|Prologue|

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Christian Cage vs. Jungle Boy - AEW World Championship Eliminator Opening Round Match

Finally set to kick-off this prestigious tournament, and for the third year in a row, many of AEW's finest would be given a massive opportunity, but it simply wasn't about the reward for these two individuals. Since costing Jurassic Express their tag titles back in September, both competitors have been able to steer clear from one another, but not for much longer. In just mere moments, Christian Cage would begin to make his way out from behind the curtain, as he's almost immediately greeted with an ovation of boos, which simply doesn't bother him. A smirk proceeds to appear upon Christian's face, before he continues his descent down the entrance ramp, and then into the ring, where he stands into the center of it and begins to motion for his opposition to meet him where he stands. In just a matter of seconds, his wish would end up being granted, as Jungle Boy stepped out from the back, where his usual positive energy seems to have faded, which can't be a huge surprise due to the circumstances. Staring directly into the eyes of his former friend, he proceeds to make his way towards the ring.

Upon reaching the ringside area, he still refuses to take his eyes off of Christian, as he decides to enter the ring, practically butting heads with his adversary! After several moments had passed, the official in charge of this contest, decided to prompt both individuals to their respective corners, where the opening bell would officially ring. With that said, both competitors proceeded to meet in the center of the ring, where without the slightest bit of hesitation, they would begin to engage in a lock-up. Hoping to gain the early advantage in this contest, both of them attempt to tighten their grips on one another, but the veteran, in the form of Christian, is able to successfully lock in a headlock! Proceeding to squeeze Jungle Boy's skull in between his arms, the latter seems to have no other option, but to push his opponent back to the nearest set of ropes, which he's somehow able to do. Upon reaching his destination, he decides to push Christian off of them, and to the other side of the ring, but as he rebounds off of the set of ropes, HE SLAMS INTO HIS OPPONENT WITH A SHOULDER BLOCK!

Following this, Christian would begin to dust off his shoulders, as he smirks directly towards his fallen opposition, which only brings out a cold stare from Jungle Boy. As Christian looks to return to the opposite set of ropes, the 24 year old manages to stop him in his tracks, as he's able to LAND A LARIAT UPON HIS OPPOSITION, WHICH SENDS HIM INTO A STATE OF SHOCK! Still leaned up against the ropes, Christian attempts to compose himself, but instead he's led back to the center of the ring, where Jungle Boy repositions himself to Christian's backside, where he looks to hoist him up, but to no avail. Able to successfully fight out of it, the veteran lands numerous elbow strikes to his adversary's jaw, which gives the less experienced individual no other choice, but to let go of his grip almost immediately. With noone able to gain the advantage in this one, both individuals once again returned to a slower pace in this contest, but that wouldn't last very long, as when Christian tried to throw his opponent out of the ring, Jungle Boy would successfully counter it, sending the former out instead.

Finally in the ring alone, he slowly positions himself to the nearest set of ropes, where he ATTEMPTS TO LAUNCH HIMSELF OVER THE TOP ROPE, BUT CHRISTIAN MANAGES TO CATCH HIM WITH A MID-AIR DROPKICK! Completely taking Jungle Boy out of it, and with an inability to move at the moment, Christian is able to take advantage of this, as he sends his wounded adversary back into the ring, where he attempts for the pinfall victory early on in this matchup...1...2...KICKOUT! Able to survive for the time being, Jungle Boy begins to crawl over to the nearest corner, but as he does so, Christian slowly begins to follow him. However, as he finds himself only a couple of inches away from the former tag team champion, the latter is able to keep Christian away, as he successfully connects with numerous boots to the veteran's skull, which leads him to move back to the center of the ring. From there, Jungle Boy began to charge out of the corner, AND CONNECTS WITH A SWINGING DDT!

