dynamiteThe January 25 episode was eventful, as is typical for AEW’s Wednesday night shows. But it’s almost impossible to focus on anything other than the video that aired after the opening match, and it’s all about the main event.

All of Jay Briscoe’s tribute video (Who Producer Zane Decker Deserves a lot of credit) Mark Briscoe’s bout with Jay Lethal was stuff that, as of Tuesday morning, we never thought we’d ever see on national TV. We got them because AEW and Ring of Honor’s Tony Khan “fought hard” for them.

it’s not that He and his team fought to honor the ROH legend on the biggest stage possible. it’s a Who is the fight. There are many unknowns about the state of AEW’s relationship with their media rights partners Warner Bros. Discovery. It seems unlikely dynamite And frenzy It will stop airing on TBS and TNT, but it’s not certain they’ll make it past the end of AEW’s current contract. It’s not even certain that Khan will be able to negotiate more money in his next deal, something the continued growth of his company depends on.

So there was a risk of pushing the WBD to do what many wrestling fans have done – forgive The Briscoes for their past hurtful words and actions. Jay repeatedly apologized for his homophobic tweets. The Dem Boys didn’t comment on their use of the Confederate flag in their clothing and marketing, but they also stopped using it once the entire world stopped pretending it was a symbol of “Southern pride” rather than acknowledging its actual hateful history. Everyone who has spoken of the Briscoes emphasized the way they treated everyone around them with love and respect.

But Jay and Mark didn’t ask the countless coworkers they loved to advocate on their behalf to get WBD to reverse their decision. They didn’t launch an apology tour, nor did they go to war with cancel culture. Instead, they shut up, listen, and let their behavior show who they are.

But it didn’t seem like it would matter. Even after the tragedy of Jay’s death, it seemed like the Die Boys would not be recognized on one of wrestling’s biggest stages. Until Tony Khan made sure of that.

There are so many things to criticize Tony Khan for, and things that make him so easy to mock. We’ve done it before, and I’m sure we’ll do it again.

But last night reminded us that pro wrestling is better for having him in it. It would have been easy for Khan not to rock the boat, claim his hands were tied, and direct us to a (also excellent) online-only ROH tribute to Jay Briscoe. Instead, he took a risk to ensure that an important figure in modern wrestling history and a good man were recognized on national television, and that his family, friends, and fans had to say goodbye—or “see you in the next life”—to someone we loved.

Thank you Tony Khan.

Like we said at the top, there were a lot of other things going on last night dynamite. Catch up on the highlights from below. We’ve put all of the YouTube videos AEW has released as of this morning into a playlist, and since they don’t release everything that way at the same time, we’ve got the Twitter clips of the other big moments and matches below.

• Thanks Jay Briscoe Tribute Video – Extended Cut
• Did or is Darby Allen retained the TNT ownership of House of Black
• A tribute to Jay Briscoe was performed by Mark Briscoe and Jay Lytall

For complete results and live blog for dynamite click here. To read a full recap and review of all of the night’s action, click here here.