someone was going to come from behind for a Zack Ryder wheelchair moment pushing him off stage.

Triangle of Madness defeated Cosmic Babes of Wrath. The finish is the takeaway. Thekla had Willow Nightingale in her sights for the spider spear. Kris Statlander shoved her friend aside to take the bullet. Thekla added a curb stomp to pin the world champ. Enjoyable match with lots of teamwork movement. Thekla should move one step closer to a title shot against Statlander. It was also nice to see Statlander rebuild her friendship with Willow. This selfless act can restore trust.

Notes: The Rascalz are coming to AEW (from TNA). Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xaiver, and Myron Reed are ready to smoke.

SkyFlight team issued challenges. Zayda Steel wants to fight Marina Shafir. Top Flight and Scorpio Sky have their eye on the Callis Family, in particular the trio of El Clon, Josh Alexander, and Kyle Fletcher. I don’t see this ending well for SkyFlight.

Stud of the Show: Bandido

The luchador shined in this big opportunity.

Match of the Night: Four-way tag team bout

Non-stop highlight reel.

Grade: B

Rocking action in the ring. Nice mix of closing chapters on some stories and revving up the engine on other stories.

Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most? How much carnage is maximum carnage?