Knowing quite well that this wouldn't put away Christian just yet, he begins to hoist him up, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A BRAINBUSTER... BUT CHRISTIAN SLIPS OUT OF IT, AND PUSHES HIS FORMER FRIEND TO THE NEAREST SET OF ROPES! Looking to follow up, he's unable to, AS JUNGLE BOY REBOUNDS, AND NAILS CHRISTIAN WITH A LARIAT! 1...2...KICKOUT! Able to survive the pinfall attempt this time around, Christian's kickout almost immediately leads to an expression of frustration, upon Jungle Boy's face in just a matter of moments. Not looking to waste another precious second of his time, he attempts TO LOCK IN THE SNARE TRAP... BUT CHRISTIAN IS ABLE TO FIGHT OUT OF IT, AND PROCEEDS TO RETURN TO HIS FEET, AND CONNECT WITH A FALLING INVERTED DDT! Landing awkwardly upon his head, Jungle Boy is clearly in a load of pain, but that doesn't bother Christian, but only motivates him even more. As he now scales up to the top rope, he waits for a few moments, BEFORE DROPPING BACK DOWN TO THE CANVAS FOR A DIVING HEADBUTT! 1...2...KICKOUT! JUNGLE BOY SURVIVES YET AGAIN, AND NOW FRUSTRATION IS BEGINNING TO COMMENCE FOR CHRISTIAN!

Unable to put away his former peer, he doesn't want to wait any longer, as he begins to hoist up his opponent, and looks to finish this contest for good. In mere moments, HE WOULD TURN JUNGLE BOY AROUND AND ATTEMPT FOR THE KILLSWITCH... BUT HE WOULD END UP COUNTERING IT INTO A REVERSE RANA! Managing to fall directly onto his skull, Christian could barely figure out where he is, as he seemed to be quite lost, which Jungle Boy almost immediately realized. Inching closer to his opposition, he wouldn't waste this perfect opportunity...AS HE ROLLED CHRISTIAN BACK OVER TO HIS STOMACH, AND LOCKED IN THE SNARE TRAP! Right upon locking it in, Christian desperately attempted to escape the hold, almost reach the nearest set of ropes, but Jungle Boy dragged him back to the center of the ring. From here, Christian had no other choice... BUT TO TAP OUT!

Jungle Boy def. Christian Cage to advance to the Quarterfinals (19:00)

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Kyle O'Reilly vs. Lance Archer - AEW World Championship Eliminator Opening Round Match

Continuing on with this year's Eliminator Tournament, two of AEW's finest are set to battle, with only one managing to advance to the quarterfinals. Both O'Reilly and Archer have shown great promise in their time in All Elite Wrestling, but still have yet to capture championship gold, well here's their chance! In just mere moments, the latter would head out from behind the curtain, and was almost immediately greeted with an ovation of cheers, as he's certainly earned the adulation of the AEW faithful. However, even with the crowd clearly on his side, he doesn't acknowledge him all that much, but instead, focuses solely on his march towards the ring. He eventually makes it towards the ringside area, where he makes his way up on the apron, before towering over the ropes, and motioning for his opposition to meet him where he stands. Archer didn't have to wait long, as right on cue, O'Reilly met his demands and made his way out from the back, to a thunderous ovation of boos.

Since arriving to AEW, Kyle O'Reilly has proven to be one of the finest technical wrestlers in the profession, and has put away many individuals with his specific style. However, Lance Archer isn't simply just anyone, which will undoubtedly create a difficult path for the former NXT star, and judging by his facial expressions... he knew it. Slowly and methodically walking towards the ring, O'Reilly knew how important this tournament was, not only for his career, but for the entirety of Paragon, which prompted him to pick up his speed a little, and begin marching towards his destination. Upon entering the ring, he didn't hesitate in walking straight into corner, as he proceeded to shout at the official in charge to ring the opening bell, which his wish was granted in a matter of moments. With this contest at it's official start, it didn't see a traditional start to a match, as instead of meeting in the center of the ring, KYLE O'REILLY CHARGED TOWARDS ARCHER'S CORNER, AND LANDED A HUGE LEG KICK! For most individuals, the maneuver may take them aback, but Archer only smirks at it, and proceeds to grab O'Reilly by his head, AND THROWS HIM INTO THE CORNER, WITH NO SIGN OF ESCAPE!

