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AEW Dynamite Results (9/30/26): Bryan Danielson Returns to the Ring in a Beautiful Tribute Episode for Pac

Full results and highlights on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite featuring a show in tribute of Pac, who passed away this past weekend
Zack Heydorn|
PAC
PAC | Lee South - All Elite Wrestling

This week's Pac tribute edition of AEW Dynamite started off with a wonderful opening monologue from Excalibur. Excalibur sat alone at the desk and talked about Pac. He talked about his career in the wrestling ring, but also about him as a person, friend, and husband.

Instead of grading the segments as we typically do, thoughts are better this week, given the circumstances of the show.

Thoughts:

  • An incredibly touching monologue by Excalibur. He was emotional, but very able to articulate Pac as a person and a wrestler.

AEW airs final on-camera appearance of Pac

Tony Schiavone stood in the ring and welcomed everyone to the show. He also talked about Pac and said that the AEW family was still mourning. Schiavone then queued up a promo from Jon Moxley after his main event match at All Out. It was the final on-camera appearance by Pac in AEW.

PAC
PAC | Ricky Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

Moxley spoke about his battle with Will Ospreay. He admitted to coming up short and said that Ospreay was the better man. Moxley talked about wanting to be remembered the right way when he was gone and that all the loss meant was that there was more work to be done. Moxley said that he still didn't believe enough people in AEW recognized the gift they had and he wanted Ospreay to keep fighting for it.

After the video, Schiavone stood in the ring and led a ten-bell salute. The AEW roster was on the stage for it. Afterward, Jon Moxley made his entrance in the audience and right past Pac's signature entrance chair. After Moxley got to the ring, Orange Cassidy came out and their match began.

Thoughts:

  • A wonderful promo from Jon Moxley. Eerie, given the circumstances of the night, but absolutely wonderful. As expected, AEW has struck the perfect tone for this tribute show right out of the gate.

Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to retain his AEW Continental Championship in the opening contest of the show. The match was hard-hitting and featured Moxley incorporating some of the typical Cassidy spots into the match.

Moxley won with a Death Rider in the center of the ring. Prior to that, both he and Cassidy tried to get Pac's submission hold on the other. Neither could get it and Moxley's counter led to the finish.

After the match, Bryan Danielson walked out to the ring. It was clear he had been crying and he stood in the middle and faced Moxley.

The crowd chanted for them to hug and they did. When they did, the audience erupted.

Thoughts:

  • The exact match you'd expect from Moxley and Cassidy. These two always have good chemistry together and this wasn't any different.
  • Danielson and Moxley hugging was beautiful. It also felt like it could have been the very end of a long Death Rider story that likely would have involved Pac to a major degree.

Prior to his match, Adam Page spoke to the camera about Pac. He said he missed him and that he respected him. Page said that he got to tell Pac that. Page cried and then the entrances for the match took place.

The Elite defeated The Don Callis Family in a super eight-man tag team match. The match was a perfect representation of big AEW tag matches. All action and big spots. Kenny Omega won the match for his team with a One Winged Angel.

After the match, tribute videos from Cash Wheeler and Jay White aired. Then, Renee Paquette stood ringside and read a statement from Pac's wife, mother, and father.

Thoughts:

  • AEW was founded on matches like this one. Pac would have fit perfectly into it.
  • Wheeler and White said some beautiful words about Pac. Same with the statement from Pac's family. Just heartbreaking, but also loving.

Swerve Strickland made his entrance and stood on the entrance ramp. The New Level followed and the three of them walked to the ring next to Prince Nana. In the ring, they held up their trios gold and then laid it on the mat in front of a Pac memorial in the ring. Creed then put a Pac towel over them and the audience cheered.

As this happened, Tony Schiavone and the announce team talked about Pac's history as a trios champion in AEW. Pac held those titles with Death Triangle and had a classic series of matches against The Elite.

Will Ospreay beats Ricochet with Pac's Black Arrow

A Pac tribute video from Ricochet aired. He told a story about them living together in Japan when they worked for Dragongate.

Ricochet then made his entrance to the ring with The Demand. He was followed by the AEW Men's World Champion, Will Ospreay.

Will Ospreay defeated Ricochet in a singles match. Ospreay and Ricochet traded their patented high-flying and tumbling offense throughout the match, but ramped up considerably with countering reverse hurricanrana's near the end. Ospreay won the match with Pac's signature Black Arrow. After the match, a tribute to Pac video aired from Ospreay.

Marina Shafir, Thunder Rosa, and Hyan defeated Mercedes Mone, Persephone, and Britt Baker. Shafir won the match for her team and used Pac's Brutalizer submission to do it. After the match, Shafir embraced Jon Moxley, who was ringside.

After the match, a Pac tribute video from Darby Allin aired. Allin talked about some of their crazy in-ring moments.

Thoughts:

  • Shafir looked like she was trying to prove a point out there. She was fully invested in the match and then broke down afterward. Heart-wrenching, but emotional.

The Don Callis Family walked out for the main event ten-man tag and were followed by all of the Death Riders. Jon Moxley sat down at the commentary desk and the announcers were confused because they thought he was in the match. Moxley said it was live TV and that anything could happen. Bryan Danielson then made his way to the ring and joined Team Death Riders. The fight between the two teams started right after.

The Death Riders defeated The Don Callis Family. It was a wild match that saw Bryan Danielson take some bumps and dish out a lot of offense.

After the match, the Death Riders celebrated and hugged in the ring. Then a Pac tribute video aired, showing highlights of his career. When the video ended, the shot cut back to the arena where the Death Riders stood over Pac's chair.

AEW Dynamite Results

  • Jon Moxley defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the AEW Continental Championship
  • The Elite defeated The Don Callis Family in an eight-man tag team match
  • Will Ospreay defeated Ricochet
  • Marina Shafir, Hyan, and Thunder Rosa defeated Mercedes Mone, Britt Baker, and Persephone
  • The Death Riders defeated The Don Callis Family
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Published
Zack Heydorn
ZACK HEYDORN

Zack Heydorn has been covering the pro wrestling industry for a decade and writes news, features, and interviews for The Takedown On SI. He also hosts and cohosts a variety of WWE and AEW shows on YouTube. Heydorn is a former Assistant Editor of PWTorch and Managing Editor of SEScoops. Zack is also the author of the Hybrid Shoot book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin, which is available on Amazon. You can follow Zack on X and Bluesky.

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