Having him in the palm of his hands, Archer grabs ahold of his opposition, AND THROWS HIM ACROSS THE RING! With a true showcase of power shown from Archer, O'Reilly can only look on from the nearest corner, as he shows a sense of shock. However, as Archer rapidly approaches him, he quickly springs up to a vertical base, AND LANDS A SERIES OF KICKS TO ARCHER'S JAW! Clearly feeling a sense of true pain, he's forced to back up a couple of inches, before he's taken down by his opponent, WITH A DRAGON LEG SCREW! Almost immediately falling down to his back, The Murderhawk Monster begins to scream out in agony, which only results in a smirk from Kyle, who returns in his attempt of tearing apart the knee of the big man, which he's successful in doing at the current moment. To be more specific, he proceeds to land a series of knee strikes to Archer's left leg, who can barely keep a straight face, as he clearly feels the targeted strikes at the wounded area. Somehow not feeling satisfied with his efforts, O'Reilly attempts to place a Heel Hook upon Archer's leg early on in this contest, but before he can hook in the attempted submission hold, the latter is able to counter it.

Landing a series of brutal kicks to Kyle's skull, Archer slowly begins to rise back to a vertical base, where he then almost immediately grabs ahold of O'Reilly, and looks FOR A CHOKESLAM... BUT KYLE IS ABLE TO COUNTER IT AND LAND ON HIS FEET, BEFORE TARGETING ARCHER'S ARM THIS TIME AROUND! Attempting to weaken it as he did the leg, he quickly is able to successfully do so, which ends up leading his opponent to fall to one knee, leaving him at a vulnerable state. Taking notice of this immediately, he begins to place a combination of LETHAL KICKS! After several of them had been placed upon Archer's chest area, he hesitantly would fall to his back, where O'Reilly follows up WITH AN ATTEMPTED CROSS-ARM BREAKER! Somehow able to lock it in, it seemed it wasn't fully executed, as Archer kept his fingers intertwined, and then lifted not only himself up, but his opposition aswell, AND SEND THEM BOTH CRASHING DOWN WITH A DEADLIFT POWERBOMB! Feeling as this would be the perfect opportunity to follow up, he then began to hoist up O'Reilly, and SENT HIM RIGHT BACK DOWN TO THE CANVAS WITH A CHOKESLAM, AS THE SECOND ATTEMPT IS SUCCESSFUL! 1...2...KICKOUT! KYLE STILL SEEMS TO BE IN THIS ONE, BUT ONE MUST WONDER...FOR HOW LONG!

Archer began to show a sense of frustration, as this matchup had become quite important to him, and as each moment passes in this contest, that feeling has never once faded. Which prompts him to scale up to the top rope, slow and steady, clearly remembering his past failures in doing so, more specifically, in last year's AEW Eliminator Tournament! However, a simple second of hesitation would cost him, as it gave O'Reilly enough time to recuperate, and to return to a vertical base, WHERE HE PROCEEDED TO LAND A LETHAL KICK TO ARCHER'S BACKLEG! This unsurprisingly caused him to fall off the middle rope where he now resided, and down to the canvas back-first. Now proceeding to hoist up his opposition for possibly the final time, he attempts to end it all WITH A ROLLING BUTTERFLY SUPLEX... BUT ARCHER MANAGES TO ESCAPE IT, AND IMMEDIATELY GRABS AHOLD OF KYLE'S ARM! Without wasting a single extra second, he begins to irish-whip O'Reilly into the nearest set of ropes, but Archer looks to meet him there, Kyle moves out of the way in the nick of time, AND REBOUNDS WITH A HUGE KNEE TO THE GUT OF ARCHER! Now looking to rebound back himself, he eventually returns to Archer, but before he knew it, HE WOULD BE CAUGHT WITH A BIG BOOT!

Finally having this contest back in his control, Archer feels as this could certainly be it, which prompts him to hoist O'Reilly back up to a vertical base, where he attempts to finally reach this contest's conclusion. Now beginning to grab Kyle solely by his throat, it's only a matter of time before his utter demise, that being until he was lifted up into the air, WHERE HE GRABBED AHOLD OF ARCHER, AND LOCKED IN A GUILLOTINE CHOKE! He had unexpectedly countered The Murderhawk Monster, and as his grip only continued to tighten up, it certainly seemed as Archer might be out of this one. Eventually falling to both of his knees, and then face-first into the canvas, it would become quite clear that he had lost the ability to breath, and with that, HAD PASSED OUT TO THE SUBMISSION HOLD! Almost immediately noticing this, the official charge would quickly call for the bell, as O'Reilly was handed the victory after making Archer pass out, and you'd have to imagine he has made Adam Cole proud.

Kyle O'Reilly def. Lance Archer to advance to the Quarter-Finals (18:22)

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Andrade 'El Idolo' vs. Lio Rush - AEW World Championship Eliminator Opening Round Match

In one of this year's most anticipated contests of this year's Eliminator Tournament, both of AEW's more versatile competitors are set to battle, as they both attempt to push their respective careers with a victory this evening. With that said, an individual who's been hoping to prosper in this promotion for the better part of a year, seemingly begins to make his presence known, as he proceeds to walk out from behind the curtain. Almost immediately, Lio Rush is greeted with an ovation of cheers, clearly respecting the work ethic he's showcased for the past calendar year, and his confidence throughout the duration of his entrance only furthers that thought process. As he eventually makes it to the ringside area, he begins to slowly enter the ring, as he walks into possibly the biggest test of his AEW career yet. Without any hesitation, he proceeds to motion for his opposition to make it out from the back, and after a short-lived pause, Andrade 'El Idolo's' theme began to blare over the PA System, signaling the arrival of one of AEW's absolute finest to grace the squared circle.

After a few moments had passed, he would begin to walk out from the back, where his presence wasn't loved, which immediately would be showcased, as a negative ovation quickly followed. However, he simply didn't care, as the incredibly confident individual continued his descent down the entrance ramp, not looking to stop at any costs, but also keeping his eyes put on his opposition. For the entire duration of his journey towards him, all he could look at was his future, and upon joining Lio inside of the ring, he continued with this action, until both individuals were prompted to make their way to their respective corners. As the opening bell officially rang only a few moments later, this signified both men's ability to engage with one another, and without any slight bit of hesitation, they proceeded to do just this, as they met in the center of the ring. Both competitors are of high intellect, which led them to not engaging in a lock-up straight away, but instead starting off at a slow pace, and circling around the ring at a similar speed. Andrade began to spout an unneeded amount of trash talk, until Lio simply seemed to have enough, as he retaliated with a combination of lethal kicks and forearms, which while it did take it's toll on the opposition, his infuriation was deeper.

Andrade's face quickly turned bright red, as he took a swing at Lio, but to no avail! Able to use his unmatched speed, he ducks under, and once again manages to land several nasty strikes to Andrade's leg, which this time takes him down to a knee. Taking this opportunity to follow up, he begins to charge towards the nearest set of ropes, and upon rebounding, HE'S CAUGHT WITH A HURRICANRANA, WHICH TAKES HIM OUT TO THE RINGSIDE AREA! Finding himself still on a vertical base, Lio attempts to compose himself, but Andrade seems to have other ideas in store, AS HE RUSHES OVER TO THE ROPES, AND LOOKS FOR A TOPE CON HILO! However, before he can attempt for the high-risk maneuver, Rush is able to catch him WITH A SUPERKICK! Falling directly to his back upon impact, Andrade can barely function at the moment, which Lio notices almost immediately. Quickly rolling back in the ring, he attempts for the first pinfall attempt of this contest. 1...2...KICKOUT! Able to stay in this one, atleast for the time being, Andrade's mission to lead this company into the future is still alive, but this only continues to aggravate Rush, who looks to continue the attack.

Beginning to hoist up his opposition, HE NOW ATTEMPTS FOR AN ENZUIGIRI... WHICH ANDRADE IS ABLE TO DUCK UNDER, AND COUNTER IT WITH A SUPLEX! However, as he connects with it, two more are able to follow, as this contest seems to be leaning towards Andrade for the time being. With El Idolo having the advantage at the moment, he slowly begins to scale up to the top rope, and without any hesitation to put forth, HE LANDS A FEINT SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT INTO A STANDING ONE! 1...2...KICKOUT! This time around, Lio has found the willingness to survive, which unsurprisingly angers his competition, as Andrade continues to attempt for the victory, and his advancement in this prestigious tournament. As he begins to hoist up Lio once again, he hopes to put this contest to bed finally, as HE LOOKS FOR A SOMBRA DRIVER... BUT LIO COUNTERS IT AND PUSHES ANDRADE INTO THE NEAREST CORNER, AS HE'S ABLE TO AVOID HIS POSSIBLE DEMISE IN THIS ONE!

Able to keep him in the corner for the time being, he doesn't waste a single second, AS HE LANDS A ROPE-ASSISTED DDT! With Andrade finally being taken down once again, Lio quickly hoists up his opposition, and proceeds to throw him out through the middle rope, as the former lands directly upon the floor on the outside. Sensing an opportunity right in front of him, LIO RACES TOWARDS THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RING, AND UPON THE REBOUND, HE'S ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY CONNECT WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Almost immediately after soaring through the middle rope, he hoists up his opponent, and proceeds to push him back in the ring, where he's far from done yet. As he rapidly picks up his pace, and begins to scale up to the top rope, AND ATTEMPTS FOR THE FINAL HOUR... BUT ANDRADE IS ABLE TO GET HIS KNEES UP IN THE NICK OF TIME! Able to stop his Lio's comeback, Andrade slowly makes it up to a vertical base, where he calls for his opponent to do the same. Reaching up to both of his feet, it seemed as his demise might be inevitable, as Andrade ATTEMPTED FEINT FRONT KICK INTO A DISCUS BACK ELBOW... BUT LIO WOULD DUCK UNDER AND LANDS A TILT-O-WHIRL DDT IN RESPONSE! 1...2...KICKOUT! THAT'S NOT IT... NOT YET ATLEAST!

This time he stays relatively calm, as he rises back to a vertical base, and patiently awaits for his opponent to follow this action, and as he does, HE ATTEMPTS FOR A SPRINGBOARD STUNNER...BUT ANDRADE CATCHES HIM WITH A BACK ELBOW! This completely takes Lio out of it, as his eyes proceed to roll in the back of his head, and his ability to breathe consistently begins to fade away. Looking to escape to a sense of comfort, he crawls back into the corner, but he's unfortunately fallen into Andrade's trap, AS HE CHARGES INTO THE CORNER FOR A RUNNING CORNER DOUBLE KNEE STRIKE! Lio falls even further down towards the canvas, before Andrade picks him up, AND PLANTS HIM RIGHT BACK DOWN TO THE MAT WITH A LA SOMBRA! 1...2...3...! This evening seemed to not be Lio Rush's night, but for one El Idolo, he walks out of this contest with his head held up high!

Andrade 'El Idolo' def. Lio Rush to advance to the Quarter-Finals (17:45)

Samoa Joe vs. Daniel Garcia - AEW World Championship Eliminator Opening Round Match

Almost half-way into the opening round, we now shift back to the technical side of it, as two of AEW's finest technical wrestlers are set to share a ring for the first time! Both Samoa Joe and Daniel Garcia have made waves in this promotion since arriving, but without capturing any title gold thus far, walking out of this contest as the victor, could ultimately change that narrative. For a majority of his career, the former has been changing the portrayal of each company he's walked into, and as he proceeds to walk out from behind the curtain, it becomes abundantly clear that he looks to do something similar in All Elite Wrestling. Continuing his entrance, he's greeted with an ovation of cheers, as the AEW faithful clearly hold a great deal of respect for The Samoan Submission Machine. Eventually gaining traction towards the ring, he proceeds to slide into it, and begins to taunt towards the back, where his opposition currently resides. Without having to wait much longer, one of the hottest prospects in AEW throughout the last calendar year makes his presence known.

Coming out from the back, Daniel Garcia confidently enters the arena, which garners an instant negative reaction from the crowd, but it seems to not bother him at all. Leaving 2.0 behind for the evening, he looks to impress against on his own, which is something we hadn't seen for most of his run with All Elite Wrestling thus far. Continuing his descent down the entrance ramp, he keeps a cold stare directed at Joe, which keeps steady until he joins him inside of the squared circle. As both competitors position themselves in their respective corners, which prompts the official in charge to call for the opening bell. After a few seconds had passed, it would eventually ring, which signifies both individual's ability to now meet eachother in the center of the ring, which they unsurprisingly do. Deciding to start off this contest at a slow pace, they begin to circle around the ring, as both attempt to feel eachother out early on in this contest. While Joe goes on to test the waters with a couple of kicks to Garcia's chin, the latter retaliates with several forearms to the former's jaw. Neither of them doing much damage, they decide to proceed to engage in a lock-up, which could go either way.

Going onto to tug one another back-and-forth, the strength advantage quickly went to Joe, who almost immediately pushed Garcia back into the nearest corner, where he follows up with several knife-edged chops, which echos throughout the arena. Quickly grabbing onto his chest, Garcia showcases the pain he's currently in, which Joe doesn't flinch, and instead only continues his attack, as he lifts Garcia up by his chin, and lifts him back up to a leaning position, AND PROCEEDS TO LAND YET ANOTHER KNIFE-EDGED CHOP! This time around, he falls down to both of his knees, and not looking to let his opposition have any breathing room, he hoists him up to a vertical base, BEFORE GOING ON TO LAND A POWERBOMB! Landing directly on his back upon the canvas, it seemed as Garcia simply couldn't find his footing in this contest, which only continued, AS HE FOLLOWED UP WITH A RUNNING SENTON! 1...2...KICKOUT! Following the first pinfall attempt of the evening, Garcia was able to keep himself in the running, but as a veteran of the game, patience was a virtue for Samoa Joe.

Proceeding to transition over to his backside, Joe attempts to hoist up his opponent, BUT AS A GERMAN SUPLEX IS ATTEMPTED, GARCIA IS ABLE TO FIGHT OUT OF IT, AS HE LANDS NUMEROUS BACK ELBOWS TO JOE'S RIGHT CHEEKBONE! With that said, this prompted him to let go of his grasp, which created a reasonable opening for Garcia, which he quickly took advantage of. Deciding to direct his attack at his opposition's legs, he manages to weaken them, before CONNECTING WITH A DRAGON LEG SCREW, WHICH TAKES JOE DOWN TO HIS BACK FINALLY! However, this doesn't occur for a long while, as Joe manages to hoist himself up to one leg, but before he can get up to a full vertical base, Garcia grabs onto his opponent's arm, AND ROLLS JOE OVER TO HIS STOMACH, AND TRANSITIONS INTO A CROSSFACE! With the hold now tightly locked in, it seemed as a surprising upset could be on the horizon, but with his hand in the air, he was able to power out of it! Throwing Garcia to his side, he quickly hoisted him up to a vertical base, BEFORE CONNECTING WITH AN EXPLODER SUPLEX!

Able to send Garcia over to the nearest corner, Joe didn't waste anytime in charging over to his opponent, and as the former lifts himself up to a vertical base, the latter abrupts his movements, AND CONNECTS WITH A BELLY-TO-BELLY SUPLEX! 1...2...KICKOUT! While he's stayed away from impatience thus far in this contest, frustration has started to boil over for Joe, as his failed attempt at the AEW World Championship back at the All Out PPV, has created a sense of urgency for him. However, as he looks to return to the attack, he isn't able to get too far, as Garcia rises up to both of his feet, and transitions over to Joe's backside, AND LANDS A LETHAL KICK TO JOE'S BACK CALF! Upon falling directly down to the canvas, Joe seems out of it, which Garcia ultimately takes advantage of, AND FOLLOWS UP WITH A RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! LOOKING TO LOCK IN A CROSSFACE ONCE AGAIN, JOE IS ABLE TO COUNTER IT INTO HIS VERY OWN! Due to the strength advantage he possesses, it looks as Garcia might be fading, but with his clearly insane amount of speed, HE'S ABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE ROPES, WHICH GIVES NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO LET GO OF HIS GRIP AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS! Back to a standstill, this matchup could certainly go either way, but it's all up to who wants it more.

After a full 30 second recovery, both performers return to a vertical base, as they practically are butting heads at the moment, but with a follow up push from Daniel Garcia, HIS OPPOSITION WOULD RETALIATE WITH A BACKHAND CHOP, WHICH STUNS THE FORMER ALMOST IMMEDIATELY! Quickly deciding to following up after this maneuver, JOE GRABS ONTO GARCIA AND ATTEMPTS FOR A URANAGE... BUT GARCIA COUNTERS AND GRABS AHOLD OF JOE'S HEAD... A GUILLOTINE CHOKE HAS BEEN LOCKED IN! Having it in deep, it seemed as Joe was certainly in trouble, but the veteran expertise soon looked to prevail, as he used the momentum and charged Garcia up to the middle rope. Now having him up there, HE LANDED ONE LAST BACKHAND CHOP, WHICH SENT GARCIA INTO A STATE OF FATIGUE! From there, he took advantage of this, AND CARRIED HIM ON TOP OF HIS SHOULDERS, FOR A MUSCLE BUSTER! 1...2...3...! GARCIA HAS BEEN OUTSMARTED, AND JOE MOVES ONTO THE QUARTER-FINALS JUST LIKE THAT! Able to make it out still standing tall, the veteran is looking like a major player in this tournament, the same way the two former winners of it have in the past.

Samoa Joe def. Daniel Garcia to advance to the Quarter-Finals (16:23)

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Bryan Danielson vs. Jay Lethal - AEW World Championship Eliminator Opening Round Match

Now officially halfway through the opening round, the competitive nature of it all will come to a head, as last year's winner of this prestigious tournament looks to go back-to-back. However, it clearly won't be an easy task, as he will meet former 2x ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal in the opening round! Speaking of the latter, his theme would blare over the PA System first, signifying the impending arrival of the 36 Year Old, and after a few moments pass, he proceeds to walk from out from behind the curtain. Upon his arrival, he's met with a mixed reaction from the fans in attendance, who don't seem too keen on him, while others feeling the exact opposite, which has become the usual reaction from the AEW faithful for the past several months. Continuing his lengthy entrance, he eventually makes it to the ringside area, where he proceeds to take a look at his surroundings, before taking a deep breath and sliding into the ring. He's fully aware that he isn't the favorite, but that a massive opportunity is in the palm of hands, and he simply can't let it slip through his fingers.

With that said, he patiently awaits for The American Dragon to step out from the back, but the strategic veteran decides to make him wait, intending to slowly wear Lethal's patience thin, as each second passes in this pre-match interaction. Once a glimpse of frustration comes across the face of the former Ring Of Honor star, Bryan Danielson makes his presence known, as he enters the arena from the back, and is immediately met with a thunderous ovation of boos. Based off of his facial expressions, he couldn't care less, as he instead continued his entrance with a huge smirk upon his face. Clearly confident in his own abilities, specifically due to the success he had in last year's tournament, it has unsurprisingly carried over to this year, which leads him to join Lethal inside of the squared circle and practically butting heads with him! The official charge decided to step in moments later, prompting them to their respective corners, before going onto ringing the opening bell. With this contest officially starting, both competitors would approach eachother in the center of the ring, where they almost immediately chose to engage in a lock-up, clearly looking for the early upper-hand.

Starting at a relatively slower pace, Lethal transitions the lock-up into a side takedown, the quick movement surprises his opposition, and with a simple nod from Danielson, he hoists himself back up to a vertical base. Returning back to the center of the ring, the two performers return to a lock-up, where both once again struggle for control, and again Lethal is able to gain the upper-hand, as he proceeds to back up his opponent into the nearest set of ropes, before irish-whipping Danielson to the opposite side of the ring. However, as the latter rebounds off of them, he's able to send Lethal down to the canvas WITH A NASTY SHOULDER BLOCK, AS HE'S MANAGED TO FIND A SENSE OF CONTROL! This time around, Lethal nods at the conclusion of this sequence, as they now find theirselves at a standstill. As Lethal hoists himself back up to a vertical base, he doesn't waste another single second, before ATTEMPTING FOR A LARIAT... BUT DANIELSON COUNTERS IT INTO A GROUNDED FIREMAN'S DROP! With his opposition now taken down, he proceeds to follow up with grabbing ahold of both of Lethal's arms, and BEGINS TO NAIL HIS OPPOSITION WITH A SERIES OF LETHAL KICKS!

Able to target these directly at Lethal's skull, and even though he attempted to block these, it was to no avail. After numerous shots to the targeted area, Danielson eventually decides to let go of his grasp, and simply leaves his opposition as a helpless mess in the middle of the ring. Now beginning to hoist up Lethal to a vertical base once again, he goes on to irish-whip him into the corner, BUT AS HE ATTEMPTS TO FOLLOW UP WITH A RUNNING DROPKICK INTO THE CORNER... BUT LETHAL MANAGES TO ESCAPE IN THE NICK OF TIME! Falling directly to down to the canvas, Lethal looks to take advantage of this mishap, and hoists up Danielson, before CONNECTING WITH A KNIFE-EDGED CHOP! However, as this rough strike perfectly lands, Danielson refuses to cower, and stands up straight, proceeding to portray his obvious strength. This only proceeds to piss off Lethal even more, as he attempts to connect with it, but on the second try, he's able to counter it, and sends Lethal into the aforementioned corner almost immediately. Now irish-whipping the former ROH World Champion into the opposite corner, he attempts to return fire, but as he manages to reach the said target, Lethal is able to move out of the way, but that doesn't stop Danielson. Scaling up to the top rope, he backflips off of it, able to avoid his opposition, BUT AS HE REBOUNDS OFF OF THE ROPES FOLLOWING THIS, HE'S CAUGHT WITH A SUPERKICK! 1...2...KICKOUT! DANIELSON ISN'T FALLING THAT EASILY!

Finally having the upper-hand in this contest, Lethal lifts up Danielson to his knees, which prompts him to PROCEED TO CARTWHEEL AND TRANSITION INTO A GROUNDED DROPKICK! From there, Danielson rolls out of the ring, where he attempts to find a sense of safety, but Lethal is lying in wait. CHARGING OVER TO HIS OPPOSITION, HE SOARS THROUGH THE MIDDLE ROPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL SUICIDE DIVE! Upon finding the target, he immediately proceeds to hoist up Danielson, and throws him back into the ring, where he attempts for the pinfall victory. 1...2...KICKOUT! Not looking to waste this opportunity, he once again lifts up Danielson, DECIDING TO STRIKE HIM WITH A SERIES OF EUROPEAN UPPERCUTS... BUT ONCE AGAIN HE DOESN'T COWER! As he stands tall, and begins to practically butts his head against Lethal's and as he attempts to RETALIATE WITH ONE OF HIS OWN, BUT LETHAL REVERSES AND CONNECTS WITH A DRAGON LEG SCREW WHIP! Not waiting to put Danielson away, he patiently waits for his opposition to limp himself up to a vertical base, AND AS HE DOES, LETHAL LOOKS FOR AN ENZUFURY... BUT DANIELSON CATCHES LETHAL'S LEG IN MID-AIR, AND CONNECTS WITH A DRACON LEG WHIP OF HIS OWN! THE PLAYING FIELD IS WIDE OPEN!

Coming into the closing stretch of this contest, Danielson isn't playing around no more, as he almost immediately hoists up Lethal, AND LANDS A ROLLING ELBOW, FOLLOWED UP BY A GERMAN SUPLEX... BUT LETHAL IS ABLE TO LAND ON HIS FEET! From there, DANIELSON RAN RIGHT INTO A CUTTER! Having him down in the center of the ring, Lethal now returns to a vertical base, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A LETHAL INJECTION... BUT DANIELSON CATCHES HIM BY HIS HEAD, SPINS HIM AROUND, AND LOCKS IN A GUILLOTINE CHOKE! Starting to tighten the hold, Lethal finally falls down to his knees after a bit of struggle, as his sense of air flow starts to fade, and his hopes of making it past the opening round completely vanishes, AS HE EVENTUALLY TAPS OUT, AWARDING DANIELSON THE VICTORY!

Bryan Danielson def. Jay Lethal to advance to the Quarter-Finals (18:59)